Hello my brothers and sisters in Christ. I hope this day finds you rejoicing in the redemption of our Lord.
I have to be honest, I have been really struggling to figure out how to present these verses in a series as I shared with you that I was lead to do. I struggle with staying focused at times, and far too often I allow the stresses of this world to get in the way of what I should be doing. As a matter of fact today I evaluated myself and determined that I am far too lukewarm with my life and approach to Christ. Once again I have the book Crazy Love to thank for getting me to truly think, evaluate and study in a way I have not been challenged to do in a long time. But that is not what this blog will be about. We are continuing in our study of Isaiah 1.
As you may remember when we left off we had determined that God was quite angry with how Israel had become, and that today is no different. I hope you have had several chances to read those verses and really study upon them. In verse 7 He says “your country is desolate....” and that “right before you, laid waste as when overthrown by strangers”. I sometimes look at my government and wonder if strangers are actually leading our country. None follow through on their promises and often they make laws that go against the majority of people, and often against the constitution. We live in fear of terrorism and uncertainty. As scary as the picture is that Isaiah paints, what is more scary is God’s thoughts of the church. In verse 11 “The multitude of your sacrifices – what are they to me? Says the LORD.” That is not a question to be taken lightly. Think about it. Are we truly living up to the call of Christ? Are we uncomfortable in this world? Or do we have the luxury of a comfortable life and religion? 11 continues “I have more than enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. 12 When you come to appear before me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of my courts? 13 Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations – I cannot bear your evil assemblies. 14 Your New Moon festivals and your appointed feast my soul hates. They have become a burden to me. I am weary of bearing them. 15 When you spread our your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood;”
Wow. I say that as humbly as I possibly can, wow. When you read that do you see our church of today being any different? How many people in church are there every Sunday, yet if you didn’t see them on Sunday in church you would never know they were Christians? Worst yet, are you one of those people? Don’t get offended by the question, instead embrace it. The truth is, if you are then you need to know so you can repent and do what you need to in order to get right with God. But seriously, is that not the state of our church today? What I believe God is saying here is “I have had enough show, I have had enough pious prayer, ceremonies, everyone standing, kneeling and singing on cue. I have had enough of being only practiced in Church, enough of being reduced to rituals and works. I have had enough of faithful outsides and evils hearts. I have had enough!” It could possibly be even further concluded with “Either get real or get out!” I don’t know about you, but growing up my brothers and sister always knew when we had really gotten Mom mad. If she was aggravated she would yell. If being pushed she might slam something on the table. But when she had reached her limit, her line in the sand, she would loudly exclaim “I have had enough!” When we heard that you would see four children running in four different directions, praying we were not the one she chose to chase down for the first spanking. It was always the hardest. If you were lucky enough to be last, she was tired and it didn’t sting as much. This is the same feeling I get when I read these verses. The same image comes to mind, but I also know that God won’t tire as my mother did when He issues His punishment. When you read those verses did you get a similar feeling, image, anything? I hope so, because if you did, then you are being blessed with God’s word speaking to you.
God does not stand for being second, and He also won’t stand for being watered down. But He is also a God of grace and mercy and He doesn’t end there. Verse 16 “wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop doing wrong, 17 learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow. 18 Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD...”. Wash and make yourselves clean. That is all we have to do to remove ourselves from God’s wrath. Wash and make yourselves clean, 5 simple words when you think of it. After all how do we wash and make ourselves clean? Through the blood of Christ, which God himself provides. Stop doing wrong. Hmm, okay I will admit, that one isn’t as easy, but that is only because we don’t submit ourselves to God to do it for us. I am just as guilty of that, and I am constantly being reminded of things in which I need to surrender. But doesn’t that just speak of God’s love and desire for us that he would not only scold us, but then tell us what we need to do, then do it for us? Read that sentence again. If you need to, read it a third time. I know when my mother got finished with us, it would often times, be followed by a time out, so that she could calm down. But, God doesn’t even put a period on the sentence. He instead goes right into how to fix it. I don’t know about you, but it scares me to the core to think God would stop listening to my prayers (v15) I can’t think of any self indulgence on earth that is worth that. I guess that is why it touched my heart so deeply when He took the time to show me the way back to Him.
I love how God says “come now, lets reason together,” I love how He invites me to Him, how He takes an active role in teaching me. He doesn’t just say “Now stop it or else!” No, He says “Now this is enough foolishness, come here and lets talk, let me help you.” Now don’t confuse that with an invitation to negotiate terms, for it is not. There is no more room for you to negotiate your terms with God then there is for your 3 year old to negotiate with you. This is a teaching moment, and explanation of sorts. He continues “... Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow, though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. 19 If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the lands; 20 but if you resist and rebel you will be devoured by the sword.” For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” There is nothing I can say that will offer a more plain explanation. Close your eyes and just imagine yourself on your Father’s lap, His arms around you, and read those words again.
