Isaiah {9:13} For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth
them, neither do they seek the LORD of hosts. {9:14}
Therefore the LORD will cut off from Israel head and tail,
branch and rush, in one day. {9:15} The ancient and
honourable, he [is] the head; and the prophet that teacheth
lies, he [is] the tail. {9:16} For the leaders of this people
cause [them] to err; and [they that are] led of them [are]
destroyed. {9:17} Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in
their young men, neither shall have mercy on their
fatherless and widows: for every one is an hypocrite and an
evildoer, and every mouth speaketh folly. For all this his
anger is not turned away, but his hand [is] stretched out still.
Hypocrite and evildoer, mouths speaking folly.
We want God to overlook our hypocrisy.
We want God to overlook our evil doing.
We want God to overlook the folly we speak with our mouths.
It doesn't matter who we are.
Young.
Old.
Leader.
Follower.
Fatherless, motherless, childless, widows, widowers.
Executive.
Laborer.
None of it matters, not one little tiny bit.
It doesn't matter if you are a church leader, a choir singer, a visitor, a patron, it doesn't matter.
What matters if you're alive.
If you're alive you are accountable for your actions.
Every single action you make you are accountable for and have no one but yourself to answer for that action. You can claim outside influence just as Eve claimed beguiling by the Devil. Did Eve's claim to beguiling and Adam's claiming Eve giving him the fruit change their guilt any? Was it then pronounced by God that everything was fine the blame was passed on to the beguiler? No.
No. Everything wasn't fine, the sin remained. The beguiler reaped a punishment for beguiling but ultimately Eve and Adam both were to pay for their own sins.
Today we can blame everything for our actions- circumstance, trickery, beguiling- we can blame all sorts of things for our actions but ultimately we choose every action we make. Even in the most tense situations where we feel our hands are being forced by circumstances, we make the choice that we have to be responsible for. Some say it was a life or death situation, so compromising principles and such should be understood, surely we're not expected to die. But maybe we are.
I hear the shout of a cruel, unloving God that would ask that of us. Well, it's simply not true. God's love goes beyond our comprehension and we are only given small glimpses of that love in our lives such as a father or mother for a child- raising a child- you don't ask nothing of that child you expect obedience and you discipline the child to get the obedience.
God's ways are so far beyond our own but faith and trust are so important.
He is our creator, period.
He is our creator and as such we- His creation are not meant to function fully without Him guiding our lives.
We want to think that God will overlook our short comings but He won't.
He overlooks NOTHING.
How can He overlook sin, when He allowed His only Son to die for sin?
Jesus died for us to pay the price of our forgiven sins, sins we repent of and do no more. Jesus died and God would be very remiss to make the death of His only Son so meaningless that He can simply overlook the sins we commit as being unimportant.
A price was paid for sin.
Sin cannot be overlooked.
Sin can be forgiven.
Isaiah {9:17} Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in
their young men, neither shall have mercy on their
fatherless and widows: for every one is an hypocrite and an
evildoer, and every mouth speaketh folly. For all this his
anger is not turned away, but his hand [is] stretched out still.
No joy. No mercy. His anger is not turned away.
We can't expect sin to be overlooked.
Sin must be confessed.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to
forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.
We can't expect our sins no matter how tiny or how huge to be overlooked. We can't excuse them away because of this reason or that. We must confess our sins.
May our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ hear our prayer as we seek to confess our sins and repent of them. May His faithfulness and His being just forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness.
By His mercy and grace now and forever!
Amen.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Sunday, March 1, 2009
To the law and to the testimony...
Isaiah
{8:20} To the law and to the testimony:
if they speak not according to this word, [it is] because
[there is] no light in them.
Proverbs
{3:1} My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep
my commandments: {3:2} For length of days, and long life,
and peace, shall they add to thee. {3:3} Let not mercy and
truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them
upon the table of thine heart: {3:4} So shalt thou find favour
and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
{3:5} Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not
unto thine own understanding. {3:6} In all thy ways
acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
{3:7} Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and
depart from evil. {3:8} It shall be health to thy navel, and
marrow to thy bones. {3:9} Honour the LORD with thy
substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:
{3:10} So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy
presses shall burst out with new wine.
{3:11} My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD;
neither be weary of his correction: {3:12} For whom the
LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son [in
whom] he delighteth.
Hebrews {8:10} For this [is] the covenant that I will make with the
house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my
laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I
will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people
Exodus {31:18} And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an
end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables
of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.
Exodus {32:15} And Moses turned, and went down from the
mount, and the two tables of the testimony [were] in his
hand: the tables [were] written on both their sides; on the
one side and on the other [were] they written. {32:16} And
the tables [were] the work of God, and the writing [was] the
writing of God, graven upon the tables.
Exodus {38:21} This is the sum of the tabernacle, [even] of the
tabernacle of testimony, as it was counted, according to the
commandment of Moses
Rev. {15:5} And after that I looked, and, behold,
the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was
opened
***
To the law and to the testimony.
If they speak not according to this word--
It is because there is no light in them.
God's word, God's law, God's testimony.
*
Hebrews {8:10} For this [is] the covenant that I will make with the
house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my
laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I
will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people
*
Laws in our minds.
Laws in our hearts.
God - our God and we His people.
*
Do you have the law of God in your mind? In your heart?
The law of God.
The law of our Creator.
The law written on our hearts in our minds.
If the law is written in our very beings we can't believe we don't know the law.
