Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus)

We dress for all occasions even though we seem to live in an “anything goes” culture.  When we go to a funeral, we avoid bright colors that might draw attention to ourselves because we attend to pay respect and honor to the life lived.  We dress in our shiny party clothes for wedding receptions.  We dress in all kinds of ways for church going, not trying to impress, but to be honest. We dress according to the tasks of our workplace.  We dress in stretchy clothes to go to the gym to seriously work on those muscles!

As I read this passage, I am reminded of Paul’s instructions about “clothing ourselves” in ways that please God.  When we believe in Jesus as Savior AND Lord of our lives, what we think about affects how we dress and how we behave. Is how we dress our top priority—to please God?  Do we dress to be like Jesus?  Do we dress for Him, as a representative of Him?  Is our motivation love for Jesus?

We adore and love Jesus.  Our relationship is compared in God’s Word to a “bride and groom”.  Jesus is our bridegroom, the one relationship we have been waiting for our whole lives, the One who loved us and laid down His life for us.  He is preparing a special place for us where He lives and He will come for us and take us home to be with Him forever someday. 

So, how would you dress to please someone who loved you as much as Jesus loves us as His bride?  What clothing will impress Him?  What does that clothing look like? 

Paul makes it perfectly clear:

“In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.

Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.” Colossians 3:11-17

Isaiah tells us, “He dressed me up in a suit of salvation, he outfitted me in a robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom who puts on a tuxedo and a bride a jeweled tiara.”  God has dressed us with holiness by washing our sins away because of Jesus redemptive work on the cross for all who believe.  May our hearts, minds and souls stay focused on the One and Only who loves us most and loves us best.  Let’s keep our garments clean before Him.

Isaiah 61, The Message

Announce Freedom to All Captives

^1-7 The Spirit of God, the Master, is on me
    because God anointed me.
He sent me to preach good news to the poor,
    heal the heartbroken,
Announce freedom to all captives,
    pardon all prisoners.
God sent me to announce the year of his grace—
    a celebration of God’s destruction of our enemies—
    and to comfort all who mourn,
To care for the needs of all who mourn in Zion,
    give them bouquets of roses instead of ashes,
Messages of joy instead of news of doom,
    a praising heart instead of a languid spirit.
Rename them “Oaks of Righteousness”
    planted by God to display his glory.

They’ll rebuild the old ruins,
    raise a new city out of the wreckage.
They’ll start over on the ruined cities,
    take the rubble left behind and make it new.
You’ll hire outsiders to herd your flocks
    and foreigners to work your fields,
But you’ll have the title “Priests of God,”
    honored as ministers of our God.
You’ll feast on the bounty of nations,
    you’ll bask in their glory.
Because you got a double dose of trouble
    and more than your share of contempt,
Your inheritance in the land will be doubled
    and your joy go on forever.

^8-9 “Because I, God, love fair dealing
    and hate thievery and crime,
I’ll pay your wages on time and in full,
    and establish my eternal covenant with you.
Your descendants will become well-known all over.
    Your children in foreign countries
Will be recognized at once
    as the people I have blessed.”

^10-11 I will sing for joy in God,
    explode in praise from deep in my soul!
He dressed me up in a suit of salvation,
    he outfitted me in a robe of righteousness,
As a bridegroom who puts on a tuxedo
    and a bride a jeweled tiara.
For as the earth bursts with spring wildflowers,
    and as a garden cascades with blossoms,
So the Master, God, brings righteousness into full bloom
    and puts praise on display before the nations.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

If we have trusted Christ as our Savior, we are free to love like He loves, think more like Him so we will walk with God in ways that are pleasing to Him.  We have been set free from bondage; our spiritual debt to the Lord has been paid. Instead of the ashes of mourning, we have a crown on our heads, for He has made us royalty as part of His family. We have been given His Holy Spirit to guide and help us and we wear a robe of righteousness as His “bride”, His beloved, forgiven from all our sins.  In other words, we have been “made right” with God, fully forgiven of sins, so we can be in relationship with Him.

We respond is grateful praise and humble thanksgiving for we do not deserve what God has to offer as His gift to us.  But He gave anyway, while “we were yet sinners”, for “God so loved”.

Lord,

Thank you!  Thank you for saving my soul and making me whole. Thank you for growing our relationship with trials and challenges so I will depend on You and trust you with ALL my life.  You chose me.  I choose you.  Thank you for loving us the way you do.

In Jesus Name, Amen

In a few short days many people will gather to reunite our families around a table full of food.  I pray there will be laughter as memories are recalled while making new ones on this day.  Most of all I pray that God will be given the glory and thanks for all He has done, is doing and will do in all the details of our lives here on earth.  Some who gather with us have walked out on God but not on the family yet.  So may our lives as believers be evident at the table of God’s blessings so that God’s love and light in us will attract a reunion between the lost and God.

Isaiah is foretelling the reunion of Israel back to Jerusalem and much more.  The Babylonian captivity had been the nation’s darkest hour, but that is not the darkness that Isaiah was describing. He was describing the awful darkness that will cover the earth during the day of the Lord (Amos 5:18) when God punishes the nations of the earth for their sins. God’s judgement gets worse before it gets better.  Along with this prophecy, Isaiah is also describing the glorious light that will come to Israel when her Messiah returns to reign in Jerusalem.  His words are parallel to the words John will write as a result of God’s Revelation to him on the island of Patmos!  Pay attention!  “Put your face in the sunlight, God’s bright glory has risen for you.”

Isaiah 60, The Message

People Returning for the Reunion

^1-7 “Get out of bed, Jerusalem!
    Wake up. Put your face in the sunlight.
    God’s bright glory has risen for you.
The whole earth is wrapped in darkness,
    all people sunk in deep darkness,
But God rises on you,
    his sunrise glory breaks over you.
Nations will come to your light,
    kings to your sunburst brightness.
Look up! Look around!
    Watch as they gather, watch as they approach you:
Your sons coming from great distances,
    your daughters carried by their nannies.
When you see them coming you’ll smile—big smiles!
    Your heart will swell and, yes, burst!
All those people returning by sea for the reunion,
    a rich harvest of exiles gathered in from the nations!
And then streams of camel caravans as far as the eye can see,
    young camels of nomads in Midian and Ephah,
Pouring in from the south from Sheba,
    loaded with gold and frankincense,
    preaching the praises of God.
And yes, a great roundup
    of flocks from the nomads in Kedar and Nebaioth,
Welcome gifts for worship at my altar
    as I bathe my glorious Temple in splendor.