May God richly bless you as you seek Him,
Ady
Friday, May 29, 2009
Isaiah 1:1-20 part one
Hello my brothers and sisters in Christ, may His peace be upon you,
I am going to try something a little different. I decided to read Isaiah 1 today because of one verse that was used on a program I watch. I guess you could say I was lead to this chapter. The more I read of it, the more it resinated in me. I see today in this chapter and I feel compelled to just sit here and ponder God’s word. Sometimes I am guilty of reading too fast, missing what lesson God held for me. I almost did that today. I went to Isaiah 1:19, the verse that my program used, because it seemed to show a way to earn God’s provisions. And, as some of you already know, we are struggling financially, so if this verse held promise to relieve that then I wanted it. To my surprise God would not let me just claim that verse, I was compelled to read the chapter from the beginning. When I had finished with verse 20 I was throughly convicted. Here I am trying to find a nugget for my bank account, and the rest of the chapter dealt with the state of my heart. That sometimes happens when we only hang on to one or two verses and neglect to read the whole thing to find the context. Was my program misleading, did they get the verse wrong? Nope, they were right, however, there were things that the verse was conditional upon, more important things then our wallets. So my next few blogs are going to be rooted in Isaiah 1-20. I am not going to post all of the verses, at least at this point I don’t believe I am. Therefore, if possible, I would strongly recommend you to read through it in its entirety. See what God speaks to your heart. I know that I would love to hear about them.
Isaiah 1 is speaking to the kingdom of Judah, which at the time was struggling with moral corruption. Sound familiar? “Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth! For the LORD has spoken:” (verse 2) I don’t know if you know this or not, but whenever you see LORD, all capitals, it is representing the name Jehovah, or Jah, Yahweh, it represents the name that God told Moses, it is the I AM THAT I AM. Once I learned this, I really began to take note of it when I saw it. So what Isaiah is saying to the people of Judah is ‘these are the words of God All Mighty, His words’. I know that the entire Bible is God inspired. (2 Timothy 3:16) Yet, it still makes me sit at attention and really tune my ear in when I read LORD. Okay, getting back on track. Isaiah is really stressing that we need to hear, truly hear, what he is about to say. He continues with “I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against Me; the ox knows its owner and the donkey its master’s crip; but Israel does not know; My people do not consider.” (Verses 2-3) Wow! I was stunned at that point, for God was talking directly to me. I am one of His children and He is absolutely right. So often we go about things our own way. He has created me, fed me, nourished me, taught me, and I still did things my way. To top it off, today, I was selfishly going to Him for an allowance. Worst off, I am not alone. Quickly my attention left me and was drawn to the world. We live in a corrupt world, with many not even recognizing God’s existence. We aren’t even as wise as the animals who at least recognize their Master. We are rebelling against him daily. Often neglecting His council. And, in some cases Denying Him.
As I mentioned earlier today’s reading left me convicted, realizing that I need to do a better job listening to my Master. As a mater of fact today was the first day that I called Him by that name. Just hearing Master flowing from my lips to God caused my heart to leap. It was like it was screaming out “Finally, Finally she gets it”. Like it was my souls desire to just admit that I was indeed His, and He my Master. Now, I just want to say it again and again. LOL. Master.
I read on to verse 4 “Alas, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, Children who are corrupters!...” Ouch. He sounds upset doesn’t He? Again, do you see today in those words? I do, it is like it was leaping out of the book into my present world. These words are just as relevant to us as they were to the citizens of Israel. “... They have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked to anger the Holy One of Israel, they have turned away backward.” (Verse 4 continued) At this point, I didn’t have to think on anything, His words were and are crystal clear. They are spoken to us, this day in history, and will continue to speak to history as long as we continue to falsely believe that we have any right to live life our way. I have heard it said before, but today it really hit home. People turn away from God, because they just don’t want to admit that they are not in control. It is hard to relinquish control. It is hard to call someone Master, admitting that you are less of a person, less important then Him, and not at all what it is about. It goes against everything our flesh cries out for. If you don’t believe me give it a try. Try calling God Master, from the heart, recognizing all the implications of what you are saying. It wont be quite as easy as you might think. Then again, for you it may be very easy, you may have already crossed this bridge and are just smiling as you welcome me to the other side. But, if by chance you are like me. Saved, serving, praying, trusting, struggling, and trying to just become better with each passing day, then give it a shot. Call out to God, repenting for being so darn stubborn and willing to serve even if He asks you to go to the Nineveh of your heart.
