Isaiah 42:17--24
Anything, or anyone, that we place first in our lives instead of The God of The Bible, is an idol, a god, if you will. We tend to obey and do what that god tells us to do, thereby disobeying what The Almighty God instructs us to do via His Word through His Holy Spirit. We have become disobedient nations, tossing aside carelessly and without thought, the only Holy God there is, and obeying our prideful selves instead.
Even the people whom God has called to be His own, His servants, get distracted from The Word by turning to the left and to the right. We have short attention spans and must needs look for things that tickle our ears and tempt our hearts. We are turned away from God and we MUST TURN BACK before it is too late.
The deaf servant hears not what God is speaking and chooses to misinterpret God's Word, speaking foolishly and leading his or her flock to destruction. The blind servant sees not what God is doing and leads follower sheep into the ditches and ravines, where the wolves of this world wait to devour them. The Word which both have preached and lived has destroyed not only themselves, but the ones who have listened to their diluted messages.
God's messengers, His preachers and prophets, His teachers and leaders, must be above reproach. We must daily be at God's throne, praying for direction, seeking forgiveness, asking for guidance, praising Him daily and throughout our day with sincere, humble hearts. We must, and without delay, be ready to give an answer for what we believe. Not hem, nor haw, but be prepared to explain and exhort The Word of God. We must not turn aside from The Word of God. He MUST be first in our lives, in our daily routines.
We awaken and groan against another Monday, another workday. Arise and rejoice! for "This is the day which The LORD has made, we will rejoice and be GLAD in it"! Praise Him first thing every morning when we first awaken: "Thank You, LORD, for today" and "Welcome, Holy Spirit" should be the first words we speak upon waking, whether we are out of bed or not, whether our eyes are opened or closed. Greeting God upon waking is vital to our well-being, not only in our spirits and souls, but in our bodies, too. He created us and we should be very thankful that He hasn't stopped working on us.
{Sometimes, I think that all these differing areas of pain are because I am being molded, poked, prodded, formed and re-formed to become what God is making me to be. And, if that is the case, then I can take it, because I know that I am in Him and He is in me.}
Every decision we make must first be addressed to our God. You may say, "I cannot afford to tithe". You are wrong; you cannot afford not to tithe. Whatever our income may be, whether great riches or pension, when we tithe that 10% into the offering plate, God honors it and we are blessed. You can't out-give God, nor can you afford to disobey Him in this matter.
Read a little Scripture every day, even if you can't take the time to study it first thing in the morning, or first thing when you awaken. Even one verse can lighten our load of cares and worries, making our day brighter, and putting a spring in our step, a smile on our faces, a peace in our hearts. And, if we read the same verse every day, eventually that Scripture, that Word, will take root in our hearts and begin to change us for the better.
We must make time, sacrifice what we want to do for what we need to do. Time is our enemy. Time demands us to fill the hours with doing things (work, play, sleep, church, reading,). Whatever activity is scheduled for our time, we must not only Take Time, but Make Time to obey God and put Him first in our lives.
The unrepentant heart will not. The unrepentant heart will not hear God's Word speaking to him or her. "Giving ear" and "hearken" and "hear" are emphasized in verse 23. We must heed, pay attention to, what God is speaking to us when He speaks to us. We cannot afford to ignore God in our daily lives. He must be first in all ways, in all things; in our hearts, in our thoughts, in our speech, in our actions, in our very core, where all decisions are made and subsequently acted upon.
We must repent of our wicked ways, repent of our selfishness, repent of our pride, repent of our greediness, repent, repent, repent. Seek God's face. Ask forgiveness for our sins. Turn from the wickedness of our actions. Accept His forgiveness (believe) into our hearts and upon our souls. Turn to Him and follow His Word faithfully. Yes, we will occasionally stumble, but we must not go back to doing what we were doing when we were disobedient.
We must face our gaze forward, looking neither to the left nor to the right. We must persevere to our goal, enduring whatever is set before us, facing the journey with determination and joy. We cannot allow ourselves to deny God His place in our lives.