What’s That We See in the Distance?

^8-22 “What’s that we see in the distance,
    a cloud on the horizon, like doves darkening the sky?
It’s ships from the distant islands,
    the famous Tarshish ships
Returning your children from faraway places,
    loaded with riches, with silver and gold,
And backed by the name of your God, The Holy of Israel,
    showering you with splendor.
Foreigners will rebuild your walls,
    and their kings assist you in the conduct of worship.
When I was angry I hit you hard.
    It’s my desire now to be tender.
Your Jerusalem gates will always be open
    —open house day and night!—
Receiving deliveries of wealth from all nations,
    and their kings, the delivery boys!

Any nation or kingdom that doesn’t deliver will perish;
    those nations will be totally wasted.
The rich woods of Lebanon will be delivered
    —all that cypress and oak and pine—
To give a splendid elegance to my Sanctuary,
    as I make my footstool glorious.
The descendants of your oppressor
    will come bowing and scraping to you.
All who looked down at you in contempt
    will lick your boots.

They’ll confer a title on you: City of God,
    Zion of The Holy of Israel.
Not long ago you were despised refuse—
    out-of-the-way, unvisited, ignored.
But now I’ve put you on your feet,
    towering and grand forever, a joy to look at!
When you suck the milk of nations
    and the breasts of royalty,

You’ll know that I, God, am your Savior,
    your Redeemer, Champion of Jacob.
I’ll give you only the best—no more hand-me-downs!
    Gold instead of bronze, silver instead of iron,
    bronze instead of wood, iron instead of stones.
I’ll install Peace to run your country,
    make Righteousness your boss.
There’ll be no more stories of crime in your land,
    no more robberies, no more vandalism.
You’ll name your main street Salvation Way,
    and install Praise Park at the center of town.
You’ll have no more need of the sun by day
    nor the brightness of the moon at night.
God will be your eternal light,
    your God will bathe you in splendor.
Your sun will never go down,
    your moon will never fade.
I will be your eternal light.
    Your days of grieving are over.

All your people will live right and well,
    in permanent possession of the land.
They’re the green shoot that I planted,
    planted with my own hands to display my glory.
The runt will become a great tribe,
    the weakling become a strong nation.
I am God.
    At the right time I’ll make it happen.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

“Arise, shine” is God’s wake-up call to Jerusalem because a new day is dawning for Israel. This light is not from the sun but from the glory of God shining on the city.

Isaiah saw ships and caravans bringing people and wealth to Jerusalem.  In this holy reunion, however, he also saw that the nations refusing to honor the Lord and His city would be judged. He saw that even Israel’s old enemies will submit and help to serve the Lord.  We learn that when God intervenes, the whole world takes notice!

The Lord, through Isaiah, describes some of the joys and wonders of the glorious kingdom under His rule and protection.  John, beloved disciple of Jesus, exiled to an island for preaching the Good News, used some of the characteristics of the millennial Jerusalem when he described the Holy City (Rev. 21–22): The sun never sets; no sorrow is there; the gates never close; and so forth. But the city Isaiah described is the capital city of the restored Jewish nation, and Jesus Christ shall sit on the throne of David and judge righteously. The Jewish “remnant” will increase and fill the land according to prophecy.

“I am God. At the right time I’ll make it happen.” –God

The benefits of believing and trusting God:

• When we wait on God, trusting Him to do what only God can do, our lives will reflect His glory on our faces!
• When we repent of our sins, God forgives—and forgets them all!  Freedom at last!  Redeemed people are guilt free people.
• When we lay down our will for God’s will, peace, joy, wisdom, and love grow in us—even in (and especially through) the struggles of this world. 
• When we seek God first each day with a heart’s desire to grow in a deeper relationship with Him, our lives are never the same and certainly not stagnant.  Adventures with God become plentiful!
• Everything good we tried to do by ourselves is now suddenly magnified exponentially when we allow God to do what He must in us—working from the inside out. 

Lord,

I know You will make it happen.  You are always at work whether we see it or not, believe it or not.  I do believe.  I pray for the day when all the lost ones of my family will arise and see you for who you are—their hope, salvation, and peace and reunite with You completely.  I pray that our reunions this season will be sweet and joyous as we gather in your Name to give you thanks.  I thank you now for saving my soul and making me whole—daily.  You are my life.

In Jesus Name, Amen

“When you least expect it—expect it!” When our kids would try to overtake their dad in tickle wars or harmless pranks, this was his warning to the little ones who thought they could win against their dad.  They rarely defeated their dad who was wiser, stronger and ready to act when necessary.  He also protected them from danger, always looking out for the holes in life they could fall into.  He provided help in troubles like flat tires and cars that wouldn’t start as they grew to be adults.  He taught them to be responsible so they could pass on this knowledge to their kids.  When sinful acts tried to put a wedge between us, the relationship was and is still there.  This is parenting, mentoring, and letting go, all at the same time.  God, our Father in Heaven, responds in much the same ways.

Sin is a tireless tool of the evil one thrown out of heaven for trying to be God, which is the ultimate sin.  Sin is lying to cover up the other sins such as gossip, manipulation of others to get them to do what you want them to do, pride of thinking you are the best, arrogance of letting people know you are the only one in charge, self-satisfaction in all kinds of perverted ways because you think you deserve it and finally the sin of blaming God when life falls apart for living away from God’s wings of protection, provision, and wisdom.

Nope, says Isaiah, “there’s nothing wrong with God.  The wrong is in us.”

