God's Rightness In Our Hearts

Reading:  Isaiah 51
My Verse:  "Listen to me, you who know righteousness,
                        the people in whose heart is my law;
                   fear not the reproach of man,
                        nor be dismayed at their revilings"(Isaiah 51:7).

 The Amplified Bible says it this way  - "you who know rightness and justice and right standing with God."  Especially like the use of the word "rightness."  For that is what God is - He is everything that is good, correct and right!  Oh that I keep that sense of Your rightness in my heart, LORD God!

Often as a teacher I would talk to my students about how we conduct ourselves and how the world perceives us.  We lived in a tiny village and I felt it important that they understood the need to present themselves in a good way.  We would speak of how when one sees a home uncared for - yard a mess, house in disrepair - this told you that things aren't quite right there, something is amiss.  The same when you see a person  unkempt and slovenly - again you sense that something is wrong.  I don't believe this is being judgmental at all.  It is an observation and a perception.  Being creatures of You, LORD God, we do sense when something isn't right, something is off.  We sense this because You created us in Your own image. (Genesis 1:27)  Just like we know when we have done a wrong thing - You placed a conscious in each of us to let us know that - yes that was a wrong thing to do! Being created beings we know when rightness is absent.

You, LORD God are goodness (Mark 10:18) and beauty (Exodus 15:11) and perfection (Matthew 5:48)!  When we give ourselves to You, LORD God, You heighten our sense of this goodness, beauty and perfection.  You start to transform us to become as You would have us.

"Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts.
But when one turns to the LORD,
   the veil is removed.
Now the LORD is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the LORD is, there is freedom.  
And we all, with unveiled face,
   beholding the glory of the LORD,
   are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.
For this comes from the LORD who is the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:15-18).

I have been reading The End For Which God Created the World by Jonathan Edwards.  Even though I am reading an updated version it is still incredibly difficult for me.  And yet, I am being slowly amazed as the truths he brings forth emerge.  I came across one just the other day that kind of blew me away - the breathtaking beauty of it!  And it speaks so well to this effect God's rightness has upon us, his created beings.

"In God there is an infinite fullness of all possible good.  
He has the fullness of every perfect attribute.  
He has as his very nature all excellence and beauty. . . 
Furthermore, all of this fullness is capable of overflowing out of and from God.
He can, in other words, communicate his fullness.
He has the capacity to cause the fullness of his glory to emanate from himself outward to others.
     this being the case, it seems to be agreeable and valuable in itself that it should flow.  
It is right and proper for the infinite fountain of good to pour out into abundant streams!"


This is so incredibly awesome!  God by his very nature wants so very much to communicate his goodness and beauty and perfection to me!  It is what and who He is!  This overflowing of His goodness is so very powerful even those who deny him sense when rightness is absent from their hearts and actions.

Thank you, LORD God for your overflowing goodness and beauty and perfection!

"For the LORD God is a sun and a shield:
   the LORD will give grace and glory:
   no good thing will He withhold from them what walk uprightly" (Psalm 84:11).

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!

Two Opposing Responses To God

Reading:  Isaiah 50
My Verses:  "Who among you fears the LORD
                          and obeys the voice of his servant?
                      Let him who walks in darkness 
                          and has no light
                      trust in the name of the LORD
                          and rely on his God

                      Behold, all you who kindle a fire,
                          who equip yourselves with burning torches!
                      Walk by the light of your fire,
                          and by the torches that you have kindled!
                      This you have from my hand;
                           you shall lie in torment" (Isaiah 50:10,11).

Isaiah spells out here the two choices we have, the two so very different ways we can respond to You, LORD!

We can trust in You, even though we walk in "darkness" and have "no light."  Even when things on this earth seem hopeless.  Even when we cannot see where to place our next step for the darkness we find ourselves in.  Even when we are in the deepest trouble.  Even when our souls are in anguish and there is no joy or "shining splendor" in our hearts. Even in all this we can choose to rely on You, LORD God.  We can choose to depend on Your steadfastness.  We can choose to be confident that in the end You will carry the day.  You will keep us.  We can depend on this as truth because You have repeatedly reminded us of this throughout Your Word.