I am going to stop here for today. I am still heart broken over just how His children are behaving and running the world. Still convicted for my part in it all. I look forward to continuing with you tomorrow.
May God richly bless you as you seek Him,
Ady
I am going to try something a little different. I decided to read Isaiah 1 today because of one verse that was used on a program I watch. I guess you could say I was lead to this chapter. The more I read of it, the more it resinated in me. I see today in this chapter and I feel compelled to just sit here and ponder God’s word. Sometimes I am guilty of reading too fast, missing what lesson God held for me. I almost did that today. I went to Isaiah 1:19, the verse that my program used, because it seemed to show a way to earn God’s provisions. And, as some of you already know, we are struggling financially, so if this verse held promise to relieve that then I wanted it. To my surprise God would not let me just claim that verse, I was compelled to read the chapter from the beginning. When I had finished with verse 20 I was throughly convicted. Here I am trying to find a nugget for my bank account, and the rest of the chapter dealt with the state of my heart. That sometimes happens when we only hang on to one or two verses and neglect to read the whole thing to find the context. Was my program misleading, did they get the verse wrong? Nope, they were right, however, there were things that the verse was conditional upon, more important things then our wallets. So my next few blogs are going to be rooted in Isaiah 1-20. I am not going to post all of the verses, at least at this point I don’t believe I am. Therefore, if possible, I would strongly recommend you to read through it in its entirety. See what God speaks to your heart. I know that I would love to hear about them.
Isaiah 1 is speaking to the kingdom of Judah, which at the time was struggling with moral corruption. Sound familiar? “Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth! For the LORD has spoken:” (verse 2) I don’t know if you know this or not, but whenever you see LORD, all capitals, it is representing the name Jehovah, or Jah, Yahweh, it represents the name that God told Moses, it is the I AM THAT I AM. Once I learned this, I really began to take note of it when I saw it. So what Isaiah is saying to the people of Judah is ‘these are the words of God All Mighty, His words’. I know that the entire Bible is God inspired. (2 Timothy 3:16) Yet, it still makes me sit at attention and really tune my ear in when I read LORD. Okay, getting back on track. Isaiah is really stressing that we need to hear, truly hear, what he is about to say. He continues with “I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against Me; the ox knows its owner and the donkey its master’s crip; but Israel does not know; My people do not consider.” (Verses 2-3) Wow! I was stunned at that point, for God was talking directly to me. I am one of His children and He is absolutely right. So often we go about things our own way. He has created me, fed me, nourished me, taught me, and I still did things my way. To top it off, today, I was selfishly going to Him for an allowance. Worst off, I am not alone. Quickly my attention left me and was drawn to the world. We live in a corrupt world, with many not even recognizing God’s existence. We aren’t even as wise as the animals who at least recognize their Master. We are rebelling against him daily. Often neglecting His council. And, in some cases Denying Him.
As I mentioned earlier today’s reading left me convicted, realizing that I need to do a better job listening to my Master. As a mater of fact today was the first day that I called Him by that name. Just hearing Master flowing from my lips to God caused my heart to leap. It was like it was screaming out “Finally, Finally she gets it”. Like it was my souls desire to just admit that I was indeed His, and He my Master. Now, I just want to say it again and again. LOL. Master.
I read on to verse 4 “Alas, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, Children who are corrupters!...” Ouch. He sounds upset doesn’t He? Again, do you see today in those words? I do, it is like it was leaping out of the book into my present world. These words are just as relevant to us as they were to the citizens of Israel. “... They have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked to anger the Holy One of Israel, they have turned away backward.” (Verse 4 continued) At this point, I didn’t have to think on anything, His words were and are crystal clear. They are spoken to us, this day in history, and will continue to speak to history as long as we continue to falsely believe that we have any right to live life our way. I have heard it said before, but today it really hit home. People turn away from God, because they just don’t want to admit that they are not in control. It is hard to relinquish control. It is hard to call someone Master, admitting that you are less of a person, less important then Him, and not at all what it is about. It goes against everything our flesh cries out for. If you don’t believe me give it a try. Try calling God Master, from the heart, recognizing all the implications of what you are saying. It wont be quite as easy as you might think. Then again, for you it may be very easy, you may have already crossed this bridge and are just smiling as you welcome me to the other side. But, if by chance you are like me. Saved, serving, praying, trusting, struggling, and trying to just become better with each passing day, then give it a shot. Call out to God, repenting for being so darn stubborn and willing to serve even if He asks you to go to the Nineveh of your heart.