Isaiah 59, The Message

We Long for Light but Sink into Darkness

^1-8 Look! Listen!
    God’s arm is not amputated—he can still save.
    God’s ears are not stopped up—he can still hear.
There’s nothing wrong with God; the wrong is in you.
    Your wrongheaded lives caused the split between you and God.
    Your sins got between you so that he doesn’t hear.
Your hands are drenched in blood,
    your fingers dripping with guilt,
Your lips smeared with lies,
    your tongue swollen from muttering obscenities.
No one speaks up for the right,
    no one deals fairly.
They trust in illusion, they tell lies,
    they get pregnant with mischief and have sin-babies.
They hatch snake eggs and weave spider webs.
    Eat an egg and die; break an egg and get a snake!
The spider webs are no good for shirts or shawls.
    No one can wear these weavings!
They weave wickedness,
    they hatch violence.
They compete in the race to do evil
    and run to be the first to murder.
They plan and plot evil, think and breathe evil,
    and leave a trail of wrecked lives behind them.
They know nothing about peace
    and less than nothing about justice.
They make tortuously twisted roads.
    No peace for the wretch who walks down those roads!

^9-11 Which means that we’re a far cry from fair dealing,
    and we’re not even close to right living.
We long for light but sink into darkness,
    long for brightness but stumble through the night.
Like the blind, we inch along a wall,
    groping eyeless in the dark.
We shuffle our way in broad daylight,
    like the dead, but somehow walking.
We’re no better off than bears, groaning,
    and no worse off than doves, moaning.
We look for justice—not a sign of it;
    for salvation—not so much as a hint.

^12-15 Our wrongdoings pile up before you, God,
    our sins stand up and accuse us.
Our wrongdoings stare us down;
    we know in detail what we’ve done:
Mocking and denying God,
    not following our God,
Spreading false rumors, whipping up revolt,
    pregnant with lies, muttering malice.
Justice is beaten back,
    Righteousness is banished to the sidelines,
Truth staggers down the street,
    Honesty is nowhere to be found,
Good is missing in action.
    Anyone renouncing evil is beaten and robbed.

^15-19 God looked and saw evil looming on the horizon—
    so much evil and no sign of Justice.
He couldn’t believe what he saw:
    not a soul around to correct this awful situation.
So he did it himself, took on the work of Salvation,
    fueled by his own Righteousness.
He dressed in Righteousness, put it on like a suit of armor,
    with Salvation on his head like a helmet,
Put on Judgment like an overcoat,
    and threw a cloak of Passion across his shoulders.
He’ll make everyone pay for what they’ve done:
    fury for his foes, just deserts for his enemies.
    Even the far-off islands will get paid off in full.
In the west they’ll fear the name of God,
    in the east they’ll fear the glory of God,
For he’ll arrive like a river in flood stage,
    whipped to a torrent by the wind of God.

²⁰ “I’ll arrive in Zion as Redeemer,
    to those in Jacob who leave their sins.”
        God’s Decree.

²¹ “As for me,” God says, “this is my covenant with them: My Spirit that I’ve placed upon you and the words that I’ve given you to speak, they’re not going to leave your mouths nor the mouths of your children nor the mouths of your grandchildren. You will keep repeating these words and won’t ever stop.” God’s orders.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

We learn that sin comes on slowly—like boiling a frog in a kettle, so aptly illustrated by George Barna in his prophetic book long ago by the same name, “The Frog in the Kettle.”  Put a frog in a warm bath and he will enjoy swimming around in it.  Turn up the heat, ever so slowly, until the warm water is boiling him to his ultimate demise—death.  That is exactly how sin works.  Sin “looms on the horizon” slowly, Isaiah writes, making its way into our lives in ways, turning up the heat ever so slowly that we don’t feel or see it at first. 

But God sees it.  He wonders why no one is doing anything about the injustice, hate and darkness of it all.  So, God shines a Light on the world so people will see who are becoming more blind with every step.  God then, when evil least expected it, sent a Savior—Jesus Christ, His own Son, to defeat the enemy and make all things right between God and mankind. 

But we must believe to be saved from the sin in the pot that is rising to a boil.

One of my favorite authors, Joni Eareckson Tada relates, “Though gradually, though no one remembers exactly how it happened, the unthinkable becomes tolerable. And then acceptable. And then legal. And then applaudable.” 

When we least expect it, expect it.  The enemy is still at work with limited power with the tricks of his trade that he has had since the beginning of creation—self pride.  He has learned to move slowly and strategically with a goal to have a whole generation who does not know God or who Jesus is and what He did for them.  Are we going to allow him this outcome?  Will God?  I don’t think so.

When we least expect it, expect God to act on our behalf for “Greater is He that is in me/us, than he that is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)Jesus said this to remind us our war is not against each other but against the one not made of flesh and blood but of the spirit of evil—all that is not God.  Know that God will use us in the battle against evil.  Be ready.  Put on the whole armor of God!  (Ephesians 6)

Isaiah relates, “’As for me,’ God says, ‘this is my covenant with them: My Spirit that I’ve placed upon you and the words that I’ve given you to speak, they’re not going to leave your mouths nor the mouths of your children nor the mouths of your grandchildren. You will keep repeating these words and won’t ever stop.’ God’s orders.”

We defeat evil when we love God with all our hearts, minds and souls and love each other the way God loves us and live in obedience to His will and ways.

God wins in the end.  We all win when we really believe what God says and does is really real.  “Because faith makes invisible things real, and visible things unreal, earthly dissatisfaction becomes the road to heavenly satisfaction.”  –Joni Eareckson Tada

Lord,

You cannot be where sin resides.  So, I repent of all sin in my life so you can abide within me.  I’m not perfect.  I need you.  Thank you, Jesus, for your perfect forgiveness, making me whole and holy before God, making things right with God so our relationship can grow in healthy ways.  Thank you for redeeming me and setting me free to love like you love, pointing the way out of sin and onto a road of peace and joy with eternal love and life forever!  YOU are where I want to be!

In Jesus Name, Amen Truly, greater are YOU in me than he that is in the world. I trust in you, dear Jesus!

In my past work, I had to travel a great deal.  Traveling in flight is not as glamorous as it looks.  Those who travel for work by plane know that it is the same as riding a bus or taking the train. There will be unexpected delays, layovers, and stops in progress.  You are not in control of your schedule.  You are at the mercy of the airline industry along with the weather.  You hurry and wait.  There are times you might be actually sitting in your seat on the plane, ready to go, but can’t get off the ground because of “technical difficulties”.  There is nothing to do but wait.

God tells Isaiah that sometimes our prayers don’t get off the ground!  Wait, what?!  As soon as Isaiah has our attention by shouting this truth, we realize what God is saying and that He is right.  God is always right.  God sees our hearts, knows our minds, and sees the emptiness of our souls when we pray.  Sometimes we, too, have technical difficulties and our prayers have trouble getting off the ground.  Sometimes our prayers are totally grounded because of a heart condition that must be dealt with before “take-off.”

