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Today’s Reading Isaiah 64-66; 2 Corinthians 2

God’s plans do not typically line up with our plans. The timing of God’s influence or intervention does not always align with our needs, wants, or desires.

Isaiah in verse 64 asks God 1 Oh that you would rend the heavens! That you would come down! That the mountain might shake at your presence – 2 As fire burns brushwood, As fire causes water to boil – To make Your name known to Your adversaries, That the nations may tremble at Your presence!

We see sin, sadness, tragedy, and calamities in our world.  Watching the news each day reminds us of that our world is broken.

For many, witnessing sin and evil causes them to question whether there is a God.   If there is a God, why would He let bad things happen to us?  How can God be a loving God to let so many awful things happen? Why do tragic accidents happen?  Why do children get sick, and sometimes die?  Why are innocent people hurt and even murdered?

We must go back to the beginning of the Bible to understand the very basic but profound way God created us and the earth. In Genesis 1:26-28, God delegated the power and authority to govern over all things to man. Fast forward to Genesis 3, we learned of Adam and Eve’s sin against God and they “suddenly felt shame.”  In that moment in time, humankind rebelled against God’s wishes for us.  God created us to be sinless and perfect, but Adam and Eve changed that with the decision to eat the forbidden fruit.

In that moment of the first sin, God established a relationship with man that was sovereign, meaning He will allow us to make our own choices and not force His will on us.  God is not a micromanager.

So perhaps we want God to intervene.  Perhaps we pray to God to make a wish happen.  Heal a sick relative. Solve a difficult problem in a relationship.  Or fix something that seems irrevocably broken.  Please God, bring about retribution and pain to the people that have done wrong to me!

As much as we want to understand how God thinks and works, He has been consistent and true since creation.  He has allowed us to make our own choices and never promised a sinless world.  Man created the sin, not God.

God is there for us. He will answer our prayers, in His time, not ours.   Refer to Psalm 86:7, Isaiah 58:9, or Jeremiah 33:3.  God’s timing, not ours.

 

Today’s Reading : Isaiah 45-48; I Corinthians 13

 

What is the first thing that’s on your mind in the morning? What is the first thing that you do in the morning? Do you sit in your bed, just wondering about today? Do you open up your phone to see what has happened over the evening? Do you open up your Bible app and read the verse of the day?

The things that we put first in our mind, our heart, and in our spirit tells us what we hold most dear. I am guilty of searching for things to take my attention. I have woken up to play games on my phone. I have woken up to read stories on my phone. I woken up to see what has gone on Facebook and other social media the first thing in the morning and throughout the day. But those things take away from my energy.  There have been several times in my life that I’ve had to reset the button and refocus on God and his time in my life.

 

These two passages that we have today’s central theme is: What is In Your Heart. 

 

In Isaiah,  we see God showing us the awesome power that he has and gives us examples.  He is exhibiting to Israel the magnitude of his power compared to the other gods of the land. 

“For the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen, I call you by your name, I name you, though you do not know me. I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know me, that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the Lord, and there is no other. I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord, who does all these things.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭45‬:‭4‬-‭7‬ ‭ESV‬‬

““Woe to him who strives with him who formed him, a pot among earthen pots! Does the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ or ‘Your work has no handles’? Woe to him who says to a father, ‘What are you begetting?’ or to a woman, ‘With what are you in labor?’””

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭45‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭ESV‬‬

We see God is at the center of all of our being.  He is is the one that created and creates constantly for us for his benefit.  He has placed us in the center of his heart since the beginning of time. One illustration is that of the Father he is to us.  From my experience as a father, you will constantly think of your children no matter how old they are or what they have done in their lives.  You will always hold them in your heart regardless of the circumstances and situation.  God holds us in his heart even more profoundly and passionately.  This love is unimaginable. 

 

This passage beautifully dovetails into I Corinthians 13.  This is one of the most cherished and loved chapters in the Bible regarding love.  Revisiting this chapter, I was reminded of several verses from my childhood. The first verse was a constant reminder that my grandmother would use throughout my entire life. The other verses have been used by me and others at different times of my life.

“When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭13‬:‭11‬ ‭ESV‬‬

 

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant

Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.