In the day and age of information- even called the 'information age', we can know just about anything with the push of a few keys on a keyboard.
Go ahead go to your web browser, 'google it', or 'yahoo it', or 'ask.com it', use the search engine of your choice and just type in 'law of God' and see what pops up.
Or better yet, grab your Bible- Bibles are everywhere, churches are everywhere, in churches are Bibles.
In America at least, there is access to this information.
Yes, in our hearts and minds the law is written as well. Seriously.
We might not believe it, might want to deny it, but it's true.
Before Christ returns, before the world as we know it is over there will not be a single person who hasn't been given the opportunity to know the love of God through the mercy and grace of His only Son, the embodiment of the law of God.
Our hearts, our minds, we know even if we don't want to think about what we know. Just as we learn the multiplication tables- does that mean we keep thinking about them? No. There is a whole wealth of information that we learn and promptly never think about again. Just because we learn something or have something in our minds and hearts doesn't mean it's part of our life- we have to think on these things in our minds and hearts for them to be pertinent.
You might think if something is in our heart we have to think on it, but seriously, how many family members do you believe you love and truly love and care for but days and days can go by without thinking of them? Perhaps there is an old aunt you vaguely remember and remember with fondness, you even feel love for that old aunt. We can't say that love for the aunt is important to you because even though the love is there upon remembrance, it's not prominent.
So, yes, we can have forgotten love in our hearts, we can have a lot of things in our minds, but that which is important to us we don't forget.
If God is important to us we will be thinking about Him. Those laws written on our hearts and in our minds will be thought of and often. Jesus lived the law, He did not break the law in one single point. He brought the law to life. When we learn of Jesus we learn of God, His Father our Creator.
May the law that lives within our hearts and minds become important to us so that we truly have God as our God and that we truly are His people.
By the mercy and grace of Jesus our Savior.
Amen
{8:20} To the law and to the testimony:
if they speak not according to this word, [it is] because
[there is] no light in them.
Proverbs
{3:1} My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep
my commandments: {3:2} For length of days, and long life,
and peace, shall they add to thee. {3:3} Let not mercy and
truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them
upon the table of thine heart: {3:4} So shalt thou find favour
and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
{3:5} Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not
unto thine own understanding. {3:6} In all thy ways
acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
{3:7} Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and
depart from evil. {3:8} It shall be health to thy navel, and
marrow to thy bones. {3:9} Honour the LORD with thy
substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:
{3:10} So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy
presses shall burst out with new wine.
{3:11} My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD;
neither be weary of his correction: {3:12} For whom the
LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son [in
whom] he delighteth.
Hebrews {8:10} For this [is] the covenant that I will make with the
house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my
laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I
will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people
Exodus {31:18} And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an
end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables
of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.
Exodus {32:15} And Moses turned, and went down from the
mount, and the two tables of the testimony [were] in his
hand: the tables [were] written on both their sides; on the
one side and on the other [were] they written. {32:16} And
the tables [were] the work of God, and the writing [was] the
writing of God, graven upon the tables.
Exodus {38:21} This is the sum of the tabernacle, [even] of the
tabernacle of testimony, as it was counted, according to the
commandment of Moses
Rev. {15:5} And after that I looked, and, behold,
the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was
opened
***
To the law and to the testimony.
If they speak not according to this word--
It is because there is no light in them.
God's word, God's law, God's testimony.
*
Hebrews {8:10} For this [is] the covenant that I will make with the
house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my
laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I
will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people
*
Laws in our minds.
Laws in our hearts.
God - our God and we His people.
*
Do you have the law of God in your mind? In your heart?
The law of God.
The law of our Creator.
The law written on our hearts in our minds.
If the law is written in our very beings we can't believe we don't know the law.
In the day and age of information- even called the 'information age', we can know just about anything with the push of a few keys on a keyboard.
Go ahead go to your web browser, 'google it', or 'yahoo it', or 'ask.com it', use the search engine of your choice and just type in 'law of God' and see what pops up.
Or better yet, grab your Bible- Bibles are everywhere, churches are everywhere, in churches are Bibles.
In America at least, there is access to this information.
Yes, in our hearts and minds the law is written as well. Seriously.
We might not believe it, might want to deny it, but it's true.
Before Christ returns, before the world as we know it is over there will not be a single person who hasn't been given the opportunity to know the love of God through the mercy and grace of His only Son, the embodiment of the law of God.
Our hearts, our minds, we know even if we don't want to think about what we know. Just as we learn the multiplication tables- does that mean we keep thinking about them? No. There is a whole wealth of information that we learn and promptly never think about again. Just because we learn something or have something in our minds and hearts doesn't mean it's part of our life- we have to think on these things in our minds and hearts for them to be pertinent.
You might think if something is in our heart we have to think on it, but seriously, how many family members do you believe you love and truly love and care for but days and days can go by without thinking of them? Perhaps there is an old aunt you vaguely remember and remember with fondness, you even feel love for that old aunt. We can't say that love for the aunt is important to you because even though the love is there upon remembrance, it's not prominent.
So, yes, we can have forgotten love in our hearts, we can have a lot of things in our minds, but that which is important to us we don't forget.
If God is important to us we will be thinking about Him. Those laws written on our hearts and in our minds will be thought of and often. Jesus lived the law, He did not break the law in one single point. He brought the law to life. When we learn of Jesus we learn of God, His Father our Creator.
May the law that lives within our hearts and minds become important to us so that we truly have God as our God and that we truly are His people.
