Rindy's Devotional Tidbits
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The Spiritual Cafe is pleased to share her daily facebook thoughts. It is our hope that her reflections will be a service to you on your spiritual growth journey.
Week 10 Archives
Year 5; Day 64 For I Tell You the Truth
I did not have a clear thought for today's post as I got ready to read my Bible last night. Before I opened it I thought about a video clip I watched on Facebook a few days ago. It showed a man with a boy's bike that had a seat on the back fender. He was on a path or road that was next to a good size ditch of water. A woman was with him. As he held the bike, she sat side-saddle on the back of the bike with her back to the ditch. As the man pushed the bike forward, he swung his leg up and over to mount the bike neatly knocking the woman over backwards into the ditch of water. As she fell, the bike tipped and he fell in also. The two sat in the ditch soaked, she splashing him in disgust. It was comical and no one was hurt. Afterwards, I wondered if it were staged or true. How is it someone happened to be videoing this couple just as this happened? It wasn't a race. No one else was around. It tainted my enjoyment of the clip a bit, thinking it was staged. Sometimes it is hard to tell what is real and what is fake...what is truth and what is a lie...what naturally happened and what was set up or rigged to manipulate your thinking. I have found I have become more suspicious of the news media. Not in particular but in general. Are any of them really interested in telling "the news" as in facts or is it all told with a slant, a bias, an opinion? Do they add in, leave out, turn around, and mix up "the news" to suit an agenda? I find myself questioning and doubting everything from networks to social media to photographs (real or photoshopped ??) and everything in between in their ability and desire to tell "the truth". With these thoughts rolling around in my mind, I opened my Bible to where I had left off in Matthew (which I hadn't been reading in since last week). What verse am I starting with? "For I tell you the truth..." (Matthew 13:17) I had to laugh to myself. It couldn't have been more on point if it had been staged...and it wasn't...and I did not remember where I had left off. But God knew. Numerous times in the Gospels Christ prefaces His words with the assurance of His divine authority "I tell you the truth". His facts are true, His motive is love, and His agenda is reconciliation with the Father for all. He doesn't need approval. He is not concerned with ratings. His message doesn't change to allow for trends, social acceptance, or so called cultural values. In a world of situational everything we can turn to God's Word and find "the truth". Today is Sunday. Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)
I did not have a clear thought for today's post as I got ready to read my Bible last night. Before I opened it I thought about a video clip I watched on Facebook a few days ago. It showed a man with a boy's bike that had a seat on the back fender. He was on a path or road that was next to a good size ditch of water. A woman was with him. As he held the bike, she sat side-saddle on the back of the bike with her back to the ditch. As the man pushed the bike forward, he swung his leg up and over to mount the bike neatly knocking the woman over backwards into the ditch of water. As she fell, the bike tipped and he fell in also. The two sat in the ditch soaked, she splashing him in disgust. It was comical and no one was hurt. Afterwards, I wondered if it were staged or true. How is it someone happened to be videoing this couple just as this happened? It wasn't a race. No one else was around. It tainted my enjoyment of the clip a bit, thinking it was staged. Sometimes it is hard to tell what is real and what is fake...what is truth and what is a lie...what naturally happened and what was set up or rigged to manipulate your thinking. I have found I have become more suspicious of the news media. Not in particular but in general. Are any of them really interested in telling "the news" as in facts or is it all told with a slant, a bias, an opinion? Do they add in, leave out, turn around, and mix up "the news" to suit an agenda? I find myself questioning and doubting everything from networks to social media to photographs (real or photoshopped ??) and everything in between in their ability and desire to tell "the truth". With these thoughts rolling around in my mind, I opened my Bible to where I had left off in Matthew (which I hadn't been reading in since last week). What verse am I starting with? "For I tell you the truth..." (Matthew 13:17) I had to laugh to myself. It couldn't have been more on point if it had been staged...and it wasn't...and I did not remember where I had left off. But God knew. Numerous times in the Gospels Christ prefaces His words with the assurance of His divine authority "I tell you the truth". His facts are true, His motive is love, and His agenda is reconciliation with the Father for all. He doesn't need approval. He is not concerned with ratings. His message doesn't change to allow for trends, social acceptance, or so called cultural values. In a world of situational everything we can turn to God's Word and find "the truth". Today is Sunday. Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)
Year 5; Day 65 Deep Calls Out
