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Showing posts from September, 2012

Jesus: The Believer’s Inheritance

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  It is fascinating to observe when people talk about inheritance, ones mind would immediately cater properties, wills, houses, jewelries, and other material things. All of which are centered on material temporal things.   In 1 Peter 1:4 , although The Apostle Peter used the term “inheritance” once in his letter, Apostle Paul on the other hand, mentioned this term in his letters several times. ( Eph_1:14 , Eph_1:18 , Eph_5:5 , Col_3:24 ,) But what is so significant about this particular emphasis of Peter? After all, he made a brief description of the inheritance (verse 4-5) a believer will obtain now that he is part of God’s family.   The term “inheritance” is not something new among Jewish ears. Going back to the OT, when God divided the promised land among the 12 tribes of Israel, every tribe received a portion of the land as their inheritance, except for the tribe of Levi…”the priestly tribe”. They were the only tribe that didn’t get one. God’s reason for doing so is interesting. Th
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Habakkuk - "Resting in the Sovereignty of GOD"

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News about crime, injustice and violence occupy a prominent spot in our television sets and daily papers. Such news only cause emotional weariness and even anger at the perpetrator of the crime or abuse. Questions come to mind whether or not GOD is still sovereign and in control of this universe. Habakkuk the prophet struggled with the same questions as he himself witnessed evil throughout the nation of Judah. In a series of dialogue between GOD and the prophet, Habakkuk asked GOD Who graciously answered the prophet’s inquiries. Tired of witnessing the wickedness present in every level of society, Habakkuk asked the question: “ LORD, why do you allow wickedness to flourish ? ” (Habakkuk 1:1-4). The LORD replied saying, “ I am preparing the Babylonians ” (1:5-11). Habakkuk followed up with another question revealing the prophet’s confusion: “ LORD, why would You chose a more wicked nation like Babylon to punish Your people? ” (1:12-2:1). The LORD replied saying, “ The Babylonians will
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Nahum - "The LORD is our Stronghold"

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In Psalm 62, David explains why he rested on GOD’s protection from his enemies. With GOD as his “rock”, “salvation”, “stronghold”, and “refuge” (Psalm 62:2, 6-8), David found comfort and confidence in GOD saying, “I shall not be greatly shaken” (Psalm 62:2, 6). Similar to the message of Psalm 62 was the herald of Nahum the prophet. Nahum, whose name means “The LORD is my Comfort,” rested on GOD as His stronghold (Nahum 1:7). GOD and His character stand as the basis of his prophetic book. He proclaimed GOD’s judgment towards the cruel and ungodly nation of Assyria and brought comfort to the LORD’s afflicted people, Israel. Nahum’s ministry occured more than a century after the preaching of Jonah. By that time, the nation of Assyria had returned to their evil and wicked ways. They were known for the atrocities they committed against the nations they conquered which included God’s people, Israel (Nahum 3:1-3; Cf. Hosea 13:5). Nahum preached to the Assyrians GOD’s message of judgment and i
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Micah - "What does the LORD require of you?"

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What is true religion? This is a question people often ask in view of the different religions of the world. In a way, the answer to this question was what Micah’s people needed to hear and understand. Micah was a fearless prophet from Moresheth, a small town 25 miles southwest of Jerusalem. His name means “Who is like the LORD?” which is the sum message of his book (Micah 7:18). Micah was called to preach for GOD’s people to worship Yahweh alone (Micah 4:1-5). Sadly, God’s people had embraced foreign gods while purporting to worship the LORD. Micah, who comes from the lower class of society, was an ardent defender of the oppressed and a herald of righteousness (Micah 2; 3:8). He proclaimed GOD’s message of judgment against Jerusalem’s leaders (Micah 3:1-4, 9-12) priests, and false prophets (3:5-8). With a series of rhetorical questions, Micah exposed the guilt of the nation of Judah by showing the people their wrong assumption—that is, believing that by performing religious rituals the
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