Happy Tuesday! Today is July 26th, 2022. What is it that brings God pleasure? Ascetic hermits back in medieval times used to think it was sacrifice, so they’d move into the deserts. There, they chose extreme poverty in hopes that God would be pleased. But Isaiah refutes that theory. I wonder why the hermits missed this?! Read on …
Today's Reading:
Isaiah 46,47,48,49; 1 Peter 5
Scripture
“I am the Lord God who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way that you should go. If only you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your well-being would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.” (Isaiah 48:18)
Observation
God’s love for us is not determined by our adherence to His commands, but our quality of life sure is! God’s favor is like a river, and He invites us to step into the current!
Application
In the book of Isaiah, God reiterates His love and affection for His people … but their continued disobedience burdened and wearied the Holy One of Israel. His love for them never ended, but even to this day, the misery they opted for has been atrocious!
Isaiah tells us that God will teach us to profit. To some, “profit” may sound like a business term. However, the biblical term is fruitfulness. Jesus, in the New Testament, puts it this way: “By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples” (Jn. 15:8). One of the ways we can prove our discipleship is by bearing much fruit! Come to think about it … GOD IS PLEASED WHEN WE ARE FRUITFUL!
Isaiah calls it our “well-being,” and for that, he uses the word - “shalom.” He instructs us that our well-being or shalom is connected to how well we obey! “If only you had paid attention to My commandments, your well-being would be like a river.”
I wonder if one day in heaven, the Lord will run a video to show us what our life could have been … if we had only paid more attention!
Prayer
Father, help me not to wait for the video to play. Teach me to settle for nothing less than Your best for my life! Fruitfulness and “shalom” is what I choose today! Help me to be fruitful in all things … not because of greed, but because as a disciple, I want to bring You glory!
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