So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭13‬:‭1‬, ‭4‬, ‭8‬, ‭13‬ ‭ESV‬‬

These verses are small pieces to a major idea of God’s connection with us.  When read individually, these words have a big impact, but when read and digested as a whole it is monumental.  Paul is showing us truly how awesome God is.  Even after Paul has been in the presence of Christ and has been in true communion with the God the Spirit (the Holy Spirit), he fully cannot comprehend the full awesomeness of God which is Love. Try to reread this chapter and replace love with God and you can truly see the depth and beauty of the chapter and of life. 

“When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭13‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭ESV‬‬

What is in your heart? What is the first thing that you think about in the morning? Is there a song that you can think of that gets you into the space of love? Is there a verse that you can gravitate to in the morning?   What if you started your day in this manner; how would your day, week, or month change with a renewing of your heart?   

Be blessed

Do you ever remember playing a game called Mercy? All I recall is that you were really trying to hurt the other person by grabbing their hand and pushing/squeezing them as hard as you could. When you couldn’t handle the pain and were ready to give up you yelled “mercy.” When you said “mercy” the other person had to stop and the game was over. The other person had mercy on you and stopped the pain because you asked.

Today in Psalm 123 we read that God has mercy on us.

I lift my eyes to you, O God enthroned in heaven.
We keep looking to the Lord our God for his mercy, Just as servants keep their eyes on their master, as a slave girl watches her mistress for the slightest signal.
Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy, for we have had our fill of contempt.
We have had more than our fill of the scoffing of the proud and the contempt of the arrogant.
Psalm 123

The first thing this chapter in the Pslams tells us to do is to lift our eyes to God in heaven. This means that we take our eyes off of ourselves and look to God. To put our trust in Him and know that He will give us mercy in our time of need. This is an opportunity for us to tell God who He is, to thank Him for all that He has given us.

God is the one enthroned in Heaven. He is the one who is above all and in control. He has absolute power. We can look to others to help us through a tough situation, but people are human and have their faults. God sits on the throne and is the only one who has mercy on us when we look to Him.

When we keep our eyes looking to God in heaven we allow Him to guide us through all of life’s challenges. We can look expectantly and ask for favor from the Lord our God and He will respond with mercy in His time and in His will.

Today’s Reading:  2 Chronicles 29-31; 1 Corinthians 8

Have you ever found yourself in a position that you had to make a decision that was not popular?  Have you been in a situation that you had to make a judgment that made others uncomfortable or put you in an adversarial spot?

Our decisions are influenced by those around us. Our friends influence the way we behave.  Our spouse impacts the daily support or lack thereof to our hopes, dreams, morals, and actions.  The people we associate with have a major impact on our life journey.

2 Chronicles outlines several kings of the land of Israel.  Israel endured sixteen years of reign of King Ahaz who strayed away from the Gospel of our God.  Ahaz was punished by God due to his unfaithfulness and his worship of idols.

Following Ahaz, King Hezekiah brought about great change and correction to the Israeli people.  Hezekiah cleansed the temple, rid the people of their idols, and provided support through tithes for the priests.

No doubt Hezekiah had to take risks.  He had to take a stand and go against the people of his day.  He had to challenge their decisions, question their morals, and implore them to make better decisions that demonstrated reverence toward God.  He had to change the Israeli people’s thinking and force them to change their ways. No doubt those around him, who had been living and enjoying a life of immorality, likely criticized Hezekiah for his decisions to move them away from sin.

Do you find yourself in a similar situation? Does a neighbor or co-worker need to make changes in their life that are more Christ-centered?  Is a relative or friend living a sinful life that you feel likely you need to address?

Many who speak out today do so at great risk.  To speak the truth, from the perspective of the Bible and God’s teaching, puts us in contraction to the ways of our present world.  To contradict, condemn, or speak out against what is popular, can ostracize a person, create a hostile situation on social media, and ultimately cost them friendships, relationships, their job or their even their life.

1 Corinthians 15:58: Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm.  Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord because you know that your labor in the Lord in not in vain.

Joshua 1:6: Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors and give them.

Psalm 31:24: Be strong and take heart, all who hope in the Lord.

My prayer is that during times of difficulty, when you need to stand strong for the Gospel, you have the courage to do so.  Do not compromise your support of our Lord, forsake His teachings, and defy His Word because it is not popular today.

Standing firm in the Gospel is not hateful.  Living our lives by the teachings of the Bible should not be seen as judgmental of others.  We should be exalted to live a Christ-like life, encouraging and imploring others, to get their decisions and life in line with the Word of God.