Isaiah 58, The Message

Your Prayers Won’t Get Off the Ground

^1-3 “Shout! A full-throated shout!
    Hold nothing back—a trumpet-blast shout!
Tell my people what’s wrong with their lives,
    face my family Jacob with their sins!
They’re busy, busy, busy at worship,
    and love studying all about me.
To all appearances they’re a nation of right-living people—
    law-abiding, God-honoring.
They ask me, ‘What’s the right thing to do?’
    and love having me on their side.
But they also complain,
    ‘Why do we fast and you don’t look our way?
    Why do we humble ourselves and you don’t even notice?’

^3-5     “Well, here’s why:

“The bottom line on your ‘fast days’ is profit.
    You drive your employees much too hard.
You fast, but at the same time you bicker and fight.
    You fast, but you swing a mean fist.
The kind of fasting you do
    won’t get your prayers off the ground.
Do you think this is the kind of fast day I’m after:
    a day to show off humility?
To put on a pious long face
    and parade around solemnly in black?
Do you call that fasting,
    a fast day that I, God, would like?

^6-9 “This is the kind of fast day I’m after:
    to break the chains of injustice,
    get rid of exploitation in the workplace,
    free the oppressed,
    cancel debts.
What I’m interested in seeing you do is:
    sharing your food with the hungry,
    inviting the homeless poor into your homes,
    putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad,
    being available to your own families.
Do this and the lights will turn on,
    and your lives will turn around at once.
Your righteousness will pave your way.
    The God of glory will secure your passage.
Then when you pray, God will answer.
    You’ll call out for help and I’ll say, ‘Here I am.’

A Full Life in the Emptiest of Places

^9-12 “If you get rid of unfair practices,
    quit blaming victims,
    quit gossiping about other people’s sins,
If you are generous with the hungry
    and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out,
Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness,
    your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight.
I will always show you where to go.
    I’ll give you a full life in the emptiest of places—
    firm muscles, strong bones.
You’ll be like a well-watered garden,
    a gurgling spring that never runs dry.
You’ll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew,
    rebuild the foundations from out of your past.
You’ll be known as those who can fix anything,
    restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate,
    make the community livable again.

^13-14 “If you watch your step on the Sabbath
    and don’t use my holy day for personal advantage,
If you treat the Sabbath as a day of joy,
    God’s holy day as a celebration,
If you honor it by refusing ‘business as usual,’
    making money, running here and there—
Then you’ll be free to enjoy God!
    Oh, I’ll make you ride high and soar above it all.
I’ll make you feast on the inheritance of your ancestor Jacob.”
    Yes! God says so!

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

God gives us the diagnosis:  Read, rinse and repeat.  Read His Word while prayerfully reflecting on the condition of our hearts.  Rinse off our ego, pride, arrogance, and greed by repenting of these sins in the Name of Jesus.  God offers spiritual therapy to get those sharing and serving muscles working again.  We repent of the sin of “showing off our humility” and He gives us steps to improve our “serve” in the world.  Repeat.  We pray again and do what God says.  God will answer with His Presence in our lives.  Spiritual health will return and thrive.  Our prayers will finally get off the ground. 

God gives us the steps to walk with specific guidance!

• Stop complaining.  (Ouch)
• Seek justice.
• Show mercy.  (Micah 6:8)
• Walk humbly with God without telling others how humble you are.
• Stop the gossip!  (Gossip kills the progress of our spiritual health.)
• Stop bickering and fighting among the believers!
• Fast incognito—only between you and God.
• Exploit and manipulate no one.

God says, “What I’m interested in seeing you do is:

• sharing your food with the hungry
• inviting the homeless poor into your homes
• putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad
• be available to your own families
  
  

“Do this and the lights will turn on, and your lives will turn around at once.”

“Then you’ll be free to enjoy God!  Oh, I’ll make you ride high and soar above it all.”

Lord,

Thank you for waking us up this morning with a splash of cold water to our sluggish being, making us face our daily sins.  I repent of all this and more.  You know what I need most and you give it freely.  Thank you for being a God who wants to see us grow strong and healthy while we walk with you in humbled adoration.

In Jesus Name, Amen

**Jesus will come later as Light in the darkness and repeat and explain this same diagnosis.  See Matthew 5-7.  His disciples and apostles will also repeat God’s words.  (See Ephesians, Galatians, and Philippia

Amazing grace how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I’m found
Was blind but now I see

What are we hanging onto to that blinds us from God’s amazing grace?  What is it that takes away our peace in good times and bad?  These are daily questions of reflection we must ask ourselves in order to move forward with God in the lead.  Peace is a gift from God that follows our “being still and knowing God,” repenting and letting go of all that is not God in our lives.

During the last days of Judah and Jerusalem, before the Babylonian army came, the land and the city were polluted with idols. King Hezekiah and King Josiah had led the people in destroying the idols and the high places, but as soon as an ungodly king took the throne, the people went right back to their old ways. Both Isaiah and Jeremiah told the people that God would punish them for breaking His law, but they persisted in the ways of the godless nations around them.

Friends, we all have idols that we hide or hang onto while we wonder why God is not helping us.  What is it that is standing between you and God?  That is your idol.

Isaiah 57, The Message

Never Tired of Trying New Religions

^1-2 Meanwhile, right-living people die
    and no one gives them a thought.
God-fearing people are carted off
    and no one even notices.
The right-living people are out of their misery,
    they’re finally at rest.
They lived well and with dignity
    and now they’re finally at peace.

* * *

^3-10 “But you, children of a witch, come here!
    Sons of a slut, daughters of a whore.
What business do you have taunting,
    sneering, and sticking out your tongue?
Do you have any idea what wretches you’ve turned out to be?
    A race of rebels, a generation of liars.
You satisfy your lust any place you find some shade
    and fornicate at whim.
You kill your children at any convenient spot—
    any cave or crevasse will do.
You take stones from the creek
    and set up your sex-and-religion shrines.
You’ve chosen your fate.
    Your worship will be your doom.
You’ve climbed a high mountain
    to practice your foul sex-and-death religion.

