Have Mercy O God!

Listen to what the LORD says: “Stand up, plead my case before the mountains; let the hills hear what you have to say.  “Hear, you mountains, the LORD’s accusation; listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth. For the LORD has a case against his people; he is lodging a charge against Israel. “My people, what have I done to you? How have I burdened you? Answer me. I brought you up out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. I sent Moses to lead you, also Aaron and Miriam. Micah 6:1-4 NIV
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Listen! The LORD is calling to the city— and to fear your name is wisdom— “Heed the rod and the One who appointed it. Am I still to forget your ill-gotten treasures, you wicked house, and the short ephah, which is accursed? Shall I acquit someone with dishonest scales, with a bag of false weights? Your rich people are violent; your inhabitants are liars and their tongues speak deceitfully. Therefore, I have begun to destroy you, to ruin you because of your sins. Micah 6:6-13 NIV

While many people do not believe what the prophets of old said are relevant to this day, I beg to differ. If we read--with understanding--and carefully consider how our lives today are parallel to the times when God used the prophets, we see the similarities--but will we hear and obey?

The biggest difference in what was done then and now is--God spoke through specific people warning the people--those willing to hear and speak what He said. Today, all who desire to know--have access to His Word and Holy Spirit--we have the means to hear without a middleman--if we choose to hear. When we choose to ignore God and all He has done for us--we reap the consequences of our actions and if we're completely honest with ourselves, we can hear Him asking us the same questions.

What does He require of us--to treat others with love, mercy and justice--and to walk humbly--showing humility in all we do--not boastful or bragging about what we've done or said and certainly, knowing how to be empathetic and compassionate. Are we doing it?

Are those who are dishonest and cheat others going to be receive anything from God? Yes, they will receive the appropriate consequence for their actions because God sees everything we have ever done and knows everything we will ever do.

Are the rich violent--either in action themselves or provoking others to act violently towards others?  Are we lying--just to get what we want or do we know how to speak truth? Are we allowing out tongues to rule us deceitfully, hoping others will not expose the deceit? While no one has to answer these questions asked on this blog, God is waiting--for us to respond to Him with answers that are truthful and without any attempt to conceal the reality of what we do. Are we ready to answer Him?

When we attempt to conceal our lies and deceptions--they are ultimately exposed for all the world to see (or at least in front of those we were trying to deceive) and we stand naked--with nothing to cover us, nothing to shield us from the onslaught of criticism that is bound to come. So why lie and deceive? The enemy has discovered the flaws in our nature and has used them against us so he won't be alone--in the lake of fire for all eternity. Don't be caught with defenses down! The enemy's job is to kill--we see the result of his influence, daily; to steal--the joy of everyone who loves; to destroy--any hope that others have for a better day; he is the father of liars--so he influences others to lie and the master of deception--always masquerading as something good until he gets close enough or has influenced enough people--to do the most horrific things we can imagine.

What can we do? Pray, pray, and pray. We pray for ourselves to hear God and then act in obedience to what He tells us and we pray for mercy--His forgiveness for our foolishness so we'll have opportunity to get things right before Him.

Have mercy upon us, O God!

Nothing Like a Good Understanding!

Sympathy--sharing the feelings of another. This is what happens when we "feel" what others feel about events or situations.
For example: Since I know what it is like to lose a loved one, I can be sympathetic to others who have lost a loved one and generally, will know how to respond to them.

 Empathy--identifying with another's feelings, thoughts, attitudes.  We can relate to a person's feelings or attitudes about an event or situation.
For Example: Understanding how dysfunctional our Congress is, I can empathize with new-comers who think they will be able to effect a change in the status-quo.

 Apathy--lacking interest or concern about things that concern others; absence of excitement or passion about a situation. We don't care one way or another about an event or situation.
For Example: Although I have concluded that the political system in this country does not work for the middle-class and poor, I will not be apathetic and not vote for someone in the upcoming elections.

Why bother to make these distinctions in words? Based upon my observations of people and how they behave towards others and situations, I simply thought to offer insight.

When I see people do nothing to improve their quality of life--mentally, physically, or financially, I refuse to have any sympathy for them. After all, unless they are totally physically incapable of doing something about their lives, they deserve no sympathy.  With recent outrage about water shut-offs in Detroit, I have no sympathy for anyone using the service and thinking they do not have to pay for it. Having access to water is not about it being a "human rights" issue; it is about being responsible in determining how much one can afford to pay for having water and making arrangements to pay on the bill--before it gets turned off. For the person who struggles and yet pays something, I can have empathy for in their plight. For those who deliberately use and then don't want to pay, they get no sympathy from me.

The same is true for those who do nothing for days, weeks, months at-a-time and then over-exert unused muscles and end up in pain, expecting sympathy from others. Not from me. Exercise those muscles on a daily basis and then if there is a problem, I will be sympathetic regarding the situation and respond accordingly.

Knowing the difference between being sympathetic, empathetic, and apathetic makes a difference in how we respond to others. Since I am highly emotional (and opinionated), I doubt seriously if I could be apathetic about any situation, but I can certainly be sympathetic or empathetic about many.

"With all of our getting (or gathering of information), we need to get understanding."