By the mercy and grace of Jesus our Savior.
Amen
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Butter and Honey
Isaiah 7:15
15Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.
Isaiah 7:22
22And it shall come to pass, for the abundance of milk that they shall give he shall eat butter: for butter and honey shall every one eat that is left in the land.
Psalms 119:103
103How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
**
I was fascinated by this verse- 'Butter and honey shall he eat-- that he may know to refuse the evil and choose the good.'
We read of God having Moses lead the children of Israel through the wilderness to the promised land flowing with milk and honey.
Milk and honey signifying what exactly?
Think about it a moment.
If someone promised to take you to a land flowing with milk and honey you'd most likely look at them as if they were screwy. Why would you want to go to a land flowing with milk and honey? You might not even like milk or honey all that much, then again you could love them both. Even if you did love them do you imagine yourself in a land flowing with milk and honey? Yet, this was the promised land, a land flowing with milk and honey. Surely it signifies something a bit more doesn't it?
A land where there is no hunger.
Not only is there no hunger the food is sweet and rich.
Surely back then milk and honey were reserved for the wealthy Egyptians, with the Israelites subsisting on foods much less rich and sweet. Throughout time slaves were given nothing like those of their masters. Slaves were given just what they needed to survive and nothing overly good, nothing overly special. I'm talking about the majority of slaves, not a miniority that might have been treated differently.
Being enslaved leaves you at the mercy of your masters and very few masters wanted their slaves to exist on the same level as they did. Slaves were beneath their masters and the quality of living reflected this fact.
Promised a land flowing in milk and honey.
Maybe that doesn't exactly excite your thoughts, what about a promise land of endless wealth? Got your attention now? Not surprising.
The promise of a land flowing in milk and honey was the promise of a land where the Israelites could live free of enslavement and in comfort. Did that mean they no longer had to work? No. But it meant they were working for themselves and their families in a land that would bring forth abundantly as opposed to being enslaved and working so another reaped the wealth of your labor while leaving you virtually nothing but what was necessary to survive.
Milk and honey, butter and honey. Good things, wonderful things.
Isaiah 7:15
15Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.
Wouldn't it be amazing if we were simply to eat butter and honey and then we'd know to refuse evil and choose good? I'd run out and buy a ton of butter and honey if that were the case and that's all I'd eat.
What made it so that 'he' may know to refuse the evil and choose the good?
Perhaps knowing the good was enough to know that evil was bad?
Knowing the sweetness and tastiness of butter and honey surely made a striking contrast to anything bitter and distasteful.
When you have the good why would you seek the bad?
Be content with the good knowing it's good rather than go to anything that might be evil.
Choose the good, knowing good.
Refuse the evil, because if you have the good already you need nothing else, nothing.
It's not necessary to seek the good if you have it already, right?
How much evil in our lives comes about when we're not at all content with the good we know to be good, but rather we seek something more...something better than good.
What allure do mind altering drugs and excess of alcohol hold for people?
The promise of something special? A feeling that will supercede all others? And yet, think about it for a moment. Drugs and alcohol offer that feeling at a cost don't they? When something comes with a cost- taking from us, giving us a price to pay for those fleeting moments of illusory special feelings- is it really good? When we're ripped of our ability to reason is this a good thing, really?
Evil offers an illusion of goodness and makes you pay in the end.
Goodness will not cost you a thing. Goodness will not exact from you a price. Goodness is pure and not chock full of regret. Anything that has the potential to cause endless regret- can it be a good thing? I suppose some might argue that you can come to regret doing good things and it's true but usually when sin is hounding you, pounding at you relentlessly trying to drag you back down into the depths of despair.
To be content with goodness, learning of the good things early on teaches us that choosing good is right, and refusing the evil necessary.
Read this--
Isaiah-
{7:14} Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign;
Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall
call his name Immanuel. {7:15} Butter and honey shall he
eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the
good.
Truely, if (and I'm no Biblical scholar in any way, shape, or form) these verses meld together and it is the child Jesus eating butter and honey so that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good, well, we really need to think about this a little bit and contemplate the meaning, don't we?
I could be way off on my interpretation, but God willing, not too far.
May our hearts and minds be open to the Holy Spirit guiding us into all truth, all by the mercy and grace of our Lord and our Savior, Jesus Christ God's only Son! Forgive us Jesus and open our hearts and mind to you now and always.
By His grace!
Amen.
15Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.
Isaiah 7:22
22And it shall come to pass, for the abundance of milk that they shall give he shall eat butter: for butter and honey shall every one eat that is left in the land.
Psalms 119:103
103How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
**
I was fascinated by this verse- 'Butter and honey shall he eat-- that he may know to refuse the evil and choose the good.'
We read of God having Moses lead the children of Israel through the wilderness to the promised land flowing with milk and honey.
Milk and honey signifying what exactly?
Think about it a moment.
If someone promised to take you to a land flowing with milk and honey you'd most likely look at them as if they were screwy. Why would you want to go to a land flowing with milk and honey? You might not even like milk or honey all that much, then again you could love them both. Even if you did love them do you imagine yourself in a land flowing with milk and honey? Yet, this was the promised land, a land flowing with milk and honey. Surely it signifies something a bit more doesn't it?
A land where there is no hunger.
Not only is there no hunger the food is sweet and rich.
Surely back then milk and honey were reserved for the wealthy Egyptians, with the Israelites subsisting on foods much less rich and sweet. Throughout time slaves were given nothing like those of their masters. Slaves were given just what they needed to survive and nothing overly good, nothing overly special. I'm talking about the majority of slaves, not a miniority that might have been treated differently.