Behind closed doors
    you assemble your precious gods and goddesses.
Deserting me, you’ve gone all out, stripped down
    and made your bed your place of worship.
You’ve climbed into bed with the ‘sacred’ whores
    and loved every minute of it,
    adoring every curve of their naked bodies.
You anoint your king-god with ointments
    and lavish perfumes on yourselves.
You send scouts to search out the latest in religion,
    send them all the way to hell and back.
You wear yourselves out trying the new and the different,
    and never see what a waste it all is.
You’ve always found strength for the latest fad,
    never got tired of trying new religions.

^11-13 “Who talked you into the pursuit of this nonsense,
    leaving me high and dry,
    forgetting you ever knew me?
Because I don’t yell and make a scene,
    do you think I don’t exist?
I’ll go over, detail by detail, all your ‘righteous’ attempts at religion,
    and expose the absurdity of it all.
Go ahead, cry for help to your collection of no-gods:
    A good wind will blow them away.
    They’re smoke, nothing but smoke.

“But anyone who runs to me for help
    will inherit the land,
    will end up owning my holy mountain!”

* * *

¹⁴ Someone says: “Build, build! Make a road!
    Clear the way, remove the rocks
    from the road my people will travel.”

^15-21 A Message from the high and towering God,
    who lives in Eternity,
    whose name is Holy:
“I live in the high and holy places,
    but also with the low-spirited, the spirit-crushed,
And what I do is put new spirit in them,
    get them up and on their feet again.
For I’m not going to haul people into court endlessly,
    I’m not going to be angry forever.
Otherwise, people would lose heart.
    These souls I created would tire out and give up.
I was angry, good and angry, because of Israel’s sins.
    I struck him hard and turned away in anger,
    while he kept at his stubborn, willful ways.

When I looked again and saw what he was doing,
    I decided to heal him, lead him, and comfort him,
    creating a new language of praise for the mourners.
Peace to the far-off, peace to the near-at-hand,” says God—
    “and yes, I will heal them.
But the wicked are storm-battered seas
    that can’t quiet down.
    The waves stir up garbage and mud.
There’s no peace,” God says, “for the wicked.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed

Amazing Grace is playing in the background of this scary, but necessary warning from Isaiah who is speaking to all who have abandoned God while they seek self-satisfying, self-seeking religions that lead to death.   Does that happen today?  Absolutely! 

Anything that we trust other than the Lord becomes our god and therefore is an idol. It may be our training, experience, job, money, friends, or position. One of the best ways to find out whether we have idols in our lives is to ask ourselves, “Where do I instinctively turn when I face a decision or need to solve a problem?” Do we reach for the phone to call a friend? Do we assure ourselves that we can handle the situation ourselves? Or do we turn to God to seek His will and receive His help?

Through many dangers, toils, and snares
I have already come
This grace that brought me safe thus far
And grace will lead me home

Here is the key passage that explains the amazing grace of God: “When I looked again and saw what he was doing, I decided to heal him, lead him, and comfort him, creating a new language of praise for the mourners.”  That new language of praise is Jesus.

Amazing grace how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I’m found
Was blind but now I see

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

Lord,

Thank you for saving my soul and making me whole again. Thank you for your gift of peace that surpasses anything this world has to offer.  You are God, we are not.  There is no one like You.  So, I trust in you.  I believe in what you say.  Your grace to me will never be taken for granted.  Thank you, Lord.

In Jesus Name, Amen

There is no more secure feeling than to be accepted by who you think are the “insiders,” the ones “in the know,” God’s people who are kind and compassionate to you refusing to leave you outside to be slandered and mocked or picked apart by the world.  I am attracted to people who seem to know God well, know His character, and try to imitate Him in the way they relate to others.  Belonging is a human desire that was placed into our being by God Himself.

I am attracted to the Hope Jesus followers have of better days ahead for all of us.  They carry a joy that is unexplainable when hard times come to them.  They walk on solid ground and rarely waver from doing what is good, right and pleasing to God.  They are not perfect and are the first to admit it.  But they do not revel in their imperfections but praise God for His perfect forgiveness for all their sins. 

Yes, through all the ages and stages of my life, God sent me mentors who were like Him in many ways.  I praise God for the Hope they instilled in me.  I was taught to place all my hope on God, not on them.  My mentors were men and women who loved God well and treated me as the temporary outsider who wanted inside the love of God.  They accepted me, warts and all, so I would know that’s how God accepts me.  I was no longer out but in. 

These mentors taught me to bring in other outsiders and to the inside so they could see the Way of Truth who is Life.  The message?  No one is left out.  All who believe, repent of their sins, and call on the Name of Jesus are saved for Life.  Jesus, our Shepherd protects us from the wolves sent by the Enemy to devour our thinking and being.  Jesus, Son of God, saves us from death.  Jesus lives in us giving us His power to love like He loves and obey like He did to His Father while on earth.  Jesus—He is our Hope!

Isaiah 56, The Message

Messages of Hope for ALL who believe and follow

Salvation Is Just Around the Corner

56 ^1-3 God’s Message:

“Guard my common good:
    Do what’s right and do it in the right way,
For salvation is just around the corner,
    my setting-things-right is about to go into action.
How fortunate are you who enter into these things,
    you men and women who embrace them,
Who keep Sabbath and don’t defile it,
    who watch your step and don’t do anything evil!
Make sure no outsider who now follows God
    ever has occasion to say, ‘God put me in second-class.
    I don’t really belong.’
And make sure no physically mutilated person
    is ever made to think, ‘I’m damaged goods.
    I don’t really belong.’”

^4-5 For God says:

“To the mutilated who keep my Sabbaths
    and choose what delights me
    and keep a firm grip on my covenant,
I’ll provide them an honored place
    in my family and within my city,
    even more honored than that of sons and daughters.
I’ll confer permanent honors on them
    that will never be revoked.

^6-8 “And as for the outsiders who now follow me,
    working for me, loving my name,
    and wanting to be my servants—
All who keep Sabbath and don’t defile it,
    holding fast to my covenant—
I’ll bring them to my holy mountain
    and give them joy in my house of prayer.
They’ll be welcome to worship the same as the ‘insiders,’
    to bring burnt offerings and sacrifices to my altar.
Oh yes, my house of worship
    will be known as a house of prayer for all people.”
The Decree of the Master, God himself,
    who gathers in the exiles of Israel:
“I will gather others also,
    gather them in with those already gathered.”