Yesterday morning we sang a chorus that had a line in it that said, "Deep cries out to deep". I know that it is a line from Psalms and I have read it before but I didn't know exactly where it was located or exactly what it meant. As we sang the chorus and sang the words, I had a thought come to me. And I think it came to me in part because our Bible study "Breaking Free" by Beth Moore has so emphasized how much we are loved by God and how He longs for us to be free from whatever holds us back. God has the resources...all the resources needed to meet our needs and set us free. The verse is found in Psalm 42. The writer is oppressed and discouraged and downcast. "Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me." (verse 7) Sometimes life can be overwhelming. We are not talking about stepping in a few nuisance mud puddles. This is floodwaters of emotion and life-drowning experiences and discouragement. Deep cries out to deep. Deep pain cries out to deep healing. A band-aid won't do and neither will a pat on the back. Deep sorrow cries out to deep comfort. Comfort from one who has been there...from one who has gone through what you are going through. Deep confusion cries out to deep wisdom. Human wisdom is so...human. It doesn't foresee all the possibilities or consequences. It is limited and often flawed. Deep injustice cries out to deep justice. Not vengeful or spiteful but consistent and appropriate and fitting. Deep trouble cries out to deep solutions. Not superficial or temporary but rather effective and sustaining. Deep sin cries out to deep forgiveness. Forgiveness that brings cleansing and rebirth to a heart that is truly repentant. Deep despair cries out to deep hope. Hope that has a sure foundation, that is eternal, that is anchored to an immoveable rock. There is only One who can answer all our cries from the deep. There is only One who has the depth, the resources, and the desire to answer our deepest cries...our deepest needs...our deepest troubles...our deepest heartaches. And that is God through His Son, Jesus. Today is Monday. Do not be afraid. Nothing is too deep for Him.
Yesterday morning we sang a chorus that had a line in it that said, "Deep cries out to deep". I know that it is a line from Psalms and I have read it before but I didn't know exactly where it was located or exactly what it meant. As we sang the chorus and sang the words, I had a thought come to me. And I think it came to me in part because our Bible study "Breaking Free" by Beth Moore has so emphasized how much we are loved by God and how He longs for us to be free from whatever holds us back. God has the resources...all the resources needed to meet our needs and set us free. The verse is found in Psalm 42. The writer is oppressed and discouraged and downcast. "Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me." (verse 7) Sometimes life can be overwhelming. We are not talking about stepping in a few nuisance mud puddles. This is floodwaters of emotion and life-drowning experiences and discouragement. Deep cries out to deep. Deep pain cries out to deep healing. A band-aid won't do and neither will a pat on the back. Deep sorrow cries out to deep comfort. Comfort from one who has been there...from one who has gone through what you are going through. Deep confusion cries out to deep wisdom. Human wisdom is so...human. It doesn't foresee all the possibilities or consequences. It is limited and often flawed. Deep injustice cries out to deep justice. Not vengeful or spiteful but consistent and appropriate and fitting. Deep trouble cries out to deep solutions. Not superficial or temporary but rather effective and sustaining. Deep sin cries out to deep forgiveness. Forgiveness that brings cleansing and rebirth to a heart that is truly repentant. Deep despair cries out to deep hope. Hope that has a sure foundation, that is eternal, that is anchored to an immoveable rock. There is only One who can answer all our cries from the deep. There is only One who has the depth, the resources, and the desire to answer our deepest cries...our deepest needs...our deepest troubles...our deepest heartaches. And that is God through His Son, Jesus. Today is Monday. Do not be afraid. Nothing is too deep for Him.
Year 5; Day 66 Marked by God
I wonder if we will be held more accountable in proportion to the number of times we hear a message on a particular passage of Scripture. It is easy to kind of glaze over when we know a reference is one we have heard before. But being familiar with some verses is not the same as applying them to our lives. It is not the same as allowing them to instruct us, convict us, and change us. Pastor made a comment last Sunday morning that I have never heard before. He said, "Too many of us mark our Bibles but don't allow our Bibles to mark us." I underline verses in my Bible that carry special meaning for me. I put stars by some, dates by others, and jot notes in the margins. But do I allow it to mark me? Do I read it and allow the Holy Spirit to take a verse and point out where I need to be corrected or changed? Do I read Scripture more as a mirror of how I should be? Or do I use it more as a flashlight to show others how they are suppose to be? I can read a verse and see people who so clearly need to apply it to their lives. It is so obvious and I am quite good at it...applying verses to other people's lives. Shining a mental flashlight and saying, "See, this is you." And sharing Scripture is not wrong. It can be encouraging and helpful. But I/we should be more focussed on the mirror aspect. Is a particular verse reflected in my life? When I look at myself, do I see the Scriptures at work adjusting and affecting and changing the image in the mirror. Over time my physical reflection in the mirror has changed. My hair is grayer, my complexion is getting spotty, and there are bags under my eyes. I am aging. Whatever looks I had are not getting better. Spiritual aging is just the opposite. The longer we walk with Christ, the more like Him we should be, the better we should look. How? We should be more relaxed, more trusting, less stressed, more joyful, more fulfilled, and more content. Lots of "mores". And that comes with allowing the Bible to mark us. It comes from allowing the principles and promises of God's Word to mold us and shape us. It comes from using the Scriptures as a mirror to change us into becoming more like Christ rather than as a flashlight to point out the faults of others. Today is Tuesday. "Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you." (James 1:21) And in saving us He changes us and marks us as His own...if we allow Him to.