Psalm 91 declares this mostly beautifully!

     "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
           will abide in the shadow of the Almighty" (verse 1)

     "Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place-
           the Most High, who is my refuge-
       no evil shall be allowed to befall you 
       no plague come near your tent,

       For He will command His angels concerning you
           to guard you in all your ways. . ." (verse 9 - 11).

The second response is to trust in one's own wisdom.  The Amplified Bible states that those who choose this are "enemies of your own selves."  Those who try to "kindle a fire, who equip yourselves with burning torches" are trying to work out their own salvation.  They surround themselves with their own forms of encouragement and support - rituals, like minded friends.  They proudly and arrogantly develop serious elaborate rationale for how, why and what they believe.

And yet, in the end:  "you shall lie in torment."

"For as the new heavens and the new earth
     that I make
 shall remain before me, says the LORD,
     so shall your offspring and your name remain.

For new moon to new moon,
     and from Sabbath to Sabbath,
all flesh shall come to worship before me,
declares the LORD.

And they shall go out and look on the dead bodies of the men who have rebelled against me.
For their worm shall not die, 
     their fire shall not quenched,
     and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh"  (Isaiah 66:22-24).

Oh LORD God, You are a God of love and light.  You want to shine that good healing love and light into us but we need to open ourselves up to You.  We need to make that choice.

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!

All Flesh Will Know!

Reading:  Isaiah 49
My Verse:  "I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh,
                        and they shall be drunk with their own blood as with wine.
                    Then all flesh shall know 
                        that I am the LORD your Savior,
                        and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob" (Isaiah 49:26).

Reading this book is like a wild ride through history.  I feel like I am careening through the past whilst getting glimpses into the now and beyond into the future!  This point is repeated throughout - that all peoples will come to acknowledge that You are the LORD God of the universe!

The Amplified clarifies  this verse.

"And I will make those who oppress you consume themselves [in mutually destructive wars], thus eating their own flesh, and they will be drunk with their own blood, as with sweet wine; and all will know [with a knowledge grounded in personal experience] that I , the LORD, am your savior and/or Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob" (Isaiah 49:26 AMP)

Wow!  "Mutually destructive wars!"  Has this ever stopped?  Does it not seem to be at an increased level today?  I believe I just heard another country was up in arms - fighting amongst themselves!

I like how the ESV commentary points out that defying You, LORD God is "self-destructive."

I especially like the Amplified  Bible's clarification "all flesh shall know"   "[with a knowledge grounded in personal experience]!"  You, LORD God, deal with nations but You also deal with each of us personally, so that each and every individual will know personally that You are the God of the universe, You are the God they have denied.

I read somewhere the importance and need of repetition of important points, as we seem to need that emphasis to be assured of the urgency of a fact.  This point is repeated often throughout Isaiah.  This all important point of Your ultimate purpose, LORD God.

        "Then all flesh shall know
              that I am the LORD your Savior,
              and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob."

"And I will take you to Me for a people, 
     and I will be to you a God;
     and you shall know that it is I,
     the LORD your God,
     Who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians" (Exodus 6:7 AMP).

"And I will give you the treasures of darkness
     and hidden riches of secret places,
     that you may know that it is I,
     the LORD,
     the God of Israel, Who call you by your name" (Isaiah 45:3 AMP).

"That men may know from the east 
       and the rising of the sun
    and from the west
      and the setting of the sun
   that there is no God besides Me,
     I am the LORD
  and no one else [is He] (Isaiah 45:6 AMP).

"And kings . . .
   and their queens . . .

They shall bow down to you with their faces
     to the earth 
     and lick up the dust of your feet;
and you shall know . . .

that I am the LORD . . ."  (Isaiah 49:23 AMP)

We do need repetition and reminding.  And whenYou, LORD God repeat yourself, we had better listen!

