From Pride to Praise

I found myself up earlier than usual this morning, but then taking an early morning nap when I became fairly fatigued. I did make it to my fitness center workout with my trainer. However, my level of strength and stamina was significantly different than  Tuesday even with two days of rest. It may have been one of those times when I pushed the limits and have had to regroup.

In a few minutes I will be leaving to go pick up Stephanie and McKenzie at the airport. We are looking forward to having them with us for a few days. Too bad it is right in the middle of this cold snap, but it will feel more like Colorado and less like Atlanta.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land,  who do his just commands; seek righteousness; seek humility;”   Zephaniah 2:3

The prophet Zephaniah spoke forth God’s word during the reign of Josiah the godly king of Judah. Although the seeds of sin and destruction were in the veins of the people, Josiah did all that he could to avert judgment and turn the people’s hearts back to the Lord. Zephaniah 2:3 is an appropriate description of the response of Josiah to the words about the Lord’s anger against His people. He made a commitment to lead the people to a time of seeking the Lord and returning to the law of Moses.

Yet we see Zephaniah foreseeing the day when the hearts of the people of Judah and the nations around revealed their true loyalty. He speaks these words of condemnation, “Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled,  the oppressing city!She listens to no voice;
she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the Lord; she does not draw near to her God.” Zephaniah 3:1-2

What a vivid contrast is seen in the verses of these two chapters. One highlights seeking the Lord, humility, righteousness, and obedience. The other deaf ears, stiff necks, refusing to trust the Lord and refusing to draw near to the Lord. But as we see in the New Testament book of Hebrews the “Lord disciplines those He loves.”  That is what we see happening in the hearts and lives of God’s people. It took many long hard lessons, suffering and it took God’s judgment on surrounding nations as well. But in the end the prophet of the Lord speaks to a day when all hearts turn to the Lord and this is what they come to see.

“The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.”  Zephaniah 3:17

These people go from taking pride in themselves to being humbled by the Lord and then being restored and becoming the ones the Lord exults over. What a privileged position.

How important for us today to be those who seek the Lord, seek  righteousness and humility. When we do we experience the Lord’s presence “in our midst, a mighty one who will save….” It is one thing to please the Lord, it is another to experience His pleasure over us. You will find those two go hand in hand.