Sept 7

Micah 6:1-8
1 Listen to what the LORD is saying:
“Stand up and state your case against me.
Let the mountains and hills be called to witness your complaints.
2 And now, O mountains,
listen to the LORD’s complaint!
He has a case against his people.
He will bring charges against Israel.
3 “O my people, what have I done to you?
What have I done to make you tired of me?
Answer me!
4 For I brought you out of Egypt
and redeemed you from slavery.
I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to help you.
5 Don’t you remember, my people,
how King Balak of Moab tried to have you cursed
and how Balaam son of Beor blessed you instead?
And remember your journey from Acacia Grove to Gilgal,
when I, the LORD, did everything I could
to teach you about my faithfulness.”
6 What can we bring to the LORD?
What kind of offerings should we give him?
Should we bow before God
with offerings of yearling calves?
7 Should we offer him thousands of rams
and ten thousand rivers of olive oil?
Should we sacrifice our firstborn children
to pay for our sins?
8 No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good,
and this is what he requires of you:
to do what is right, to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with your God.

Imagine getting your driver's license the day after your sixteenth birthday-and choosing not to drive. Imagine learning your ABCs but never reading a single word in your life. Imagine discovering a cure for the common cold but choosing not to take it when you're sniffing and sneezing like a banshee. Why would anyone do something like that? We do it all the time, especially when it comes to choosing between right and wrong. For example, we know that justice is right and injustice is wrong. Yet we don't always choose to act justly, do we? We may know it, but we don't always show it. We butt in ahead of people in cafeteria lines. We treat some people better than others. We "play favorites." We take advantage of people. We accuse people or dislike people without really knowing the whole story. But if we know it's wrong to act unfairly, why do we do it anyway? Well, part of the answer to that question is that we're all sinners. We tend to do the wrong thing more than we tend to do the right thing. Another part of the answer to that question is that we act unjustly because sometimes it seems more beneficial to us than acting justly. (Who wants to wait longer than necessary in a cafeteria line, right?) A third reason we act unjustly is that we don't make a conscious decision to do otherwise. Since acting unjustly seems to come more naturally (because of our sinful nature), we tend to do that unless we've made a commitment to follow God's way of justice instead of doing what comes naturally. You can make such a commitment by determining in your heart that when you're faced with a choice between a right action and a wrong action, you will choose what's right-even when it's inconvenient. But that's not all; you then need to ask God for the strength to choose justice over injustice and trust the Holy Spirit to enable you to keep your commitment. That won't guarantee that you'll always act justly, but it will help you the next time you're tempted.

REFLECT: Knowing what's right and doing what's right are two different things. Sometimes we do wrong when we're not sure what's right. Other times we know what's right, but we do what's wrong anyway. Which is a bigger problem for you: knowing what's right or doing what's right?

PRAY: "Lord, I commit to your way. I commit to acting fairly when I'm faced with the chance to do something unfair. Help me especially to..."

happy birthday to esther and my dad!
okay we are all born with a sinful nature and tend to make the wrong choices rather than the right ones. God is always telling us to move away from that wrong choice and take the right step forward to make things better and just. we just don't listen or we haven't even heard him. when we do the wrong thing, i am pretty sure that 70% of the time we do KNOW what is right but we choose the easier way out and be unjust. if we know what is right, even if it is not beneficial to us, we need to be able to determine the right choice. God will always be with us each step that we take so even if it is hard, He will still be with us to help us. this sort of reminds me of that footprints poem/writing that Pastor Kye shared with us...even if it is hard to take another step forward, God will be there with you every step of the way and pick you up and set you back on the right place.

First week of school is finished!
When we are stuck in a situation there is the right choice, and the wrong choice. Along with those choices are the consequences. I personally think the real reason as to why it is so hard to choose the right choice, is because we're mostly worried about what will happen after. We don't want to go through another complicated issue and worry about our punishment.
However, if we don't select the right choice then most likely, the results will turn out worse then they were before. Just like how if we don't follow the rules God had set out for us, then in the end we will probably end up in Hell after you die.
Good night!

I think what this passage is getting at is temptation.
Although we know what is right or wrong, we are tempted to do things through peer pressure or what not. Its like the angel and devil on our shoulders.
If we dont know the outcome of the situation... its an honest mistake.
But steps to avoid it is to ask others or research yourself.
But temptation is a big part of our lives which cause us to sin...
Even though we know its bad, it may be really fun and ejoyable. Causing us to act and partake in the situation which can lead to sin and taking the side of the devil..
We should be careful as to what we do and act... Knowing the circumstances or not.

just gonna make up for lost devos now...

I think the worst part of human nature is the judgmental part of it. We are by default, prejudiced and unjust. Though God made us in his image, we are all born sinners and part of the sinful nature that is instilled in us is those very characteristics. God didn't teach us to look down on others, or manipulate people to make things go our way. God only taught us how to be good in his eyes, yet we still disobey him and disappoint him from our day to day lives. Since sin is just an integrated part of us, the only way to separate ourselves from it is to be aware of it. And because sin is so natural to us, we can only stop sinning by making a conscious decision not to. So whenever we have a decision to make, consciously decide to make the one that pleases God more than it does you.