* * *

^9-12 A call to the savage beasts: Come on the run.
    Come, devour, beast barbarians!
For Israel’s watchmen are blind, the whole lot of them.
    They have no idea what’s going on.
They’re dogs without sense enough to bark,
    lazy dogs, dreaming in the sun—
But hungry dogs, they do know how to eat,
    voracious dogs, with never enough.
And these are Israel’s shepherds!
    They know nothing, understand nothing.
They all look after themselves,
    grabbing whatever’s not nailed down.
“Come,” they say, “let’s have a party.
    Let’s go out and get drunk!”
And tomorrow, more of the same:
    “Let’s live it up!”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Look for the wandering outsiders out in the cold and darkness and bring them into the warmth of God’s saving grace through believing Jesus, His Son.  Do this by pointing the Way to Truth that leads to Life. 

Be the person “in the know” but taking time each day to know God more and more.

Believe and be saved.

Love God with all our hearts, minds, and souls.  Love each other the way He loves us.

Lord,

Thank for your Word that reminds us of our Hope in you.  Help us to look for those who are looking in from the outside who need Hope, too, and welcome them in.

In Jesus Name, Amen

I am one to hold off in buying something we need or want until it goes on sale.  I am a clearance cruiser, coupon clipping connoisseur in the shopping world.  No matter what it is, I will only buy it if I think it is bargain that truly meets our needs now and in the future.  The same goes for whatever we buy, sell or trade.  Why?

Randy and I are driven by prayers to God for help us make wise choices.  We want to be great stewards of all He has given us to manage on this earth.   We are not “rich” in a millionaire’s way of thinking but we are extremely rich in God’s love and care, forgiveness and healing, along with His provisions and protection.  We are eternally grateful for all God has done, is doing and will do in our lives.  We have done nothing to deserve any of what God has to offer.  We know that full well.  So, to God be all the glory, honor and praise.  This is my testimony!  God, it’s all God!

I think of this as we read our next chapter of Isaiah who is telling God’s people about what to “buy and eat.”  “Buy without money!” What God has for us needs no money!  Drink the Living Water and eat the Bread of Life who is Jesus, our Savior and Lord!  From the penniless to the exceedingly rich by the world’s standards, it doesn’t matter, all are welcome to come to the Table.  Don’t be distracted by junk food along the way, hold your appetite, be filled with all that is God!  Seek HIM while He can be found and pray for His forgiveness.  God is “lavish” with forgiveness!  This is the best deal in town!  The best offer for all eternity!

I love the last verse of Isaiah 54.  I long to be evidence that God lived in me and worked through me.  Along with the mountains, hills, trees and flowers, my I be living and lasting evidence of God on this earth!

Isaiah 55, The Message

Buy Without Money

^1-5 “Hey there! All who are thirsty,
    come to the water!
Are you penniless?
    Come anyway—buy and eat!
Come, buy your drinks, buy wine and milk.
    Buy without money—everything’s free!
Why do you spend your money on junk food,
    your hard-earned cash on cotton candy?
Listen to me, listen well: Eat only the best,
    fill yourself with only the finest.

Pay attention, come close now,
    listen carefully to my life-giving, life-nourishing words.
I’m making a lasting covenant commitment with you,
    the same that I made with David: sure, solid, enduring love.
I set him up as a witness to the nations,
    made him a prince and leader of the nations,
And now I’m doing it to you:
    You’ll summon nations you’ve never heard of,
and nations who’ve never heard of you
    will come running to you
Because of me, your God,
    because The Holy of Israel has honored you.”

^6-7 Seek God while he’s here to be found,
    pray to him while he’s close at hand.
Let the wicked abandon their way of life
    and the evil their way of thinking.
Let them come back to God, who is merciful,
    come back to our God, who is lavish with forgiveness.

^8-11 “I don’t think the way you think.
    The way you work isn’t the way I work.”
        God’s Decree.
“For as the sky soars high above earth,
    so the way I work surpasses the way you work,
    and the way I think is beyond the way you think.
Just as rain and snow descend from the skies
    and don’t go back until they’ve watered the earth,
Doing their work of making things grow and blossom,
    producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry,
So will the words that come out of my mouth
    not come back empty-handed.
They’ll do the work I sent them to do,
    they’ll complete the assignment I gave them.

^12-13 “So you’ll go out in joy,
    you’ll be led into a whole and complete life.
The mountains and hills will lead the parade,
    bursting with song.
All the trees of the forest will join the procession,
    exuberant with applause.
No more thistles, but giant sequoias,
    no more thornbushes, but stately pines—
Monuments to me, to God,
    living and lasting evidence of God.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Who doesn’t want joy and peace in their lives in good times and even in the difficult, heartbreaking, challenging times of this short life on earth?  I want joy.  I want to live a joyful life.  I also want others to know the Source of that joy on my face—it is Jesus who not only forgives me but restores me, repairs the broken pieces, puts me back on my feet, transforming all the bad that happens to good to better outcomes in my life.  That’s where the joy comes from—in loving obedience to Someone who surpasses what my small mind can think or do.

“So you’ll go out in joy, you’ll be led into a whole and complete life.”

Lord,

You are God in all, over all and through all because you created all.  You also sent Jesus to bring us back to what is right, good, and pleasing to you.  You not only made things right between us, you gave us joy and peace.  What a gift that no money can buy!  I love you, Lord, with all my heart, mind, and soul.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

In Jesus Name, Amen

We were in a stage of life when our current home was becoming too small for our growing family of five. So, we began looking for a home that we could afford and that would meet our needs.  It was almost a year after looking, making offers, and being turned down, that we finally found what we thought was perfect for us.  It was a new construction in an area close to our jobs.  We would get to choose the color schemes of the inside.  We were approved and the offer made was accepted—until it wasn’t.  Overnight, another buyer made a better offer and took the home we had helped to design away from us!  Although heartbroken, God spoke to our hearts and told us that wasn’t the house for us.  He had better plans.