Being enslaved leaves you at the mercy of your masters and very few masters wanted their slaves to exist on the same level as they did. Slaves were beneath their masters and the quality of living reflected this fact.
Promised a land flowing in milk and honey.
Maybe that doesn't exactly excite your thoughts, what about a promise land of endless wealth? Got your attention now? Not surprising.
The promise of a land flowing in milk and honey was the promise of a land where the Israelites could live free of enslavement and in comfort. Did that mean they no longer had to work? No. But it meant they were working for themselves and their families in a land that would bring forth abundantly as opposed to being enslaved and working so another reaped the wealth of your labor while leaving you virtually nothing but what was necessary to survive.
Milk and honey, butter and honey. Good things, wonderful things.
Isaiah 7:15
15Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.
Wouldn't it be amazing if we were simply to eat butter and honey and then we'd know to refuse evil and choose good? I'd run out and buy a ton of butter and honey if that were the case and that's all I'd eat.
What made it so that 'he' may know to refuse the evil and choose the good?
Perhaps knowing the good was enough to know that evil was bad?
Knowing the sweetness and tastiness of butter and honey surely made a striking contrast to anything bitter and distasteful.
When you have the good why would you seek the bad?
Be content with the good knowing it's good rather than go to anything that might be evil.
Choose the good, knowing good.
Refuse the evil, because if you have the good already you need nothing else, nothing.
It's not necessary to seek the good if you have it already, right?
How much evil in our lives comes about when we're not at all content with the good we know to be good, but rather we seek something more...something better than good.
What allure do mind altering drugs and excess of alcohol hold for people?
The promise of something special? A feeling that will supercede all others? And yet, think about it for a moment. Drugs and alcohol offer that feeling at a cost don't they? When something comes with a cost- taking from us, giving us a price to pay for those fleeting moments of illusory special feelings- is it really good? When we're ripped of our ability to reason is this a good thing, really?
Evil offers an illusion of goodness and makes you pay in the end.
Goodness will not cost you a thing. Goodness will not exact from you a price. Goodness is pure and not chock full of regret. Anything that has the potential to cause endless regret- can it be a good thing? I suppose some might argue that you can come to regret doing good things and it's true but usually when sin is hounding you, pounding at you relentlessly trying to drag you back down into the depths of despair.
To be content with goodness, learning of the good things early on teaches us that choosing good is right, and refusing the evil necessary.
Read this--
Isaiah-
{7:14} Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign;
Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall
call his name Immanuel. {7:15} Butter and honey shall he
eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the
good.
Truely, if (and I'm no Biblical scholar in any way, shape, or form) these verses meld together and it is the child Jesus eating butter and honey so that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good, well, we really need to think about this a little bit and contemplate the meaning, don't we?
I could be way off on my interpretation, but God willing, not too far.
May our hearts and minds be open to the Holy Spirit guiding us into all truth, all by the mercy and grace of our Lord and our Savior, Jesus Christ God's only Son! Forgive us Jesus and open our hearts and mind to you now and always.
By His grace!
Amen.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Here am I send me
Isa. {6:5} Then said I, Woe [is] me! for I am undone; because
I [am] a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a
people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King,
the LORD of hosts. {6:6} Then flew one of the seraphims
unto me, having a live coal in his hand, [which] he had
taken with the tongs from off the altar: {6:7} And he laid
[it] upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips;
and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. {6:8}
Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I
send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here [am] I; send
me.
Aren't we all people with unclean lips?
Don't we all dwell with people of unclean lips?
Are any of us clean?
We desire to be the Lord's even as sin reigns in and around us.
We fight against the sin in ourselves striving to resist the devil so he'll flee from us.
We cling to Jesus and beg for His mercy, His grace.
We long to be made clean by our Lord and Savior.
Isaiah knew his unclean state, knew he was not fit to be the Lord's.
One of God's angels plucked a live coal from the altar and touched Isaiah's lips with it.
Then the angel said-
'Lo, this hath touched thy lips- and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin is purged.'
The coal from the altar touched his lips.
Isaiah was lamenting the fact he was a man of unclean lips living among those with unclean lips.
He was a sinner among sinners.
His sin was taken away by the Lord's messenger with a live coal.
Purged, burned away, the unclean made cleaned.
We all need to be made clean, every one of us.
May the Lord's mercy rain down upon us. May our lips be touched by a live coal from God.
May we hear the call of the Lord and reply-- Here we are Lord, send us.
Only by the grace and mercy of the Lord can we be saved, can we be made clean.
Lord, hear our prayer as we cry out to be made clean, to be used by you.
By the mercy and grace of Jesus.
