This word of warning from God to Isaiah could easily apply to us today in this broken and chaotic world. The people around Isaiah had turned away from God, taking on more worldly views, actions, and behaviors and depending less and less on the Lord. They had become a obstinate Nation that did not honor God as holy, and feared man more than God. So God warned Isaiah of not being taken in by their way of thinking…and of not embracing the world’s view of things as truth. God also reminded Isaiah (and us) that there is only One that is holy and deserving of our praise and honor…only One that we should fear…the Lord God Almighty is His name.
Tag: short daily devotions
Philemon 1:6 ” I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.”
Actively sharing our faith with others is something most of us shy away from. But today, let’s look at this Scripture and how sharing our faith with others will benefit not only them, but us. For anytime we share the word of God we are releasing its power and as Isaiah 55:11 tells us, “My word will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” So think of it this way, as we share our faith with someone we are reminded again of the goodness of Christ Jesus, His great love for us, and how much He has done in our life. In other words, our faith is built up every time we share it…and that sounds like a win win situation to me.
Proverbs 16:7 “When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, He makes even his enemies live at peace with him.”
It’s called finding favor before men…of God literally changing attitudes of our enemies. In Ezra 6:22 the Lord changed the heart and mind of their enemy, the King of Assyria, so that he not only supported and encouraged the Israelite’s work, but assisted in it. And when Joseph was wrongly thrown into prison, it says in Genesis 39:21 that the Lord was with him, showing him kindness and granting him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. The Lord can move hearts and extend His good favor to us by anyone…including our enemies.
Ephesians 3:12 ” In Him and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.”
Imagine, if you will, this picture. You are on one side of this deep abyss, and God is on the other, and there is no physical way for you to get across to Him. But now imagine a bridge spanning between the two sides so that you may reach God. The Cross of Jesus is that bridge, giving all of us access to God the Father. For it is only by the saving faith of Jesus we can approach the Throne of grace with confidence. (Hebrews 4:16) But we must continue to hold firmly to our trust in Jesus Christ…”so that when He appears we may be confident and unashamed before Him at His coming.” (I John 2:28)
Romans 14:10 ” You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.”
I may not think I do, but I judge people all the time. It’s our human nature to discriminate between good and bad…but most times it’s more subjective than objective! For we usually judge someone according to our own personal preferences, upbringing, and mores… rather than assessing them impartially through eyes of mercy and love. The Bible tells us there is only One that can judge, and we know we have a righteous and just God that is more than capable…and doesn’t need our help!
Proverbs 8:4-5 ” To you, O men, I call out; I raise my voice to all mankind. You who are simple, gain prudence; you who are foolish, gain understanding.”
These verses are Wisdom’s call to all of humanity…with the basic purpose of wisdom described in Proverbs 1:4-5, “For giving prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young – let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance.” But why do we need wisdom? Simple, because our hearts can be easily deceived, and a deluded heart will certainly mislead us.(Isaiah 44:20) So how do we start to obtain wisdom? Easy, Proverbs 1:7 tells us that, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge…” And James 1:5 goes on to add, “If any of you lack wisdom ask, for the Lord gives wisdom and from His mouth comes knowledge and understanding.” Wisdom is calling today, and if you’re like me, you could definitely use an extra measure of insight, discernment, and common sense in order to navigate through the mountains of information we’re being bombarded with right now.
Psalm 33:4 ” For the word of the Lord is right and true; He is faithful in all He does.”
This morning I was reading a very insightful blog from a dear friend about truth. Her Website is called Cantstealmyjoy.com by author Bekah Bowman, and the title of the blog was “Put on Truth.” But how difficult has it become now a days to discern truth, especially in these past chaotic months of the COVID 19 pandemic and world-wide protests? The voices are very loud, coming at us from all sides, each claiming to hold the truth…but who do we believe? As Bekah’s blog points out, we need to go back to the foundational truths of God, and that means getting back into His word. For without knowing His revealed word, we are left open and vulnerable to confusion and deception. But when we have a solid knowledge of God’s word, the outside noise isn’t nearly as loud, for we have the certainty and trustworthiness of the emphatic word of God to guide us. Or as Psalm 25:10 says, “All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of His covenant.” So, if you’re searching for the truth today amidst all those voices vying for your attention… first start in the bedrock of God’s word, the Bible, to learn for yourself what is genuine and true.
Psalm 84:10 ” Better is one day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.”
The Writer of this Psalm had made a well thought out choice…a choice that had eternal consequences attached to it. I choose Godliness over godlessness, righteousness over lawlessness, and selflessness over selfishness. But too many Christians today want it both ways. It’s called being double-minded or lukewarm Christianity…of embracing equally the ways of God and the ways of the world. But we can’t have it both ways, for II Timothy 3:1-5 warns us, “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God – having a form of godliness but denying its power.” We can no longer get away with just having the “appearance” of being a Christian…choices need to be made.
Genesis 12:1 ” The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.’ “
The beginning of any journey begins with that first step…but you have to be willing to move! In this verse God told Abraham to take that first step, and it was a big one. For not only did God want him to leave his homeland, relatives, and everything he was comfortable and used to, but he had to leave not having any idea where he was going. Many times throughout our life God’s call will involve stepping out into the unknown…of taking that proverbial leap of faith, and trusting that God will be there to lead the way.
James 3:9 ” With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness.”
James writes about attempting to tame the tongue…but the tongue is more powerful than we have the ability to control it. And here in this verse he gives the example of just how careless our tongue can be. One minute we can be praising God…and with the next breath we can be speaking harshly and wishing evil against a brother or sister. How can this be possible? I’ll give you a little analogy. Say I’m going to make potato salad, so I place potatoes and eggs in a pot of cold water and place it on the stove. Over the course of 15-20 minutes they cook together in that pot of simmering water…but the potatoes soften while the eggs harden. Same pot, same water, but out came two different responses…one tender, one hard.
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