The next day our realtor told us that a houses around the corner was available and wanted us to see if this house would meet our needs.  As soon as we saw it from the curb, we knew this was God’s best for us!  We walked through the house that had a floor plan that fit us perfectly.  We knew this was home—God’s best for us for this time in our lives.  That’s how God works for us.  What we learned from this house dilemma was to always trust God to work it all out.  We were reminded to lean into His understanding, not ours, for He knows what lies ahead for us and He wants what is best for us—His children who believe in Him.

“This is what God’s servants can expect. I’ll see to it that everything works out for the best.” God’s Decree.

Isaiah 54, The Message

Spread Out! Think Big!

^1-6 “Sing, barren woman, who has never had a baby.
    Fill the air with song, you who’ve never experienced childbirth!
You’re ending up with far more children
    than all those childbearing women.” God says so!
“Clear lots of ground for your tents!
    Make your tents large. Spread out! Think big!
Use plenty of rope,
    drive the tent pegs deep.
You’re going to need lots of elbow room
    for your growing family.
You’re going to take over whole nations;
    you’re going to resettle abandoned cities.
Don’t be afraid—you’re not going to be embarrassed.
    Don’t hold back—you’re not going to come up short.
You’ll forget all about the humiliations of your youth,
    and the indignities of being a widow will fade from memory.

For your Maker is your bridegroom,
    his name, God-of-the-Angel-Armies!
Your Redeemer is The Holy of Israel,
    known as God of the whole earth.
You were like an abandoned wife, devastated with grief,
    and God welcomed you back,
Like a woman married young
    and then left,” says your God.

^7-8 Your Redeemer God says:

“I left you, but only for a moment.
    Now, with enormous compassion, I’m bringing you back.
In an outburst of anger I turned my back on you—
    but only for a moment.
It’s with lasting love
    that I’m tenderly caring for you.

^9-10 “This exile is just like the days of Noah for me:
    I promised then that the waters of Noah
    would never again flood the earth.
I’m promising now no more anger,
    no more dressing you down.
For even if the mountains walk away
    and the hills fall to pieces,
My love won’t walk away from you,
    my covenant commitment of peace won’t fall apart.”
    The God who has compassion on you says so.

^11-17 “Afflicted city, storm-battered, unpitied:
    I’m about to rebuild you with stones of turquoise,
Lay your foundations with sapphires,
    construct your towers with rubies,
Your gates with jewels,
    and all your walls with precious stones.
All your children will have God for their teacher—
    what a mentor for your children!
You’ll be built solid, grounded in righteousness,
    far from any trouble—nothing to fear!
    far from terror—it won’t even come close!

If anyone attacks you,
    don’t for a moment suppose that I sent them,
And if any should attack,
    nothing will come of it.
I create the blacksmith
    who fires up his forge
    and makes a weapon designed to kill.
I also create the destroyer—
    but no weapon that can hurt you has ever been forged.
Any accuser who takes you to court
    will be dismissed as a liar.
This is what God’s servants can expect.
    I’ll see to it that everything works out for the best.”
        God’s Decree.

Lord,

You have spent my lifetime teaching me that you are always at work, the you perform miracles in our eyes that are simple tasks in your power.  Thank you for all you have done, are doing still and will do so we will know you more, while growing in our relationship with you.  Thank you for your patience, compassion, and relentless love for us.  Thank you for redeeming us by forgiving our sins, dear Jesus.  Thank you for always being with us.

In Jesus Name, Amen

Jesus, Son of God, came to earth to set things right and restore a right relationship between God and mankind.  Jesus work on the cross was God’s Plan to save us from the beginning.  God knew we would sin.  God cannot be where sin lives, so there had to be a Way to remove sins, once and for all, so that a relationship with God could be had.  God chose His Son. 

“The plan was that he give himself as an offering for sin so that he’d see life come from it—life, life, and more life. And God’s plan will deeply prosper through him.”

Because Jesus was part God, sent from God, He was the only perfect, without sin, sacrifice that could fulfill what needed to be done.  Jesus was the One and Only who could complete the task of saving the world.  Jesus was God’s Plan all along, Isaiah relates in advance of His coming.  Jesus took our sins, all the sins of everyone, and his shoulders took what we desired as punishment.  Jesus, who did no wrong, was the precious Lamb of God as the sacrifice for our sins. 

Do you really believe what God did and said through Jesus His Son really real?  This is a question we must deal with each day we wake up or we will quickly lose sight of real believing.  Staying in touch with the Father, as Jesus did, strengthens our belief and resolve.  Truly our behaviors will reflect the depth of our believing with each action. 

Do we walk humbly with our God because of this believing? 

Is God the first thought at waking to a new day?

Do we truly desire what God wants for us?

Answering these questions reveal the depth of our relationship with God.

Who believes? Isaiah asks all of us as he describes all the details of the One who will come centuries later to take away the sins of the world all because God so loved….

Isaiah 53, The Message

Who believes what we’ve heard and seen?
    Who would have thought God’s saving power would look like this?

^2-6 The servant grew up before God—a scrawny seedling,
    a scrubby plant in a parched field.
There was nothing attractive about him,
    nothing to cause us to take a second look.
He was looked down on and passed over,
    a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand.

One look at him and people turned away.
    We looked down on him, thought he was scum.
But the fact is, it was our pains he carried—
    our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.

We thought he brought it on himself,
    that God was punishing him for his own failures.
But it was our sins that did that to him,
    that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins!

He took the punishment, and that made us whole.
    Through his bruises we get healed.

We’re all like sheep who’ve wandered off and gotten lost.
    We’ve all done our own thing, gone our own way.
And God has piled all our sins, everything we’ve done wrong,
    on him, on him.

^7-9 He was beaten, he was tortured,
    but he didn’t say a word.
Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered
    and like a sheep being sheared,
    he took it all in silence.
Justice miscarried, and he was led off—
    and did anyone really know what was happening?
He died without a thought for his own welfare,
    beaten bloody for the sins of my people.
They buried him with the wicked,
    threw him in a grave with a rich man,
Even though he’d never hurt a soul
    or said one word that wasn’t true.

¹⁰ Still, it’s what God had in mind all along,
    to crush him with pain.
The plan was that he give himself as an offering for sin
    so that he’d see life come from it—life, life, and more life.
    And God’s plan will deeply prosper through him.