**
A song based on this verse in Isaiah--
Kutless
Take me in
Take me past the outer courts
Into the Holy place
Past the brazen altar
Lord I want to see Your face
Pass me by the crowds of people
The priests who sing Your praise
I hunger and thirst for Your righteousness
But it's only found one place
Take me in to the Holy of Holies
Take me in by the blood of the Lamb
Take me in to the Holy of Holies
Take the coal, touch my lips, here I am
Take me past the outer courts
Into the Holy place
Past the brazen altar
Lord I want to see Your face
Pass me by the crowds of people
The priests who sing Your praise
I hunger and thirst for Your righteousness
But it's only found one place
Take me past the outer courts
Into the Holy place
Past the brazen altar
Lord I want to see Your face
Pass me by the crowds of people
The priests who sing Your praise
I hunger and thirst for Your righteousness
But it's only found one place
Take me in to the Holy of Holies
Take me in by the blood of the Lamb
Take me in to the Holy of Holies
Take the coal, touch my lips, here I am
Take me in to the Holy of Holies
Take me in by the blood of the Lamb
Take me in to the Holy of Holies
Take the coal, touch my lips, here I am
Take the coal, touch my lips, here I am
I [am] a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a
people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King,
the LORD of hosts. {6:6} Then flew one of the seraphims
unto me, having a live coal in his hand, [which] he had
taken with the tongs from off the altar: {6:7} And he laid
[it] upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips;
and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. {6:8}
Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I
send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here [am] I; send
me.
Aren't we all people with unclean lips?
Don't we all dwell with people of unclean lips?
Are any of us clean?
We desire to be the Lord's even as sin reigns in and around us.
We fight against the sin in ourselves striving to resist the devil so he'll flee from us.
We cling to Jesus and beg for His mercy, His grace.
We long to be made clean by our Lord and Savior.
Isaiah knew his unclean state, knew he was not fit to be the Lord's.
One of God's angels plucked a live coal from the altar and touched Isaiah's lips with it.
Then the angel said-
'Lo, this hath touched thy lips- and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin is purged.'
The coal from the altar touched his lips.
Isaiah was lamenting the fact he was a man of unclean lips living among those with unclean lips.
He was a sinner among sinners.
His sin was taken away by the Lord's messenger with a live coal.
Purged, burned away, the unclean made cleaned.
We all need to be made clean, every one of us.
May the Lord's mercy rain down upon us. May our lips be touched by a live coal from God.
May we hear the call of the Lord and reply-- Here we are Lord, send us.
Only by the grace and mercy of the Lord can we be saved, can we be made clean.
Lord, hear our prayer as we cry out to be made clean, to be used by you.
By the mercy and grace of Jesus.
**
A song based on this verse in Isaiah--
Kutless
Take me in
Take me past the outer courts
Into the Holy place
Past the brazen altar
Lord I want to see Your face
Pass me by the crowds of people
The priests who sing Your praise
I hunger and thirst for Your righteousness
But it's only found one place
Take me in to the Holy of Holies
Take me in by the blood of the Lamb
Take me in to the Holy of Holies
Take the coal, touch my lips, here I am
Take me past the outer courts
Into the Holy place
Past the brazen altar
Lord I want to see Your face
Pass me by the crowds of people
The priests who sing Your praise
I hunger and thirst for Your righteousness
But it's only found one place
Take me past the outer courts
Into the Holy place
Past the brazen altar
Lord I want to see Your face
Pass me by the crowds of people
The priests who sing Your praise
I hunger and thirst for Your righteousness
But it's only found one place
Take me in to the Holy of Holies
Take me in by the blood of the Lamb
Take me in to the Holy of Holies
Take the coal, touch my lips, here I am
Take me in to the Holy of Holies
Take me in by the blood of the Lamb
Take me in to the Holy of Holies
Take the coal, touch my lips, here I am
Take the coal, touch my lips, here I am
Thursday, February 26, 2009
The Gardener
Isaiah
{5:1} Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill
{5:2} And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.
{5:3} And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard.
{5:4} What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?
{5:5} And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; [and] break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down
{5:6} And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.
{5:7} For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts [is] the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.
Imagine a loving person creating a beautiful vineyard, in a beautiful location. There He is putting up a protective wall around the vineyard to keep it safe. Then as any good gardener He prepares the soil by getting all the rocks out of the ground. Only when the ground is prepared does He plant the best plants He possibly can. With great hopes for His vineyard He builds a wonderful tower in the garden as the plants are growing, He even builds a winepress as He anticipates creating the best wine ever.
Then...as the time approaches to examine the grapes coming forth what does He see!? Wild grapes! He hadn't planted wild grapes, but there they are. His garden, His vineyard are ruined.
The gardener asks all those around who had been watching Him create this wonderful vineyard what He could have done more for the vineyard, didn't He do all He could to make it the most wonderful vineyard ever?
He has no choice, He has to do something with this horrible mess of a vineyard.
So He takes away the protective wall about it, it's a slow process as He lays waste to what was once was supposed to be wonderful.
The Gardener will no longer prune the vines, no longer dig at the soil to loosen it up to keep it so the water can get to the roots. He will no longer pull the weeds, the thorns, the briers. In fact there is no longer reason to water the plants they are wild and can no longer be pure and good.
What's all this mean?
As an analogy it means God lovingly created a people whom He nourished and gave all the advantages He could so that His people would flourish and become wonderful, happy, content, beautiful people. Instead, even after having all the advantages His people turn out to be spiteful, unhappy, bad. God did ALL He could do for His people. God did not leave a single thing undone and still His people turned from Him.
No true judgment but oppression.
No righteousness but a cry.
God did and does all He could and can for His people.
Free will.
The ability to choose to count on self over God.
Free will.
The ability to believe that by self you can exist and live happily, contentedly, forever.
Free will.
The ability to cut loose from the Creator and strike out on your own.
Free will.
Mankind chose to strike out on their own and as a result all they believe they can do of themselves are lies.
