Archive for category: GAMEtime Sharing

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Micah 4:1-13.  Let’s go!

Micah 4:1 (NIV) 
1  In the last days the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and peoples will stream to it.
 
On verse 1:  In verses 1-8 Micah is describing what will happen “in the last days” (v1), meaning the time when Jesus Christ returns to establish His kingdom.  Here in verse 1 Micah prophesies about the day that “the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains…raised above the hills, and people will stream to it.” (v1)  In other words, Micah is prophesying of the day when the worship of the Lord takes first place and centre stage in people’s hearts. 

What can we learn from this?  Right now you may be facing a mountain in your life, or maybe even multiple mountains, but no matter what always give first place and centre stage to the Lord.  Let your worship of God and your intimacy with Him always be your number priority.  For when you fix your eyes on Jesus, when you remember that His greatness no one can match, then you can say to whatever other mountain you may be facing, “You’re not so big after all.  For my God is greater.” 

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Micah 2:1-13.  Let’s go!

Micah 2:1-5 (NIV) 
1  Woe to those who plan iniquity, to those who plot evil on their beds! At morning’s light they carry it out because it is in their power to do it.
2  They covet fields and seize them, and houses, and take them. They defraud a man of his home, a fellowman of his inheritance.
3  Therefore, the LORD says: “I am planning disaster against this people, from which you cannot save yourselves. You will no longer walk proudly, for it will be a time of calamity.
4  In that day men will ridicule you; they will taunt you with this mournful song: ‘We are utterly ruined; my people’s possession is divided up. He takes it from me! He assigns our fields to traitors.'”
5  Therefore you will have no one in the assembly of the LORD to divide the land by lot.

On verses 1-5:  God plans disaster (v3-5) for those who plan disaster against others (v1-2).  Move over Captain America and Iron Man.  The ultimate avenger is Yahweh who says, “It is mine to avenge.  I will repay.” (Deuteronomy 32:35; Romans 12:19)

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Jonah 4:1-11.  Let’s go!

Jonah 4:1-3 (NIV) 
1  But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. 
2  He prayed to the LORD, “O LORD, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. 
3  Now, O LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”
 
On verses 1-3:  God has just shown great mercy to the Ninevites (see Jonah 3:10) and Jonah is angry.  Why?  For the same reason Jonah did not want to go to Nineveh to preach in the first place: Jonah despised the Ninevites.  Jonah had probably learned from the prophets Hosea and Amos that one day Assyria (of which Nineveh was or would be the capital city) would one day attack Jonah’s country of Israel.  So Jonah did not want God to spare the Ninevites.  Notice the double standard Jonah was operating under: when God spared Jonah instead of punishing Jonah, Jonah was overjoyed and thankful, yet when God spared the Ninevites instead of punishing them, Jonah is greatly displeased and angry. 
 

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Jonah 2:1-10.  Let’s go!

Jonah 2:1 (NIV) 
1  From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God.
2  He said: “In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry.
3  You hurled me into the deep, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me.
4  I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.’
5  The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head.
6  To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you brought my life up from the pit, O LORD my God.
7  “When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple.

Hi GAMErs,

Today we are looking at 3 John, a very short letter most likely written by the apostle John to his friend Gaius.  Let’s go!

3 John 1:1 (NIV) 
1  The elder, To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth.

On verse 1:  In this short letter John refers to Gaius as his “dear friend” four times.   Through this letter we learn several characteristics of a great godly friend.  We find the first one here: a great godly friend speaks affectionately to his friend.  John is affectionate in his words for Gaius.

3 John 1:2 (NIV) 
2  Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.

On verse 2:  A great godly friend is concerned about his friend’s entire well being.  He isn’t just concerned about his spiritual health (“even as your soul is getting along well”), but also about his physical health (“I pray that you may enjoy good health”) and his life in general (“that all may go well with you”).