^11-12 Out of that terrible travail of soul,
    he’ll see that it’s worth it and be glad he did it.
Through what he experienced, my righteous one, my servant,
    will make many “righteous ones,”
    as he himself carries the burden of their sins.

Therefore I’ll reward him extravagantly—
    the best of everything, the highest honors—
Because he looked death in the face and didn’t flinch,
    because he embraced the company of the lowest.
He took on his own shoulders the sin of the many,
    he took up the cause of all the black sheep.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

• Jesus is God’s Son.  Jesus came to earth to seek the lost and bring salvation to all, taking away all sins of the world then, now, and forever.  Jesus lived as a servant.  Jesus came to serve, show us how to serve—not be served.  See John 13 for how the full extent of God’s love is expressed in serving.

• Be like Jesus.  Believe in God and live daily in relationship to God, seeking His will above our own will.  God has us on his mind.  Do we have Him on our mind?  God has a plan for each of us that is His best plan for us.  See Philippians 2 for examples of how to live like Jesus.

• Only Jesus saves.  We are not Saviors. Our work is to point the way to THE SAVIOR and teach people how to find and follow Jesus.  See Matthew 28.

• Believe and be saved.  Call on the Name of Jesus and He will hear and respond to us.

Lord,

As I read this passage, I am reminded again of why I really believe in who you are and what you did for me—for us!  Scriptures written by the prophet, Isaiah fulfilled in you, dear Jesus!  There is not one detail left out.  You came to save us.  You saved me.  Yes, I believe and I will always point the way to others so they will know, believe, and follow you.  I love you, Lord, with all my heart, mind, and soul.  Help me to speak clearly.  Give me wisdom to tell what you did correctly.  To you be the glory!

In Jesus Name, Amen

Wait, what?  Feet.  Our feet.  Look down for a moment and look at your bare feet.  How beautiful are they?  My feet were growing in a deformed way causing my gait to become more painful each year.  I finally let an orthopedic surgeon correct both feet in two separate surgeries with months of healing between each surgery.  Today, I wouldn’t say my scared feet from surgery are physically beautiful, but they are fully functional!  I praise God for my corrected feet!  I can walk and do life on two feet without assistance.  To me, in this way, they are beautiful!

Speaking of feet…we now come to THE passage in Isaiah that is quoted often when we speak of what Jesus commanded all his disciples then and all His followers now to be and do on earth.    

“Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”  Matthew 28:18-20 NLT

Yes, how beautiful the feet of the messengers of Good News of salvation in Jesus who tell of His great love, mercy, and grace!  Given this definition of beautiful feet, just how beautiful are my feet?  Am I going and telling?  Are my feet anxious to tell the Good News of redemption for all sins? 

“Get up and pull on your boots”, shouts Isaiah, “brush off the dust and get to your feet”.  “Throw off your chains” of timidness and anxieties caused from being a captive of sin and brokenness.  God has come and He has healed you.  Your sins forgiven AND forgotten!  So, run on your beautiful redeemed feet and tell others they can be free, too!

Isaiah 52, The Message

God Is Leading You Out of Here

^1-2 Wake up, wake up! Pull on your boots, Zion!
    Dress up in your Sunday best, Jerusalem, holy city!
Those who want no part of God have been culled out.
    They won’t be coming along.
Brush off the dust and get to your feet, captive Jerusalem!
    Throw off your chains, captive daughter of Zion!

³ God says, “You were sold for nothing. You’re being bought back for nothing.”

^4-6 Again, the Master, God, says, “Early on, my people went to Egypt and lived, strangers in the land. At the other end, Assyria oppressed them. And now, what have I here?” God’s Decree. “My people are hauled off again for no reason at all. Tyrants on the warpath, whooping it up, and day after day, incessantly, my reputation blackened. Now it’s time that my people know who I am, what I’m made of—yes, that I have something to say. Here I am!”

^7-10 How beautiful on the mountains
    are the feet of the messenger bringing good news,
Breaking the news that all’s well,
    proclaiming good times, announcing salvation,
    telling Zion, “Your God reigns!”
Voices! Listen! Your scouts are shouting, thunderclap shouts,
    shouting in joyful unison.
They see with their own eyes
    God coming back to Zion.

Break into song! Boom it out, ruins of Jerusalem:
    “God has comforted his people!
    He’s redeemed Jerusalem!”
God has rolled up his sleeves.
    All the nations can see his holy, muscled arm.
Everyone, from one end of the earth to the other,
    sees him at work, doing his salvation work.

^11-12 Out of here! Out of here! Leave this place!
    Don’t look back. Don’t contaminate yourselves with plunder.
Just leave, but leave clean. Purify yourselves
    in the process of worship, carrying the holy vessels of God.
But you don’t have to be in a hurry.
    You’re not running from anybody!
God is leading you out of here,
    and the God of Israel is also your rear guard.

It Was Our Pains He Carried

^13-15 “Just watch my servant blossom!
    Exalted, tall, head and shoulders above the crowd!
But he didn’t begin that way.
    At first everyone was appalled.
He didn’t even look human—
    a ruined face, disfigured past recognition.
Nations all over the world will be in awe, taken aback,
    kings shocked into silence when they see him.
For what was unheard of they’ll see with their own eyes,
    what was unthinkable they’ll have right before them.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

The defeat of Babylon by Cyrus was certainly good news to the Jews because it meant freedom for the captives. The good news we share today is that Jesus Christ can set the prisoners free (Rom. 10:15). For decades, the remnant had suffered in a foreign country, without an altar or a priesthood, but now they would return to their land, rebuild their temple, and restore their God-given ministry.

Jesus is our Deliverer, Savior, Redeemer and Lord to all who believe on his Name and believe in what He did for each one of us.  We repent.  Jesus forgives all our sins and remembers them no more.  Believe and be saved for eternity.

Isaiah added a final word of encouragement: “For the LORD will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard”. This reminds us of Israel’s exodus from Egypt when the Lord went before them and stood between them and the enemy. When God’s people obey God’s will, they can always count on God’s leading and protection.

Lord,

Thank you for saving my soul and making me whole to live for you, to run and not be weary, to walk and not faint on beautiful feet that is able to deliver Your Good News of salvation for all.  Thank you for this teaching this morning in the quiet of this hour with you.  Thank you for being with us always. 

In Jesus Name, Amen