I wonder if we will be held more accountable in proportion to the number of times we hear a message on a particular passage of Scripture. It is easy to kind of glaze over when we know a reference is one we have heard before. But being familiar with some verses is not the same as applying them to our lives. It is not the same as allowing them to instruct us, convict us, and change us. Pastor made a comment last Sunday morning that I have never heard before. He said, "Too many of us mark our Bibles but don't allow our Bibles to mark us." I underline verses in my Bible that carry special meaning for me. I put stars by some, dates by others, and jot notes in the margins. But do I allow it to mark me? Do I read it and allow the Holy Spirit to take a verse and point out where I need to be corrected or changed? Do I read Scripture more as a mirror of how I should be? Or do I use it more as a flashlight to show others how they are suppose to be? I can read a verse and see people who so clearly need to apply it to their lives. It is so obvious and I am quite good at it...applying verses to other people's lives. Shining a mental flashlight and saying, "See, this is you." And sharing Scripture is not wrong. It can be encouraging and helpful. But I/we should be more focussed on the mirror aspect. Is a particular verse reflected in my life? When I look at myself, do I see the Scriptures at work adjusting and affecting and changing the image in the mirror. Over time my physical reflection in the mirror has changed. My hair is grayer, my complexion is getting spotty, and there are bags under my eyes. I am aging. Whatever looks I had are not getting better. Spiritual aging is just the opposite. The longer we walk with Christ, the more like Him we should be, the better we should look. How? We should be more relaxed, more trusting, less stressed, more joyful, more fulfilled, and more content. Lots of "mores". And that comes with allowing the Bible to mark us. It comes from allowing the principles and promises of God's Word to mold us and shape us. It comes from using the Scriptures as a mirror to change us into becoming more like Christ rather than as a flashlight to point out the faults of others. Today is Tuesday. "Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you." (James 1:21) And in saving us He changes us and marks us as His own...if we allow Him to.
Year 5, Day 67
I read a story in the Guideposts magazine earlier the week. It was about a family who was on vacation in the Caribbean. The son went for a kayak paddle at sunset by himself. He tipped over in the kayak and when he righted, his paddles had drifted away. The wind came up and he had to cling to the sides to keep from overturning again. He had no supplies with him such as food, water, or flares. He spent 15 hours floating helplessly on the ocean before he was rescued. In realizing he might die, the young fellow prayed and expressed the thought to God that he really wasn't the man he had hoped to be before his life on Earth was over. Most of the time people pray not to die and promise all kinds of things if God intervenes. This young man wasn't worried about his soul, he knew Christ as his Saviour. His regret was that he might not have the time to grow and mature in his faith like he had hoped. I was touched by his concern and desire. Do we think about trying to become all we can in Christ before our time is up? Is it foremost in our minds to try and live a life that fulfills the plans and purposes God has for us? That reflects Christ within? Do we think about standing before God and actually giving an accounting for all our words and deeds? This young fellow regretted that he might not have more time to grow in service and faith to God. He didn't regret poor choices or misdeeds or wasted opportunities. He didn't beg for more time to right wrongs or mend relationships or redo certain situations. He just regretted not having more time to become more like Christ...to have done more for Him. It is easy to slide along in our faith...to kind of go with the flow...slip into a routine...be content with what we know and what we have done... become more passive as we get older. I thought this fellow's attitude was quite remarkable for one so young and worth emulating. Right up until God calls us home, it should be our desire to keep on growing and becoming and doing all that He has in store for us. Because we are the only ones who limit what God can do in and through our lives. Today is Wednesday. No matter our age, we are to, "Do your best to present yourselves to God as one approved; a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15)
