the right path...

July 13, 2012

Isaiah 4:1-6 V5 Then the Lord will creat over the whole site of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day and smoke and shining of a flaming fire by night…

This verse is alluding to my very favorite verse in scripture. This verse describes how God delivered the children of Israel from Egypt. He lead them by surrounding them in a pillar of smoke by day and a pillar of fire by night! He lead them; he guided them. He does the same for me. It might not be through a pillar of smoke and fire but His word instead; yet, I am no less lead. He guides each of my steps and I can be assured that I am on the right path.

nothing hidden...

July 9, 2012

Isaiah 3:12-26

V 17 …and the Lord shall bare their secret parts

How would we like that? How would we like God to come behind us and bare to the world our secrets, all our secret sins, desires, wishes, thoughts, everything? Personally, I think I’d rather pass on that Thank You very much. Yet, nothing we do is really in secret is it? For God knows the hearts of all men, including us. I think that we like to, for whatever reason, assume that God doesn’t see us; perhaps we tell ourselves that we and our sin are too insignificant for God to notice. Yet, that is not how God works; He sees everything. His word tells us that He looks too and fro all around the earth searching for the righteous. Don’t try to confine God to a box that He is way too big for simply because we don’t want to acknowledge that our sins are not done in secret.

using the right measuring stick...

July 6, 2012

Isaiah 3:11 Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, for what his hands have dealt out shall be done to him

What is wicked? That I think is the question we must ask ourselves. By whose measuring stick are we determining evil? Ours or God’s? If we are using God’s measuring stick then we should be careful to not assume our actions are not wicked; remember, Jesus said that even if you have hated a brother in your heart you are guilty of murder even if you have not killed anyone. He also said that if you have looked upon a woman with lust in your heart you are guilty of adultery even if you haven’t committed the actual act. As I have said before, I think that we have a broad definition of what is truly evil and wicked, and we are quick to underestimate how wicked or evil our actions may be. God has a narrower view of what He considers wicked and evil. Therefore, I think it would be smart for us to pay a bit more attention to our actions and ask ourselves this question…”Would we want to have happen to us what our hands had dealt out to others?”

walking the tight-rope...

July 5, 2012

Isaiah 3:1-10

V 10 Tell the righteous that it shall be will with them, for they shall eat the fruit of their deeds

For nine whole verses I read things like, “…because their speech and their deeds are against the Lord, defying His glorious presence,” and this “For the look on their faces bears witness against them; they proclaim their sin like Sodom, they do not hide it.” Isaiah is seriously giving the Children of Israel, God’s chosen people, a lecture. He is telling them that God is angry at them. Personally, I try not to think about God being angry with me; yet, I know that my sin makes Him so. Just verse after verse of how their flagrant sin offends their Holy God. Then as I’m sitting here thinking, “Oh, Wow;” I come to this verse. “Tell the righteous it shall be well with them…” So, I can assume that it is possible to be righteous in a world that is opposed to God. It’s a tight-rope act that we believers must walk; the living in the world but not of the world one. It can be difficult, it certainly requires daily contact with God, but it is possible. I want to be able to rest knowing that I will “…eat the fruit of my deeds,” but in order for that to happen my deeds must be good. That is what we must strive for in this lost world; having deeds that are worthy of a Child of God.

I sing praise...

July 3, 2012

Psalm 9:2 I will be glad and exult you I will sing praise to your name, O most High!

I sing praise because you answered my prayer. I sing praise to you because like You will always do, You kept the promise of Your Word to me! Thanks!

the battle...

July 2, 2012

Isaiah 2:11-20

V12 For the Lord of hosts has a day against all that is proud and lofty, against all that is lifted up—and it shall be brought low.

“Yahweh Saboth” is God’s name in Hebrew that means “Lord of Hosts.” This is the name of God that signifies His being in command of the hundreds of thousands of angels in which He does battles. It’s a strong military name. One in which He is the top General in His army. This is the name in which Isaiah uses to describe what will happen to the proud. This is the way in which God will come after the proud; as a commander in His army. As we discussed in Sunday School yesterday, in the Old Testament we see the fierceness of God. Sometimes I think we, as believers and non-believers alike, choose to hide God’s fierceness behind His love. Is He loving? Yes, without a doubt, but He is also fierce in His desire to see His Word lived out and obeyed. It would do well with us to remember that.

giving credit where it's due...

June 29, 2012

Isaiah 2:1-10

V8 Their land is filled with idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their won fingers have made.

We can look around at the things we own, or our bank accounts, or our pantrys and think we have it made. We are doing ok. Yet, we never acknowledge that all good flows from God’s hand to ours. We assume that “we” have amassed all this, and that “we” have made sure we have enough. Yet, if God had not willed us to have it we would not. It’s a pretty vain statement for us to make that gives us any credit to what “we” have achieved. But that’s exactly what Isaiah is talking about here. The Children of Israel were basking in all the things that had achieved and had forgotten the God that gave it to them. Sounds familiar right?

burning bright...

June 28, 2012

Isaiah 1:31 And the strong shall become tinder and his work a spark, and both of them shall burn together with none to quench them.

I want to be tinder. I want to be used by God to be His light to those around me. Basically that’s what this verse is talking about. We, those who are strong and growing in Christ, along with God’s word and power within us shine brightly to those lost in a dark world. What Christian wouldn’t want this? However, wanting and achieving are two different things. This might require that we get out of our box. That we do things that we would prefer not to. In fact I’d say that being God’s Light to this world will guarantee that you will do things that your flesh would not, will not like.

dying of thirst...

June 27, 2012

Isaiah 1:21-30

V 30 for you shall be like an oak whose leaf withers and like a garden without water

In the New Testament Jesus refers to himself as “The Living Water.” He tells the woman at the well in Samaria that any who drink His water would never thirst again. She, of course, at first thinks Jesus is talking about actual water, when he is talking about Himself. We who are in Him; we who are saved believers of Christ have that “living water” available to us on a daily basis. We never have to be like an oak tree who is so desperate for water it’s leaves wither or a garden who’s plants are slowing dying of thirst. As Christians we can have a flourishing oak tree and garden of our lives by simply drinking in the Word of God daily. Sounds simple right…somehow it’s not

being lukewarm...

June 26, 2012

Isaiah 1:11-20

V15 When you spread out your hands I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers I will not listen; your hands are full of blood

I read this verse and I get a little bit afraid. Here are the Children of Israel with all their feasts, sacrifices, prayers, offerings, and none of it pleases God. In fact He hates it, calls them an abomination to Him and He refuses to listen to them anymore. Now it isn’t the feasts, sacrifices, prayers, or offerings in and of themselves that makes God hate them, nope it’s the attitude of the Children of Israel. He looks at all they are doing and sees that inside their hearts they are wicked or maybe he sees that they are only worshiping because they have to and not a reflection of their devotion to Him. I’m reminded of the verse where Jesus talks about how He hates the “lukewarm.”  This verse scares me because sometimes my worship is done simply because I have to. That’s not something I like to admit but it’s true, and I’d say it’s true for many of us at one time or another. We get caught up in our lives and we forget what is truly important. We forget that we can be changed by our daily encounters with a Living God. We become “Lukewarm.”