Archive - May, 2011
Refuge, hope, and salvation found in Jesus Christ: Isaiah 17 and 18
Do you possess a continual eternal perspective that envelopes your life? If we had a consistent eternal perspective we could endure the ups and downs of life with little or no regard because we would always be steadfast upon the truths of God. Our eternal perspective is always shifting depending on our emotions and circumstances. We are consistently scrambling to overcome every moment of tribulation before we become overwhelmed and sadly we easily forget the truth that God is our unmovable hope. ”For you have forgotten the God of your salvation and have not remembered the Rock of your refuge; therefore, though you plant pleasant plants and sow the vine-branch of a stranger, though you make them grow on the day that you plant them, and make them blossom in the morning that you sow, yet the harvest will flee away in a day of grief and incurable pain.” Isaiah 17:10,11 God is a refuge for those who know Him. God is hope for those who seek Him. God is the source of salvation to those who believe. Do you know God? Do you know His refuge, hope, and salvation? Continue Reading…
Leaving pride to find the enveloping grace of God: Isaiah 15 and 16
What of do you think about pride? Is pride a noble virtue, an inherent quality of mankind, or a fault to overcome? Look at the people of the world who you pass by each day. Have they presumed to live their lives in complete apathy towards God and endure without calamity? We create monuments to our vanity as we glory in ourselves each day. Oh the wretchedness of humanity ; we take the precious gift of life that God has given us and we degraded it to a freak occurrence of nature over billions of years. Do we fear God? Do we realize the peril that is upon our doorstep as we glory in our pride of life? Continue Reading…
Are you in Babylon awaiting deliverance: Isaiah 13 and 14
Are you existing in a personal exile that has enslaved you into a life of complete despair? The Israelites abided exile in Babylon where they remained helpless but the seed of hope remained as they awaited deliverance. Have the decisions you made throughout your life brought you to this moment of broken helplessness. What hope is there? The world is wicked and it may seem that chaos reigns supreme but there is hope. ”Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; as destruction from the Almighty it will come! Therefore all hands will be feeble, and every human heart will melt. They will be dismayed: pangs and agony will seize them; they will be in anguish like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at one another; their faces will be aflame.” Isaiah 13:6-8 How is hope found in God’s coming destruction? Continue Reading…
God’s eternal, purposed, redemption of humanity: Isaiah 11 and 12
We are a part of a great story. God’s redemptive purpose from eternity past to redeem mankind from sin is playing out to this day as people come to place their hope and trust in Jesus Christ. The amazing breadth of God’s purposed redemption of humanity can be seen when our present circumstances are placed into the story presented in the Bible. In Isaiah chapters 11 and 12 we are presented with the promise of a righteous and fair leader who will bring hope and healing. “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins.” Isaiah 11:1-5 We are in the midst of God’s continuing promise to redeem humanity from their sins. Can you fathom the overwhelming love of God? Continue Reading…
The proliferation of hope to a broken world: Isaiah 9 and 10
“For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.” Isaiah 9:4-7 What did the promised Messiah mean to the people of Israel? Did the Israelites look upon the promise of God hope of carte blanche retaliation on all their oppressors and a restoration of the glory of Israel? What was offered when God promised a renewal of the kingdom of Israel. Continue Reading…
Still awaiting the fulfillment of promise: Isaiah 7 and 8
What is faithfulness? How do we measure hope? In Isaiah a promise is given by God to the people of Israel that help and hope will come into the of despair and wickedness of the world. “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted. The LORD will bring upon you and upon your people and upon your father’s house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah-the king of Assyria.’” Isaiah 7:14-17 How would you live knowing that a promise from God had been given that will bring hope to your weary, broken, and helpless life? Would you wait expectantly for the fulfillment of the promise? How long do we wait for before we give up hope? The expectation and desire for complete fulfillment of a promise is based wholly on the the progenitor of the promise. Is God faithful? Can you hope in Him? Continue Reading…
Do not be consumed by the things of the world: Isaiah 5 and 6
Isaiah in chapter 5 presents a picture of Israel to the people of Jerusalem as a vineyard. Isaiah tells the people of Jerusalem of their straying from the path that God desired for them. “And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. What more was there to do for my vineyard, that I have not done in it? When I looked for it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and briers and thorns shall grow up; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his pleasant planting; and he looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, an outcry!” Isaiah 5:3-7 Continue Reading…
Will you follow the servant leader’s steps: Isaiah 3 and 4
Do you work out consistently to keep your body healthy? If people look at your face will they notice a healthier look to you? What else does our face portray about us? Does our face reflect out faith in God? ”For Jerusalem has stumbled, and Judah has fallen, because their speech and their deeds are against the LORD, defying his glorious presence. For the look on their faces bears witness against them; they proclaim their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to them! For they have brought evil on themselves.”Isaiah 3:8,9 What do you seek out do you choose to seek out evil or do you seek out righteousness? Continue Reading…
Find your hope in the saving grace of God: Isaiah 1 and 2
What emotions and thought come to mind when you think about culture, society, and prosperity? Do we live today at the pinnacle of human society? Across the generations people have thought that their current progress and ingenuity was paramount to the existence of man. In Isaiah chapters 1 and 2 the prophet Isaiah brings the word of God to the people of Israel. ”Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the LORD has spoken: ‘Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me. The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.’ Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the LORD, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged.” Isaiah 1:3,4 Continue Reading…