I read a story in the Guideposts magazine earlier the week. It was about a family who was on vacation in the Caribbean. The son went for a kayak paddle at sunset by himself. He tipped over in the kayak and when he righted, his paddles had drifted away. The wind came up and he had to cling to the sides to keep from overturning again. He had no supplies with him such as food, water, or flares. He spent 15 hours floating helplessly on the ocean before he was rescued. In realizing he might die, the young fellow prayed and expressed the thought to God that he really wasn't the man he had hoped to be before his life on Earth was over. Most of the time people pray not to die and promise all kinds of things if God intervenes. This young man wasn't worried about his soul, he knew Christ as his Saviour. His regret was that he might not have the time to grow and mature in his faith like he had hoped. I was touched by his concern and desire. Do we think about trying to become all we can in Christ before our time is up? Is it foremost in our minds to try and live a life that fulfills the plans and purposes God has for us? That reflects Christ within? Do we think about standing before God and actually giving an accounting for all our words and deeds? This young fellow regretted that he might not have more time to grow in service and faith to God. He didn't regret poor choices or misdeeds or wasted opportunities. He didn't beg for more time to right wrongs or mend relationships or redo certain situations. He just regretted not having more time to become more like Christ...to have done more for Him. It is easy to slide along in our faith...to kind of go with the flow...slip into a routine...be content with what we know and what we have done... become more passive as we get older. I thought this fellow's attitude was quite remarkable for one so young and worth emulating. Right up until God calls us home, it should be our desire to keep on growing and becoming and doing all that He has in store for us. Because we are the only ones who limit what God can do in and through our lives. Today is Wednesday. No matter our age, we are to, "Do your best to present yourselves to God as one approved; a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15)
Year 5; Day 68 Irritation vs Tribulation
In our Beth Moore Bible study, she made a comment that I wrote down. She said that in Western Christian culture "irritation has been redefined as tribulation". We tend to credit ourselves with suffering and going through trials when really they are irritations that we have viewed as something much larger. I could not think of a good Biblical example until this morning when I was somewhere between waking and sleeping. God clearly spoke to Jonah and told him to go to the very wicked city of Nineveh and preach a message of judgment if they didn't repent. Jonah didn't want to and so he ran away. He ran away from direct orders from God! What was he thinking? That disobedience would be ignored? That he could hide from God? That God wouldn't listen to his concerns and reassure him? But God's desire to warn Nineveh irritated Jonah. He had a sneaky suspicion that Nineveh might listen to his message of repentance and that God, in His mercy, might spare this traditional enemy of Israel. And that irritated Jonah to the point that he felt it was a request too much for God to ask. And so he hopped on a boat going in the opposite direction. A terrible storm arose that put the ship and and its crew in danger. Jonah knew he was the cause. "Pick me up and throw me into the sea...and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you." (Jonah 1:12) The men of the ship were reluctant but it came down to their lives or Jonah's so overboard he went. But God's purpose was redemption and leading Jonah back to obedience and so He had a great fish waiting to accept Jonah into his belly for a three day stay. An irritation over God's request was deemed a tribulation by Jonah...something he didn't want to do...something he didn't agree with...something he didn't think was right. And it escalated into a life-threatening storm for ship and crew and less than ideal accommodations for Jonah. It didn't need to happen. Jonah could have obeyed first and left the results with God. How many times have we allowed an irritation to morph into a tribulation...at least in our minds if not in our actions? We get asked to do something we don't want to do and before we know it we feel picked on and then it mushrooms into feeling persecuted. Or we don't get asked and then we feel neglected which becomes totally unappreciated and well, we might as well leave completely. Jonah's irritation and refusal to obey God's request found him setting off a chain of events that ended with Jonah being spewed up on shore from a fish's gut. He deemed his irritation a tribulation when all it was, was an unwillingness to obey. Today is Thursday. Do we allow our irritations to take on tribulation proportions in life...in our service to God?
