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Day 259, or September 16. God is not a vague concept. Our thoughts today come from Micah

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chapter 5 verse 2. But you, Bethlehem Ephrata, though you are small among the clans of Judah,

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out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from

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of old, from ancient times. And now the big picture surrounding this verse.

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In the days of Micah, Bethlehem was a famous city often called the City of David, who was

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perhaps the greatest king Israel ever had. Jesus was a descendant of David, and often

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referred to as the Son of David. However, if Jesus had not been born there, I doubt

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very much if many would know of its existence today. I'm sure I wouldn't have visited

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it so many times. Micah tells the Israelites that their God is pleading with them to repent

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and change. Wow! The all-powerful God pleading with His creation.

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Gods in ancient days pleaded with no one. They demanded obedience and threatened death

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to those who failed to please them. Our God is so different to man-made gods. In addition,

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Micah confirms that Messiah would be born in this little place. He even gives it its

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full name so that there's no room for mistakes. And now today's action step. Micah gives us

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one of the best-known words of prophecy in the whole Bible, when he tells us centuries

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before the event takes place exactly where Messiah will be born. He roots it in a real

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place in a real country. So many critics accuse believers of having an airy-fairy faith that

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demands blind obedience and doesn't stand up to questioning. I always smile when I'm

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told that science disproves God. How anyone can believe there is no supreme being behind

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the amazingly complex natural world around us is beyond me. The world is so well structured

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and operates so perfectly, it certainly can't be man-made. We have a well-organized God

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who brought everything into being, and He loves us. How can you live the rest of today

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without a smile on your face? Be ready to respond to any who ask. Why the smile then?