I am going to stop here for today. I am still heart broken over just how His children are behaving and running the world. Still convicted for my part in it all. I look forward to continuing with you tomorrow.
May God richly bless you as you seek Him,
Ady
Crazy Love
I want to discuss with you a book that I am currently reading, it is Crazy Love and you can check it out at www.crazylovebook.com . I mention this because if you are like me, wondering if there is more to our Christian walk then this, then this is a book for you. I am only 38 pages into it, mostly because I can't get further then just a few pages when I have to put it down and truly evaluate my heart and mind. Sometimes I wonder if I have ever truly known and worshipped God with the acknowledgement of who He really is. It alternates between reading the book, watching a video, and a lot of time, and I mean a LOT of time, evaluating God and how you think of Him. With this introduction made, I have to share with you some of these question. Ask yourself these question, honestly.
Who is God? We know in Exodus that God tells Moses his name is "I AM THAT I AM" in Hebrew it is YHWH (we pronounce it Yahweh) It is the most holy word in the Jewish language, One they take very seriously. Do we? When we say God do we crouch down, humble ourselves, knowing that we are nothing compared to Him? This is a God who made over 3 billion galaxies, made a caterpillar with over 200 muscles in its head alone, made crickets with the ability to produce music that breaks through our brick homes with only 2 legs less then an inch long, He made hair with the ability of growing, He MADE EVERYTHING, including us. He SEES everything, even our secret sin. He KNOWS everything, even the depths of our hearts. He is magnitude personified (so to speak, He is not merely personified), yet we barely see past the ends of our noses or beyond our own circumstances. When we pray, when we speak to God, when we worship Him, do we really acknowledge who HE IS? I don't think we do, as a matter of fact I am almost positive we don't. Francis Chan in this book actually started off by telling us to stop praying. I was stunned when I read that, almost offended, until I read on. Then I found out why. He proposes that we don't pray TO God anymore, that more often then not we talk AT God. I had to stop and think on that one, and I found him to be correct. Our prayers are so consumed with our needs, our desires, our interpretation of what is important, and rarely accompanied with praise of exactly who HE IS. Does this mean that we shouldn't bother God with what we need? No, of course not. He tells us to go to Him for everything. But when you pray, do you spend a majority of your time thanking God for His creation and gifts, do you speak of how amazed and marveled you are at Him and what He has done, or do you give him thanks then get right down to the nitty gritty? It is no different then when you give your child a gift and you immediately get a response of, "that isn't the color I wanted" or "Thanks Mom and Dad, I love it. Can I have _____ now?" It irritates us when our children take for granted that we spent all day cleaning their rooms, washing their cloths, cooking their favorite meal only to be bombarded with "you never let me _____" or my personal favorite "you never give me anything I want." That response is usually followed by me taking them to the basement to either bag up and throw away all the "nothings" I have given them, or asking them to find the "nothing" in this room. How are we different with our approach towards God? We are minuscule compared to God, we are inherently evil trying to praise ourselves for passing up the "big" sins, and only stumbling upon the "little" sins. Jesus even told us "If you who are evil can give good gifts to your children, how much better is your Father's, who is in heaven, gifts" Do we honestly treat God with the same regard we expect from our children? Think about that for a moment, because I believe that on most days we don't, and what is worst, He doesn't deserve the same regard from us as we do from our children, He DESERVES MORE.
For the past 2 days I have truly been trying to see everything in nature, hear everything in nature, get more familiar with all of the Creation my God created. I counted the stars and though about Abraham and wondered if it amazed him to count the stars trying to figure out how many his descendants would be. I ask God if it was something Abraham ever really comprehended. I giggled as I marveled at it, and funnier yet, every time I would count an area, as I stared at the area I kept finding more and more stars. It was almost like God was expanding my eyes, my mind to see more. I was listening to the crickets, truly contemplating the fact that a tiny bug makes that much noise, then I remember the verse that stated that even the rocks cry out to God. It got to the point that I was getting irritated when a car drove past and interrupted the sounds of nature. Then I had to remember to be slow to anger. I didn't ask for anything. I didn't verbalize how afraid I was of our situation. I just looked and listened and asked God to forgive me and reveal Himself to me more. I learned that my mind is very unfocused and I was struggling to not let my mind wander off to "my little world and world view". Do I think that makes me better? Not on your life, if anything it makes me feel like I have been a pompous fool for most of my life. But what an experience. I wish that I could have focused my mind better, seen and heard even more, really gotten closer to God, rediscovering his magnitude. But then again, that is why He gives us the gift of another day, another chance, another opportunity.