In our Beth Moore Bible study, she made a comment that I wrote down. She said that in Western Christian culture "irritation has been redefined as tribulation". We tend to credit ourselves with suffering and going through trials when really they are irritations that we have viewed as something much larger. I could not think of a good Biblical example until this morning when I was somewhere between waking and sleeping. God clearly spoke to Jonah and told him to go to the very wicked city of Nineveh and preach a message of judgment if they didn't repent. Jonah didn't want to and so he ran away. He ran away from direct orders from God! What was he thinking? That disobedience would be ignored? That he could hide from God? That God wouldn't listen to his concerns and reassure him? But God's desire to warn Nineveh irritated Jonah. He had a sneaky suspicion that Nineveh might listen to his message of repentance and that God, in His mercy, might spare this traditional enemy of Israel. And that irritated Jonah to the point that he felt it was a request too much for God to ask. And so he hopped on a boat going in the opposite direction. A terrible storm arose that put the ship and and its crew in danger. Jonah knew he was the cause. "Pick me up and throw me into the sea...and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you." (Jonah 1:12) The men of the ship were reluctant but it came down to their lives or Jonah's so overboard he went. But God's purpose was redemption and leading Jonah back to obedience and so He had a great fish waiting to accept Jonah into his belly for a three day stay. An irritation over God's request was deemed a tribulation by Jonah...something he didn't want to do...something he didn't agree with...something he didn't think was right. And it escalated into a life-threatening storm for ship and crew and less than ideal accommodations for Jonah. It didn't need to happen. Jonah could have obeyed first and left the results with God. How many times have we allowed an irritation to morph into a tribulation...at least in our minds if not in our actions? We get asked to do something we don't want to do and before we know it we feel picked on and then it mushrooms into feeling persecuted. Or we don't get asked and then we feel neglected which becomes totally unappreciated and well, we might as well leave completely. Jonah's irritation and refusal to obey God's request found him setting off a chain of events that ended with Jonah being spewed up on shore from a fish's gut. He deemed his irritation a tribulation when all it was, was an unwillingness to obey. Today is Thursday. Do we allow our irritations to take on tribulation proportions in life...in our service to God?
Year 5; Day 69 Nipped in the Bud
I was thinking about yesterday's post and how easily an irritation can become so much more. And in becoming so much more, we give it the potential to have greater consequences than it ever originally deserved. The apostle Paul went on several missionary journeys planting churches and encouraging the ones already started. He and fellow worker Barnabas decided to revisit some of the towns where they had previously ministered. Barnabas wanted to take his cousin John Mark along. "But Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work." (Acts 15:38) It doesn't give a reason why John Mark left. Maybe he got homesick or he wasn't up for the task of travel and ministry of maybe he was immature. Whatever the reason, Paul didn't feel it wise to give him a second chance on this trip. Barnabas didn't agree. "They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord." (verses 39,40) They did not compromise and Barnabas did not give in about not taking John Mark (called Mark). They didn't quit. One didn't go off refusing to serve. They simply decided to separate and go in two different directions to accomplish their goals instead of doing it as a team. Paul used past experience for not wanting Mark along. Barnabas had family loyalty and perhaps more willingness to give Mark a second chance. This situation had the potential for some serious repercussions. Paul and Barnabas could have allowed their disagreement to escalate. They could have divided the home church, asked people to pick sides, and backstabbed each other. But they didn't. Instead they chose to serve separately, but still serve. Other Scriptures reveal that Paul and Barnabas met again and Mark eventually became very important to Peter and later Paul himself. Mark went on to become a mature servant for Christ and the writer of one of the Gospels. Regardless of who was right or wrong, Paul and Barnabas did not allow a sharp disagreement to hinder the bigger picture...that of reaching the lost and strengthening the young churches. The potential was there for causing great division and dissention...a tribulation no one needed. They chose not to escalate an irritation and eventually it healed over and was replaced with another worker for Christ who just took a little longer to mature. Today is Friday. Hopefully we can look at the bigger picture and nip an irritation in the bud before it becomes something much larger and more harmful.
I was thinking about yesterday's post and how easily an irritation can become so much more. And in becoming so much more, we give it the potential to have greater consequences than it ever originally deserved. The apostle Paul went on several missionary journeys planting churches and encouraging the ones already started. He and fellow worker Barnabas decided to revisit some of the towns where they had previously ministered. Barnabas wanted to take his cousin John Mark along. "But Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work." (Acts 15:38) It doesn't give a reason why John Mark left. Maybe he got homesick or he wasn't up for the task of travel and ministry of maybe he was immature. Whatever the reason, Paul didn't feel it wise to give him a second chance on this trip. Barnabas didn't agree. "They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord." (verses 39,40) They did not compromise and Barnabas did not give in about not taking John Mark (called Mark). They didn't quit. One didn't go off refusing to serve. They simply decided to separate and go in two different directions to accomplish their goals instead of doing it as a team. Paul used past experience for not wanting Mark along. Barnabas had family loyalty and perhaps more willingness to give Mark a second chance. This situation had the potential for some serious repercussions. Paul and Barnabas could have allowed their disagreement to escalate. They could have divided the home church, asked people to pick sides, and backstabbed each other. But they didn't. Instead they chose to serve separately, but still serve. Other Scriptures reveal that Paul and Barnabas met again and Mark eventually became very important to Peter and later Paul himself. Mark went on to become a mature servant for Christ and the writer of one of the Gospels. Regardless of who was right or wrong, Paul and Barnabas did not allow a sharp disagreement to hinder the bigger picture...that of reaching the lost and strengthening the young churches. The potential was there for causing great division and dissention...a tribulation no one needed. They chose not to escalate an irritation and eventually it healed over and was replaced with another worker for Christ who just took a little longer to mature. Today is Friday. Hopefully we can look at the bigger picture and nip an irritation in the bud before it becomes something much larger and more harmful.