Man cannot save themselves. Mankind cannot live on their own- they die. A life meant to live forever was cut short because mankind with the beguiling of Satan (who had already given himself over to self) chose to live on their own power, their own steam. It's impossible for man to stay alive. From the moment of birth people are on the road to death. No one alive has ever been born, who on their own has lived forever. God's only Son became one of us, a person born to die. On His own He would be dead still. Only God's love does Jesus live. God, because His Son sacrificed Himself to save mankind- because He proved that a human being can live connected to God as intended.
We need to cling to God, He is our only hope. By the grace and mercy of Jesus alone we can do this, we can live connected to God.
It's my prayer that we grasp hold of Jesus, accept the sacrifice He's made for us; that we receive the power of the Holy Spirit sent to us so that we can be connected with God and live as God would have us live fully dependent upon Him for life.
Please Lord, hear our prayer as we cry out to You to send Your Holy Spirit to us, to guide us in Your path, to lead us in the way everlasting, in You now and forever.
Amen.
{5:1} Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill
{5:2} And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.
{5:3} And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard.
{5:4} What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?
{5:5} And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; [and] break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down
{5:6} And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.
{5:7} For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts [is] the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.
Imagine a loving person creating a beautiful vineyard, in a beautiful location. There He is putting up a protective wall around the vineyard to keep it safe. Then as any good gardener He prepares the soil by getting all the rocks out of the ground. Only when the ground is prepared does He plant the best plants He possibly can. With great hopes for His vineyard He builds a wonderful tower in the garden as the plants are growing, He even builds a winepress as He anticipates creating the best wine ever.
Then...as the time approaches to examine the grapes coming forth what does He see!? Wild grapes! He hadn't planted wild grapes, but there they are. His garden, His vineyard are ruined.
The gardener asks all those around who had been watching Him create this wonderful vineyard what He could have done more for the vineyard, didn't He do all He could to make it the most wonderful vineyard ever?
He has no choice, He has to do something with this horrible mess of a vineyard.
So He takes away the protective wall about it, it's a slow process as He lays waste to what was once was supposed to be wonderful.
The Gardener will no longer prune the vines, no longer dig at the soil to loosen it up to keep it so the water can get to the roots. He will no longer pull the weeds, the thorns, the briers. In fact there is no longer reason to water the plants they are wild and can no longer be pure and good.
What's all this mean?
As an analogy it means God lovingly created a people whom He nourished and gave all the advantages He could so that His people would flourish and become wonderful, happy, content, beautiful people. Instead, even after having all the advantages His people turn out to be spiteful, unhappy, bad. God did ALL He could do for His people. God did not leave a single thing undone and still His people turned from Him.
No true judgment but oppression.
No righteousness but a cry.
God did and does all He could and can for His people.
Free will.
The ability to choose to count on self over God.
Free will.
The ability to believe that by self you can exist and live happily, contentedly, forever.
Free will.
The ability to cut loose from the Creator and strike out on your own.
Free will.
Mankind chose to strike out on their own and as a result all they believe they can do of themselves are lies.
Man cannot save themselves. Mankind cannot live on their own- they die. A life meant to live forever was cut short because mankind with the beguiling of Satan (who had already given himself over to self) chose to live on their own power, their own steam. It's impossible for man to stay alive. From the moment of birth people are on the road to death. No one alive has ever been born, who on their own has lived forever. God's only Son became one of us, a person born to die. On His own He would be dead still. Only God's love does Jesus live. God, because His Son sacrificed Himself to save mankind- because He proved that a human being can live connected to God as intended.
We need to cling to God, He is our only hope. By the grace and mercy of Jesus alone we can do this, we can live connected to God.
It's my prayer that we grasp hold of Jesus, accept the sacrifice He's made for us; that we receive the power of the Holy Spirit sent to us so that we can be connected with God and live as God would have us live fully dependent upon Him for life.
Please Lord, hear our prayer as we cry out to You to send Your Holy Spirit to us, to guide us in Your path, to lead us in the way everlasting, in You now and forever.
Amen.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Woe unto them
Isaiah {5:20} Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil;
that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put
bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! {5:21} Woe unto
[them that are] wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their
own sight! {5:22} Woe unto [them that are] mighty to drink
wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink: {5:23}
Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the
righteousness of the righteous from him! {5:24} Therefore
as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth
the chaff, [so] their root shall be as rottenness, and their
blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away
the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the
Holy One of Israel. {5:25} Therefore is the anger of the
LORD kindled against his people, and he hath stretched
forth his hand against them, and hath smitten them: and the
hills did tremble, and their carcases [were] torn in the midst
of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but
his hand [is] stretched out still.
Sound familiar?
Call evil good.
Call good evil.
Darkness light.
Light darkness.
Bitter for sweet.
Sweet for bitter.
Once we begin changing the meaning of something it alters so much.
Once upon a time swearing was a bad thing.
Now it's so common place you can scarcely turn on a tv show or watch a movie without swearing in it.
Already upon reading that how many of you thought- swearing? So. What's the big deal about swearing? They're just words they hurt nothing.
Why do most people teach their children not to swear?
Why do teachers frown upon children who swear?
Employers wouldn't like their employees swearing to their customers, would they?
And yet we've taken the standard of swearing and broken down so many barriers with it that children to do swear, people expect their children to swear- why not they grew up learning it from their parents. People are willing to bend their sensibilities in many ways, changing wrong to make it right.
Swearing is just a small example.
What about pregnancy before marriage? Acceptable. Has is always been so?
Sexual freedom- mulitple partners, sex in any way, shape, or form. Accepted. Has it always been so?