Now, I want to challenge you to do the same. Just one time, forget your troubles, forget your petitions, and just try to look at the world around you and see if you can indeed see God in all of creation. He says we can. Worst case scenario is you end up praying twice instead of once. Once to just seek God and once to ask Him to meet your needs.
May God richly bless you as you seek Him
Ady
Who is God? We know in Exodus that God tells Moses his name is "I AM THAT I AM" in Hebrew it is YHWH (we pronounce it Yahweh) It is the most holy word in the Jewish language, One they take very seriously. Do we? When we say God do we crouch down, humble ourselves, knowing that we are nothing compared to Him? This is a God who made over 3 billion galaxies, made a caterpillar with over 200 muscles in its head alone, made crickets with the ability to produce music that breaks through our brick homes with only 2 legs less then an inch long, He made hair with the ability of growing, He MADE EVERYTHING, including us. He SEES everything, even our secret sin. He KNOWS everything, even the depths of our hearts. He is magnitude personified (so to speak, He is not merely personified), yet we barely see past the ends of our noses or beyond our own circumstances. When we pray, when we speak to God, when we worship Him, do we really acknowledge who HE IS? I don't think we do, as a matter of fact I am almost positive we don't. Francis Chan in this book actually started off by telling us to stop praying. I was stunned when I read that, almost offended, until I read on. Then I found out why. He proposes that we don't pray TO God anymore, that more often then not we talk AT God. I had to stop and think on that one, and I found him to be correct. Our prayers are so consumed with our needs, our desires, our interpretation of what is important, and rarely accompanied with praise of exactly who HE IS. Does this mean that we shouldn't bother God with what we need? No, of course not. He tells us to go to Him for everything. But when you pray, do you spend a majority of your time thanking God for His creation and gifts, do you speak of how amazed and marveled you are at Him and what He has done, or do you give him thanks then get right down to the nitty gritty? It is no different then when you give your child a gift and you immediately get a response of, "that isn't the color I wanted" or "Thanks Mom and Dad, I love it. Can I have _____ now?" It irritates us when our children take for granted that we spent all day cleaning their rooms, washing their cloths, cooking their favorite meal only to be bombarded with "you never let me _____" or my personal favorite "you never give me anything I want." That response is usually followed by me taking them to the basement to either bag up and throw away all the "nothings" I have given them, or asking them to find the "nothing" in this room. How are we different with our approach towards God? We are minuscule compared to God, we are inherently evil trying to praise ourselves for passing up the "big" sins, and only stumbling upon the "little" sins. Jesus even told us "If you who are evil can give good gifts to your children, how much better is your Father's, who is in heaven, gifts" Do we honestly treat God with the same regard we expect from our children? Think about that for a moment, because I believe that on most days we don't, and what is worst, He doesn't deserve the same regard from us as we do from our children, He DESERVES MORE.
For the past 2 days I have truly been trying to see everything in nature, hear everything in nature, get more familiar with all of the Creation my God created. I counted the stars and though about Abraham and wondered if it amazed him to count the stars trying to figure out how many his descendants would be. I ask God if it was something Abraham ever really comprehended. I giggled as I marveled at it, and funnier yet, every time I would count an area, as I stared at the area I kept finding more and more stars. It was almost like God was expanding my eyes, my mind to see more. I was listening to the crickets, truly contemplating the fact that a tiny bug makes that much noise, then I remember the verse that stated that even the rocks cry out to God. It got to the point that I was getting irritated when a car drove past and interrupted the sounds of nature. Then I had to remember to be slow to anger. I didn't ask for anything. I didn't verbalize how afraid I was of our situation. I just looked and listened and asked God to forgive me and reveal Himself to me more. I learned that my mind is very unfocused and I was struggling to not let my mind wander off to "my little world and world view". Do I think that makes me better? Not on your life, if anything it makes me feel like I have been a pompous fool for most of my life. But what an experience. I wish that I could have focused my mind better, seen and heard even more, really gotten closer to God, rediscovering his magnitude. But then again, that is why He gives us the gift of another day, another chance, another opportunity.
Now, I want to challenge you to do the same. Just one time, forget your troubles, forget your petitions, and just try to look at the world around you and see if you can indeed see God in all of creation. He says we can. Worst case scenario is you end up praying twice instead of once. Once to just seek God and once to ask Him to meet your needs.
May God richly bless you as you seek Him
Ady
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