Year 5; Day 70 Are We Willing?
I appreciate how a Bible study focuses your attention on particular passages of Scripture and asks you to park there for awhile rather than just read and move on. In Isaiah 30 we see a description of God's people in rebellion. It could just as easily be a description of the present. "These are rebellious people, deceitful children, children unwilling to listen to the Lord's instruction." (verse 9) That hardly needs explanation. Personal rebellion grows into a societal one. There is an over-all disregard for God's word (which in many denominations has been demoted to just "a good book" and one of many resources) and His instructions. We deceive ourselves if we think there aren't and won't be consequences. Isaiah goes on to say how God's people would rather hear fantasy than truth. "Give us no more visions of what is right! Tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions...and stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel!" (verses 10,11) We don't want to hear truth anymore. We want to hear what suits, what pleases, what appeals, what allows us to do what we want. And the Lord warns that there will be consequences...then and now. And this sin, this rebellion, this way of life will become "...like a high wall, cracked and bulging, that collapses suddenly, in an instant." (verse 13) Is that not what we are seeing today? The cracks and collapsing of respect, education, government, authority, the family unit, society, safety, common sense, and truth. What did and does God say to all this? Did He get utterly fed up with Israel and her constant rebellion? Did He wash His hands of her? Will He with us as a people? "Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion..." (verse 18) God "longs" after all they had done...after all we have done? He still yearns and deeply desires to be gracious...kind, and loving toward us. God is seated on His throne in heaven. He doesn't need to move, to get up and do. He only has to speak and it will be done. Yet He "rises" to show us compassion. He doesn't order the angels to do it. Isaiah gives us this powerful word picture of God caring so much that He gets up to do it Himself. Eventually His justice will demand an accounting. But not before He has given us every opportunity to come back to Him. Today is Saturday. Are we willing to listen to the Lord's instruction?
I appreciate how a Bible study focuses your attention on particular passages of Scripture and asks you to park there for awhile rather than just read and move on. In Isaiah 30 we see a description of God's people in rebellion. It could just as easily be a description of the present. "These are rebellious people, deceitful children, children unwilling to listen to the Lord's instruction." (verse 9) That hardly needs explanation. Personal rebellion grows into a societal one. There is an over-all disregard for God's word (which in many denominations has been demoted to just "a good book" and one of many resources) and His instructions. We deceive ourselves if we think there aren't and won't be consequences. Isaiah goes on to say how God's people would rather hear fantasy than truth. "Give us no more visions of what is right! Tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions...and stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel!" (verses 10,11) We don't want to hear truth anymore. We want to hear what suits, what pleases, what appeals, what allows us to do what we want. And the Lord warns that there will be consequences...then and now. And this sin, this rebellion, this way of life will become "...like a high wall, cracked and bulging, that collapses suddenly, in an instant." (verse 13) Is that not what we are seeing today? The cracks and collapsing of respect, education, government, authority, the family unit, society, safety, common sense, and truth. What did and does God say to all this? Did He get utterly fed up with Israel and her constant rebellion? Did He wash His hands of her? Will He with us as a people? "Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion..." (verse 18) God "longs" after all they had done...after all we have done? He still yearns and deeply desires to be gracious...kind, and loving toward us. God is seated on His throne in heaven. He doesn't need to move, to get up and do. He only has to speak and it will be done. Yet He "rises" to show us compassion. He doesn't order the angels to do it. Isaiah gives us this powerful word picture of God caring so much that He gets up to do it Himself. Eventually His justice will demand an accounting. But not before He has given us every opportunity to come back to Him. Today is Saturday. Are we willing to listen to the Lord's instruction?