"As I live, says the LORD, every knee shall bow to me,
     and every tongue shall confess to God.

So then each of us will give an account of himself to God"  (Romans 8:11,12).

Yes, all will know, and all will know this truth personally.

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!

God's Pleading

Reading:  Isaiah 46, 47, 48
My Verse:  "Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel;  I am the LORD your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you in the way that you should go" (Isaiah 48:17).

As I read through this incredible book of Isaiah I am more and more amazed at Your love for us, LORD God.  You, Who are the God of everything that exists, want so much for us, Your created ones, to have a good life, filled with love and accomplishment -  that You continually plead with us to turn to You!

"Listen to Me, O Jacob, and Israel, My called [ones]; I am He; I am the First, I also am the Last" (Isaiah 48:12).

"Your nakedness shall be exposed, and your shame shall be seen.  I will take vengeance, and I will spare no man, says our Redeemer - the LORD of hosts is His name-the Holy One of Israel" (Isaiah 47:3,4).

"Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts; I am the First and I am the Last; besides Me there is no God" (Isaiah 44:6).

"For I the  LORD your God hold your right hand; I am the LORD, Who says to you, Fear not; I will help you!" (Isaiah 41:13).

"But they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength;
     they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
     they shall run and not be weary;
    they shall walk and not faint" ( Isaiah 40:31).

Even research shows how those who attend church and  follow Your precepts lead more successful and peaceful lives.  As Your created beings You instilled in us  needs that can only be fulfilled by following You and Your precepts.  Anything contrary to You only leads to dysfunctional, unsatisfied, and unfulfilled lives.

You, LORD God have done so much for me.  Not only have You plead for me to turn to you, but now Jesus continues to plead to You for me.  This picture of our LORD Jesus should be a picture I forever and constantly carry in my mind.

"Who then will condemn us?  No one - for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and He is sitting in the place of honor at God's right hand, pleading for us" (Romans 8:34).

What an amazing thing, that Jesus after dying that most awful death for me now pleads continuously for me.  

Your love and grace know no bounds, LORD God!

"Come now, and let us reason together, says the LORD.  Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be like wool" (Isaiah 1:18).

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!

God's Purposes

Reading:  Isaiah 45
My Verse:  "Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus,
                        whose right hand I have grasped,
                           to subdue nations before him
                           and to loose the belts of kings,
                           to open doors before him
                      that gates may not be closed:

                   I call you by name,
                   I name you, 
                       though you do not know me.

                   I equip you,
                       though you do not know me. (Isaiah 45:1,4,5)

It is passages like this that cause me to be amazed that anyone could deny You exist, LORD God.  Prophecy fulfilled - the mighty Cyrus the Great was not only foretold but an instrument to fulfill Your purposes.

Cyrus the Great of Persia born sometime between 600 and 576 BC and died in battle in 530 BC reigned for some 30 years.  He left an amazing legacy - not just for what he did for Israel but the government practices he developed and used and in how he treated conquered peoples.

He is a wonderful reminder of how You use people, even those that do not acknowledge You as their LORD!  The bible is replete with these examples but Cyrus the Great does stand out.  Thank You for this, LORD God.  So often it is hard to understand what is happening when things are not going as I think they should be going not only in the world at large but in my own personal life.

I like the phrase from this song,
     "I don't understand what You are doing, 
      but I know Who You are."

That is something to hang onto.

Your purposes, LORD God, are beyond our understanding.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, 
     neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD (Isaiah 55:8).

And Your purposes, Oh LORD God are forever and relentless.  You use us in those purposes as we allow,  our incompetence and waywardness does not put You off.  I recall a wonderful friend of mine speaking about Your purposes.  She was talking about her church and how she felt they were not seeking You with all their hearts.  In frustration she said, "They are missing God's blessings!"  And that is what happens isn't it LORD God.  If we do not allow You to have Your way in our lives  to further Your purposes we miss Your wonderful blessings.