Anything, or anyone, that we place first in our lives instead of The God of The Bible, is an idol, a god, if you will. We tend to obey and do what that god tells us to do, thereby disobeying what The Almighty God instructs us to do via His Word through His Holy Spirit. We have become disobedient nations, tossing aside carelessly and without thought, the only Holy God there is, and obeying our prideful selves instead.
Even the people whom God has called to be His own, His servants, get distracted from The Word by turning to the left and to the right. We have short attention spans and must needs look for things that tickle our ears and tempt our hearts. We are turned away from God and we MUST TURN BACK before it is too late.
The deaf servant hears not what God is speaking and chooses to misinterpret God's Word, speaking foolishly and leading his or her flock to destruction. The blind servant sees not what God is doing and leads follower sheep into the ditches and ravines, where the wolves of this world wait to devour them. The Word which both have preached and lived has destroyed not only themselves, but the ones who have listened to their diluted messages.
God's messengers, His preachers and prophets, His teachers and leaders, must be above reproach. We must daily be at God's throne, praying for direction, seeking forgiveness, asking for guidance, praising Him daily and throughout our day with sincere, humble hearts. We must, and without delay, be ready to give an answer for what we believe. Not hem, nor haw, but be prepared to explain and exhort The Word of God. We must not turn aside from The Word of God. He MUST be first in our lives, in our daily routines.
We awaken and groan against another Monday, another workday. Arise and rejoice! for "This is the day which The LORD has made, we will rejoice and be GLAD in it"! Praise Him first thing every morning when we first awaken: "Thank You, LORD, for today" and "Welcome, Holy Spirit" should be the first words we speak upon waking, whether we are out of bed or not, whether our eyes are opened or closed. Greeting God upon waking is vital to our well-being, not only in our spirits and souls, but in our bodies, too. He created us and we should be very thankful that He hasn't stopped working on us.
{Sometimes, I think that all these differing areas of pain are because I am being molded, poked, prodded, formed and re-formed to become what God is making me to be. And, if that is the case, then I can take it, because I know that I am in Him and He is in me.}
Every decision we make must first be addressed to our God. You may say, "I cannot afford to tithe". You are wrong; you cannot afford not to tithe. Whatever our income may be, whether great riches or pension, when we tithe that 10% into the offering plate, God honors it and we are blessed. You can't out-give God, nor can you afford to disobey Him in this matter.
Read a little Scripture every day, even if you can't take the time to study it first thing in the morning, or first thing when you awaken. Even one verse can lighten our load of cares and worries, making our day brighter, and putting a spring in our step, a smile on our faces, a peace in our hearts. And, if we read the same verse every day, eventually that Scripture, that Word, will take root in our hearts and begin to change us for the better.
We must make time, sacrifice what we want to do for what we need to do. Time is our enemy. Time demands us to fill the hours with doing things (work, play, sleep, church, reading,). Whatever activity is scheduled for our time, we must not only Take Time, but Make Time to obey God and put Him first in our lives.
The unrepentant heart will not. The unrepentant heart will not hear God's Word speaking to him or her. "Giving ear" and "hearken" and "hear" are emphasized in verse 23. We must heed, pay attention to, what God is speaking to us when He speaks to us. We cannot afford to ignore God in our daily lives. He must be first in all ways, in all things; in our hearts, in our thoughts, in our speech, in our actions, in our very core, where all decisions are made and subsequently acted upon.
We must repent of our wicked ways, repent of our selfishness, repent of our pride, repent of our greediness, repent, repent, repent. Seek God's face. Ask forgiveness for our sins. Turn from the wickedness of our actions. Accept His forgiveness (believe) into our hearts and upon our souls. Turn to Him and follow His Word faithfully. Yes, we will occasionally stumble, but we must not go back to doing what we were doing when we were disobedient.
We must face our gaze forward, looking neither to the left nor to the right. We must persevere to our goal, enduring whatever is set before us, facing the journey with determination and joy. We cannot allow ourselves to deny God His place in our lives.
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