Are you broken and weary by the trials and trouble of life? Do you look upon your life and despair think that all hope is lost? I challenge you to aspire to hope again. “The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the LORD, the majesty of our God.” Isaiah 35:1,2 Jesus Christ lives! That is your hope. You can never change the fact that Jesus gave up His life that you could live. Will you trust fully in His provision? Continue Reading…
Tag Archive - Jesus Christ
And we will see the Lord in His glory: Isaiah 35
Who can dwell apart from God: Isaiah 33 and 34
Will you delight? Will you seek? Will you hear? Will you see? Will you? “O LORD, be gracious to us; we wait for you. Be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble. At the tumultuous noise peoples flee; when you lift yourself up, nations are scattered, and your spoil is gathered as the caterpillar gathers; as locusts leap, it is leapt upon. The LORD is exalted, for he dwells on high; he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness, and he will be the stability of your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is Zion’s treasure.” Isaiah 33:2-6 The Lord is to be exalted and praised. We must give up and trust God. The saving grace of God will be the hope that we cling to.
What awaits those who choose to not trust God? What is in store for the people who have closed their hearts and minds to the saving grace of God? There will be eternal suffering and damnation for all people who shun God. There is no sugar coating to be placed on this fact that our sin leads to death but the hope is found when trust is placed in God. Continue Reading…
Do your actions proclaim your trust or disdain of God: Isaiah 29 and 30
We are given a looking glass into our own lives in Isaiah 29 and 30. What do you treasure? What do you value? What do you hold in high regard? Our lives will answer these questions without a need for us to speak. We can proclaim to act or believe in one thing or another but if our actions do not match what we say we are lying. Do you live out what you proclaim to be your faith in God? Do your actions proclaim your trust or disdain of God? “And the Lord said: ‘Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men, therefore, behold, I will again do wonderful things with this people, with wonder upon wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.’” Isaiah 29:13,14 Where is your heart? Our hearts are what truly motivate us to do everything we do. Continue Reading…
Hope in the coming day of judgement: Isaiah 23 and 24
A day is coming when God will come to judge the earth. There will be no one excluded from the moment then God returns in glory to weight the hearts and intentions of men. ”Behold, the LORD will empty the earth and make it desolate, and he will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants. And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the slave, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the creditor, so with the debtor. The earth shall be utterly empty and utterly plundered; for the LORD has spoken this word. The earth mourns and withers; the world languishes and withers; the highest people of the earth languish. Continue Reading…
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…