Lying. Accepted. Expected.
People might say that these things are *normal* and have been around since man, and I wouldn't disagree fully.
What hasn't been around since man is the acceptance of them to completely.
What hasn't been around is the mindset that not accepting these things is wrong.
Even now people are called strange, old-fashioned, unenlightened, odd, when they don't readily accept the way things are. Voicing the opinion against those who are supposedly trying to bring freedoms to people is called suppression. Change is herald loudly and those who don't go with the changes become those in the wrong.
Call evil good.
Call good evil.
Darkness light.
Light darkness.
Bitter for sweet.
Sweet for bitter.
Woe unto them.
God has been very clear in His Righteous path for mankind, very clear.
No wonder fewer and fewer people are believing in God, or changing God and His ways until they suit them.
No wonder God can scarcely find a true people on earth.
May God help us. May the blinders be stripped from our eyes so we may see His truth, His ways in their purity and follow them, follow Him, believe in Him and His ways.
May the Holy Spirit guide our understanding so that we don't call evil good, or good evil, that we don't claim darkness for light or light for darkness, so that we may know without doubt that bitter isn't sweet, and sweet isn't bitter.
We need the Lord. We need the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We need the blinders off our eyes so that only the truth in Christ remains.
By the mercy and grace of our Savior Jesus Christ our Lord now and forever.
Amen.
that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put
bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! {5:21} Woe unto
[them that are] wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their
own sight! {5:22} Woe unto [them that are] mighty to drink
wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink: {5:23}
Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the
righteousness of the righteous from him! {5:24} Therefore
as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth
the chaff, [so] their root shall be as rottenness, and their
blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away
the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the
Holy One of Israel. {5:25} Therefore is the anger of the
LORD kindled against his people, and he hath stretched
forth his hand against them, and hath smitten them: and the
hills did tremble, and their carcases [were] torn in the midst
of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but
his hand [is] stretched out still.
Sound familiar?
Call evil good.
Call good evil.
Darkness light.
Light darkness.
Bitter for sweet.
Sweet for bitter.
Once we begin changing the meaning of something it alters so much.
Once upon a time swearing was a bad thing.
Now it's so common place you can scarcely turn on a tv show or watch a movie without swearing in it.
Already upon reading that how many of you thought- swearing? So. What's the big deal about swearing? They're just words they hurt nothing.
Why do most people teach their children not to swear?
Why do teachers frown upon children who swear?
Employers wouldn't like their employees swearing to their customers, would they?
And yet we've taken the standard of swearing and broken down so many barriers with it that children to do swear, people expect their children to swear- why not they grew up learning it from their parents. People are willing to bend their sensibilities in many ways, changing wrong to make it right.
Swearing is just a small example.
What about pregnancy before marriage? Acceptable. Has is always been so?
Sexual freedom- mulitple partners, sex in any way, shape, or form. Accepted. Has it always been so?
Lying. Accepted. Expected.
People might say that these things are *normal* and have been around since man, and I wouldn't disagree fully.
What hasn't been around since man is the acceptance of them to completely.
What hasn't been around is the mindset that not accepting these things is wrong.
Even now people are called strange, old-fashioned, unenlightened, odd, when they don't readily accept the way things are. Voicing the opinion against those who are supposedly trying to bring freedoms to people is called suppression. Change is herald loudly and those who don't go with the changes become those in the wrong.
Call evil good.
Call good evil.
Darkness light.
Light darkness.
Bitter for sweet.
Sweet for bitter.
Woe unto them.
God has been very clear in His Righteous path for mankind, very clear.
No wonder fewer and fewer people are believing in God, or changing God and His ways until they suit them.
No wonder God can scarcely find a true people on earth.
May God help us. May the blinders be stripped from our eyes so we may see His truth, His ways in their purity and follow them, follow Him, believe in Him and His ways.
May the Holy Spirit guide our understanding so that we don't call evil good, or good evil, that we don't claim darkness for light or light for darkness, so that we may know without doubt that bitter isn't sweet, and sweet isn't bitter.
We need the Lord. We need the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We need the blinders off our eyes so that only the truth in Christ remains.
By the mercy and grace of our Savior Jesus Christ our Lord now and forever.
Amen.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Isaiah 3:12-15
Isaiah
{3:12} [As for] my people, children [are] their oppressors,
and women rule over them.
Have we ever lived in a society that disrespects the elderly, or even adults, more? Have we?
Think about it carefully. We've had many, many different kinds of situations in the world where people will say oh it's always been this way, just not so noticeable. But let history speak for itself. Children oppressing those who have rule over them by sheer age and maturity, no, I've personally never heard of it being something pronounced outside of the occasional prominent spoiled rotten brat.
I suppose I've heard often enough from my mother how things weren't just like this in her day. Children didn't dream of talking back to parents and teachers, and if they did they were the rarity and punished severely.
Today the rarity is more the child who doesn't talk back and act out either at home, school, or both.
Today the child who doesn't oppress authority figures is rare.
A large percentage of elderly live in fear and with good reason.
'Children are their oppressors and women rule over them'
Alarm bells sound once more for all the feminists, but before they ring too long or loud we know factually that Biblically there have been many women in prominent positions, women that God has used for His purposes. God is not anti-feminist. God does not want women oppressed. God doesn't want anyone oppressed. In God's eyes love is what matters over all and love isn't domineering it's sharing equally, it's helping unconditionally.
When children and women are ruling over man, when they are domineering an oppressive to man they are stripping him of his God given right to be treated with respect.
