Monday... It can be confusing.

Isaiah was a prophet who was given the task of telling God's chosen people what was to come and a big portion was bad but there also was some very good. Now some of it wasn't confusing but some could have been at least when it was happening.

In Isaiah 9:8-9 (NLT) he says, "The Lord has spoken out against Jacob; his judgement has fallen against Israel. And the people of Israel and Samaria, who spoke with such pride and arrogance, will soon know it."

And then down to verse 13, "For after all this punishment, the people will still not repent. They will not seek the Lord of Heaven's Armies." That was not a message that was easy to give and not one that was easy to receive, but Isaiah was faithful in giving it.

But there was another message God gave him to share. It was a very encouraging message but one that later could have been confusing. Verse 2 says, "The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in the land of deep darkness, a light will shine." Verses 6 & 7 says, "For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven's Armies will make this happen."

Now move forward to when Jesus was born in a manger. God's chosen people were being ruled by Rome and they were not really looking for a child to save them even though that is what Isaiah said. They were looking for someone that the physical government would rest on his shoulders. This one that they had been looking for for so many years did not come as they expected. They were looking for someone to save them from the outside punishment for their rebellion not from their individual rebellion toward God. Yes, they were confused but if they had really had a great desire to serve God and were not searching for a political leader but for a spiritual one then they would have reached out to Jesus and for the kingdom he had come for us to live in.

Could it be that we too are confused? We too are looking for one that the government will rest on his shoulders. We may be confused as to what God's kingdom is all about. He wants to be the king of our heart and he came to live on the throne of our hearts. His is not a physical throne but a spiritual one.

Hebrews 7:25 says, "Therefore he is able, once and forever to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf." Satan wants to confuse us from what Jesus came to save us from. He didn't come to save us from the Republicans or the Democrats or whatever our form of government we may be.

The Amplified Bible says it this way. "Therefore he is able to save forever (completely, perfectly, for eternity) those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede and intervene on their behalf [with God]." That is why Jesus came to earth.

He came to save us personally and for us to be a part of his kingdom. So let's not be confused. Let's serve him! Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning

Friday... We have this hope of expectancy.

Psalm 5:3 (NLT), "Listen to my voice in the morning Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly." Friday... We have this hope of expectancy. Now David found a great way to start his day. He says in Psalm 5:1-3 (NLT), "O LORD, hear me as I pray." And that is a great place to start. It really is. Morning sunrise He goes on, "Listen to my cry for help, my King, my God, for I pray to no one but you." And that is so important. We don't try to pump ourselves up by ourself. No, we pray to no one but you, God, my LORD, my King. Now this relationship with God is so, so very important. And then David says, "Listen to my voice in the morning, LORD. Each morning I bring my requests to you" And that is so great. And then he says, "and wait expectantly." Yes, we have this hope of expectancy. We are experienced. That is what a relationship with God and a moment by moment connection does. It makes a difference in our daily wa...

Friday... Yes, we can know this to be true.

Psalm 12:6 (NLT), "The Lord's promises are pure, like silver refined in a furnace, purified seven times over." Friday... Yes, we can know this to be true. Maybe this is what you want to say in this day in which we live. Psalm 12:1-2 (MSG) says, "Quick, I need your helping hand! The last decent person just went down, all the friends I depend on gone. Everyone talks in lie language; lies slide off their oily lips. They doubletalk with forked tongues." Do you ever feel that way?" Have you found that to be true? Well David the writer of this Psalm continues and says in verse 6 something to encourage us, to lift us up, to give us hope. Psalm 12:6 (NLT) says, "The Lord's promises are pure, like silver refined in a furnace, purified seven times over." The Message Paraphrase says verses 6-8 this way, "God's words are pure words, pure silver words refined seven times in the fires of his word-kiln, pure on earth as well as in heaven, God, keep ...

Friday... So what is it that you really fear?

1 Corinthians 15:57 (NLT), "But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ." Friday... So what is it that you really fear? Yes, fear holds us back. It seems to take hold of us so that we can't even really enjoy living. Now I have found that one of the best ways to handle fear is to solve the problem of what we fear. Let's say that death is what we really fear. Everyday we wake up afraid to get up because we are afraid to do anything because we are afraid to die. And that is so understandable. Now I have found the solution to fearing death. I have through faith taken care of my fear to die. 1 Corinthians 15:57 (NLT) says, "But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ." Verse 22 (CEV) says, "Adam brought death to all of us, and Christ will bring life to all of us." Death was not God's plan. Adam was created for an eternal life but he and his partner, Eve blew it and sin a...

Today's Beginning

Search This Blog