"But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, 
     the purposes of His heart through all generations" (Psalm 33:11).

The LORD Almighty has sworn, 
     "Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, 
      and as I have purposed, so it will happen" (Isaiah 14:24).

Your plans and purposes are relentless throughout history.  This is something we can be thankful for.  Especially as our world seems to be growing more - chaotic, ugly, mean.

Thank You, LORD God for Your steadfast purposes as You deal with this messy world.

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!

Deluded Hearts and Minds!

Reading:  Isaiah 44
My Verse:  "He feeds on ashes; 
                      a deluded heart has led him astray, 
                      and he cannot deliver himself or say, 
                   "Is there not a lie in my right hand?" (Isaiah 44:20)

This is such a tragic verse!  Oh, LORD God, too many are here - too many live with deluded hearts and minds, unable to rescue themselves from the lie they live.

The previous passage to this verse describes the whole process a man goes through to end up in this deluded state.  The process that brings one; to worshipping idols, to a life dominated by some created thing, to a life with a reality that is progressively more and more warped - deluded.

Oh, LORD God, You keep reminding us of Who You are.

"I am the first and I am the last;
     besides me there is no other god" (Isaiah 43:6).

"Is there a God besides me?
      there is no Rock;  I know not any"  (Isaiah 43:8).

"I am the LORD, who made all things,
   Who alone stretched out the heavens,
   Who spread out the earth by Myself"  (Isaiah 44:24).

This is the most wonderful and freeing truth a man can know!  This is the truth that frees us from the bondages that the enemy seeks to keep us in!  We can be cleansed and forgiven.

"I, I Am He
     Who blots out your transgressions for my own sake,
     and I will not remember your sins" (Isaiah 43:25).

Sin is a delusion and a lie.  Bondage to sin is a delusion and a lie.  You, LORD God can and will free those who cry out to You and ask forgiveness. (Romans 10:9-13)  Then we can be free and rejoice!

What a most wonderful thing that You do for us LORD God!

"I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud 
     and your sins like a mist"  (Isaiah 44:22).

"As far as the east is from the west,
     so far has He removed our transgressions from us"  (Psalm 103:12).

This is what we all want forgiveness and that resulting joy and relief.

"Sing, O heavens, for the LORD has done it;
     shout, O depths of the earth;
break forth into singing, O mountains,
     O forest, and every tree in it!"   (Isaiah 44:23).

Even the angels rejoice when we repent.

"In the same way,  I tell you, 
   there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents" (Luke 15:10).

Thank You, LORD God for this wonderful truth.  We do not need to live with deluded hearts and minds!

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!


    

LORD God Of Our Everything!

Reading:  Isaiah 43
My Verse:  "Fear not for I have redeemed you;
                        I have called you by name, you are mine.
  
                    When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
                       am through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
                       when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
                       and the flame shall not consume you (Isaiah 43:1,2).

One has only to read Psalm 139 to realize the awesome splendor, complexity and mystery we are as Your created beings!  We can never truly know ourselves, but You, LORD God do!  You know me to the very depths of me!

     "You hem me in, behind and before,
            and lay your hand upon me.

       Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
             it is high; I cannot attain it.

       Where shall I go from Your Spirit?
             Or where shall I flee from your presence?

       If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
       If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!

       If I take the wings of the morning
            and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
            even there your hand shall lead me,
            and your right hand shall hold me" (Psalm 139:5-10).

I love how Oswald Chambers paraphrases this.

     "Thou are the God of the early mornings,
         the God of the late nights,
         the God of the mountain peaks,
         and the God of the sea;

       but, my God, 
            my soul has further horizons than the early mornings,
            deeper darkness than the nights of earth,
            higher peaks than any mountain peaks,
            greater depths than any sea in nature --

       Thou Who are the God of all these, be my God.
        I cannot reach to the heights or to the depths;
        there are motives I cannot trace,
        dreams I cannot get at -- my God, search me out."