Why can I just imagine all the uproar over the years of oppression men and parents have dealt their wives, their children? Because in this sinfilled world men have abused their position, parents have abused their children. The abuse goes on and on and revenge takes over and people shout it's good because the revenge means justice is being served, but it's not justice, revenge is not justice. The abused becoming the abuser is not a good thing contrary to the underdog coming out on top mentality.
Back to the disrespect multiplying throughout our society. It's not something we can overlook as unimportant. It's a symptom of the world's degradation down into sin's evil depths. It's one more sign of the times and we can't ignore them. We can't excuse them. We have to see them and understand that God allows the signs so that we know the times and the times are fast coming to a close.
Isaiah
{3:12} [As for] my people, children [are] their oppressors,
and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead
thee cause [thee] to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.
{3:13} The LORD standeth up to plead, and standeth to
judge the people. {3:14} The LORD will enter into
judgment with the ancients of his people, and the princes
thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the
poor [is] in your houses. {3:15} What mean ye [that] ye
beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor?
saith the LORD GOD of hosts.
They which lead thee cause thee to err and destroy the way of thy paths.
The corruption in our society is completey.
We are no longer outraged by scandels involving our leaders whether they're secular or religious. We barely bat an eye at the newest scandel of indecency, corruption, murder. We've become desensitized because of familiarity. Our leaders have led us down a road that glorifies the sinner, the sin, the sinning. People are hungry and thirsting for the next scandel to feast on. We no longer expect our leaders in anything to be truly outstanding and honest, upright and such. We want them to be, but we don't delude ourselves into believing they are so when their evil comes to light we aren't surprised...
...it didn't use to be this way.
This is our world today and it's only getting worse and worse, it will never get better, not really. The only 'better' it will get might be under the guise of even more evil.
May the Lord bless us by the mercy and grace of our Savior. May our eyes be open, our hearts be open, our spirits be revived so that we may see and know the truth in the world, that we may know that Christ is coming and see the signs around us, understanding them as they are revealed to us.
Bless us Lord, have mercy upon us all now and forever!
In Christ.
Amen.
{3:12} [As for] my people, children [are] their oppressors,
and women rule over them.
Have we ever lived in a society that disrespects the elderly, or even adults, more? Have we?
Think about it carefully. We've had many, many different kinds of situations in the world where people will say oh it's always been this way, just not so noticeable. But let history speak for itself. Children oppressing those who have rule over them by sheer age and maturity, no, I've personally never heard of it being something pronounced outside of the occasional prominent spoiled rotten brat.
I suppose I've heard often enough from my mother how things weren't just like this in her day. Children didn't dream of talking back to parents and teachers, and if they did they were the rarity and punished severely.
Today the rarity is more the child who doesn't talk back and act out either at home, school, or both.
Today the child who doesn't oppress authority figures is rare.
A large percentage of elderly live in fear and with good reason.
'Children are their oppressors and women rule over them'
Alarm bells sound once more for all the feminists, but before they ring too long or loud we know factually that Biblically there have been many women in prominent positions, women that God has used for His purposes. God is not anti-feminist. God does not want women oppressed. God doesn't want anyone oppressed. In God's eyes love is what matters over all and love isn't domineering it's sharing equally, it's helping unconditionally.
When children and women are ruling over man, when they are domineering an oppressive to man they are stripping him of his God given right to be treated with respect.
Why can I just imagine all the uproar over the years of oppression men and parents have dealt their wives, their children? Because in this sinfilled world men have abused their position, parents have abused their children. The abuse goes on and on and revenge takes over and people shout it's good because the revenge means justice is being served, but it's not justice, revenge is not justice. The abused becoming the abuser is not a good thing contrary to the underdog coming out on top mentality.
Back to the disrespect multiplying throughout our society. It's not something we can overlook as unimportant. It's a symptom of the world's degradation down into sin's evil depths. It's one more sign of the times and we can't ignore them. We can't excuse them. We have to see them and understand that God allows the signs so that we know the times and the times are fast coming to a close.
Isaiah
{3:12} [As for] my people, children [are] their oppressors,
and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead
thee cause [thee] to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.
{3:13} The LORD standeth up to plead, and standeth to
judge the people. {3:14} The LORD will enter into
judgment with the ancients of his people, and the princes
thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the
poor [is] in your houses. {3:15} What mean ye [that] ye
beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor?
saith the LORD GOD of hosts.
They which lead thee cause thee to err and destroy the way of thy paths.
The corruption in our society is completey.
We are no longer outraged by scandels involving our leaders whether they're secular or religious. We barely bat an eye at the newest scandel of indecency, corruption, murder. We've become desensitized because of familiarity. Our leaders have led us down a road that glorifies the sinner, the sin, the sinning. People are hungry and thirsting for the next scandel to feast on. We no longer expect our leaders in anything to be truly outstanding and honest, upright and such. We want them to be, but we don't delude ourselves into believing they are so when their evil comes to light we aren't surprised...
...it didn't use to be this way.
This is our world today and it's only getting worse and worse, it will never get better, not really. The only 'better' it will get might be under the guise of even more evil.
May the Lord bless us by the mercy and grace of our Savior. May our eyes be open, our hearts be open, our spirits be revived so that we may see and know the truth in the world, that we may know that Christ is coming and see the signs around us, understanding them as they are revealed to us.
Bless us Lord, have mercy upon us all now and forever!
In Christ.
Amen.
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