Until I come to a full realization of this I will never realize the wonder of Who You are LORD God or the wonder of the kind of person You made me to be and want me to be!

The thing that keeps me from this is sin, but You LORD God can cleanse and heal.  You want so very much to cleanse and heal me from the stain of sin.

That most wonderful prayer of Paul's in I Thessalonians 5:23 states . . .

     "And may the God of peace Himself sanctify you through and through[separate you from profane things, make you pure and wholly consecrated to God]; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved sound and complete [and found] blameless at the coming of our LORD Jesus Christ (the Messiah). (Amplified Bible)

Thank you for this prayer, LORD God.  Oswald Chambers restates this truth most wonderfully.

"Cleansing from sin is to the very heights and depths of our spirit if we will keep in the light as God is in the light, and the very Spirit that fed the life of Jesus Christ will feed the life of our spirits." -My Utmost For His Highest
   
What massive, amazing truths!
Oh, LORD my God, help me here - to venture into this great vastness of YOU!

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!
     

His Ways Are Counterintuitive To Our Ways

Reading:  Isaiah 42
My Verse:  "And I will lead the blind
                        in a way that they do not know,
                    in paths that they have not known
                         I will guide them.

                    I will turn the darkness before them into light,
                         The rough places into level ground.
                    These are the things I do,
                         and I do not forsake them" (Isaiah 42:16).

The chapter starts off with a most grand proclamation:

     "Behold My Servant, Whom, I uphold,
      My Chosen, in Whom My soul delights!
      I have put My spirit upon Him.
      He will bring forth justice to the nations" (Isaiah 42:1).

Matthew 3:17 echoes this when Jesus is baptized.

     "And behold, a voice from heaven said,
     This is My Son, My Beloved,
     In Whom I delight!" (Matthew 3:17)

Psalm 2:7 again states this truth.

     "I will tell of the decree:
       The LORD said to me, You are My Son;
            today I have begotten You" (Psalm 2:7).

So this tells me quite clearly that it is Jesus, Who leads me.  LORD God, You want to lead me "in a way that I do not know."  This is a difficult concept to grasp.  For I so want to understand the whys of all that happens in my life.  But as I go along I realize more and more I am simply not capable of that.  I am also beginning to realize how it is actually freeing if I stop fretting about it.

You, LORD God, say You will lead me not only in a way I do  not know but also in paths I have never known!  How scary!  But then the reassuring words "I will guide them." You will take me into uncharted waters - into places I would never have thought to go on my own.  This is terribly scary but, You, LORD God will guide me through these experiences.  Thank You!

You tell me that You will turn my darkness into light!  Even on my darkest days, You have done this for me.  You showed your most beautiful healing light into the sad, dark thoughts in my mind and chased away that darkness.  It is a pretty wonderful experience.  Thank You, LORD God, for caring for me so much.

I especially like "I will turn . . . the rough places into level ground." I know I should not expect "easy" but there are times when I do struggle through those rough places.  It is so awfully reassuring to know that You know when I am struggling, You know when I need my path to be a bit more level.

Finally, You promise me You will never forsake me.  That is something I can hold onto.  You never change.  This is so not what we know, for our world is in constance change, constant deterioration, but not You.  (Hebrew 13:8).

I really like the ESV Study Bible comment on this verse.

     "No human incapacity can defeat God's purpose or grace . . ."

Yes, we all have sinned, we have all come short of Your glory. ( Romans 3:23)
And Your thoughts are so way beyond our thoughts and ways. (Isaiah 55:8)
You do not want me to follow blindly, for You have given me a brain and You expect me to use it!  But You want me to put aside my wayward thoughts, desires, and behaviors to follow Your ways.  I need to put myself in a place that allows this, in a place where I can hear You, be sensitive to Your guiding Spirit.

Thank You, LORD God for this beautiful passage.  Thank You for Your beautiful, exposing and healing Light!

Ditat Deus - God Enriches!