Friday Thought -- August 29, 2014

Good Morning Friends,

“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’” (Isaiah 52:7)

The context of this passage is Isaiah writing about the Assyrian oppression of Israel. He says that the Assyrians mock the name of the Lord, that all day long they blaspheme His name. He contrasts the Assyrians and their blaspheme with those who proclaim the good news, who exalt the Lord with their lips.

God is pleased when people exalt Him and share His message of love with those around them. At the core of the heart of God is His desire to see His message brought to other people. God will not be satisfied until every nation, every tribe, every people group, every language has heard His message of good news. God is pleased with those who are His messengers to take the news to others.

When you share His message of love and grace with your co-workers, friends, neighbors, or relatives, God is pleased. He has placed you in the place you are and given you opportunity to develop relationships with other people for that very reason, that you might be His instrument to share His message with them.

So, here’s a question: how beautiful are your feet to the Lord? Are they responsible for taking His good news to those around you? Are you being a good steward of the opportunities God gives you to share His message?

His, by Grace,

Steve

Thursday Thought -- August 28, 2014

Good Morning Friends,

“Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. But my salvation will last forever, my righteousness will never fail. Hear me, you who know what is right, you people who have my law in your hearts: Do not fear the reproach of men or be terrified by their insults. For the moth will eat them up like a garment; the worm will devour them like wool. But my righteousness will last forever, my salvation through all generations.” (Isaiah 51:6-8)

Look into the skies and ponder the stability you see there. Every day, the sun comes up and goes down. It works like clockwork. You can count on it to be there. It has never let you down. The moon is always there in its proper place. It goes through its cycles and never misses a one. The stars don’t move from place to place randomly. They follow the order that has been set out for them. It has always been this way and it will always be this way, won’t it?

Look at the earth and ponder the stability you see there. You can drive west and find the Pacific Ocean, east and find the Atlantic. They haven’t dried up. They are the same today as they were for your great-grandfather, and as they were when the Native Americans were the only ones roaming through America. Earthquakes and volcanoes cause some minor shifting of the land, but it remains basically as it has for as long as time has existed. It will always be this way, won’t it?

Surely, if anything can be counted on the earth and the sky can be, can’t they? No, Isaiah warns that they can’t be counted on. The day comes when the skies will vanish like smoke and the earth wear out like a garment. Perhaps we can already see the signs of the earth’s deterioration!

If we can’t count on the earth and skies, what can we count on? There is One whose salvation will last forever, whose righteousness will never fail. There is One who will always be there, even when the skies and the earth are gone. Count on Him. Trust in Him. Look to Him!!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Wednesday Thought -- August 27, 2014

Good Morning Friends,

"Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth; burst into song, O mountains! For the LORD comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones. But Zion said, 'The LORD has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.' Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me." (Isaiah 49:13-16)

Israel experienced the same kind of doubts and uncertainties that you and I experience sometimes. Often, it seemed that God had abandoned them, forgotten all about them. Where was He? Why was He allowing them to go through the difficulties they were facing without intervening in their behalf?

Listen and understand what the Lord said to Israel, and what the Lord says to you and me. He has not forgotten us. He never has, He never will, He never can. God can no more forget His children than a mother could forget hers. In fact, even a mother is more likely to forget her child, than the Lord is to forget His children.

Look closely at the Lord. Look at His hands. There you can see the marks that prove He has not forgotten us. In the palms of His hands are the marks of His love. There are the marks of the nails and the cross which shout to us in terms beyond all doubt – He loves us – He remembers us.

He has not forsaken us. He never will! He has not forgotten us. He never can!

So, shout, rejoice, burst into song. God remembers you! God loves you!

God will never forsake or forget you! That's enough to cause you to worship Him, isn't it?

His, by Grace,

Steve

Tuesday Thought -- August 26, 2014

Good Morning Friends,

“This is what the LORD says -- your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: ‘I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea. Your descendants would have been like the sand, your children like its numberless grains; their name would never be cut off nor destroyed from before me.’” (Isaiah 48:17-19)

When we turn away from the Lord and His instructions and directions, we do so to our own harm! God’s instructions are not meant for our harm, but for our benefit. His instructions are not meant to restrict us, but to free us to reach our maximum potential and effectiveness. He teaches us what is best for us. His instructions are not arbitrary or designed to reduce our pleasure just to prove that He is in charge.

For instance, when God teaches us the principle of one man -- one woman, faithful to each other for life, it’s because that is what is best for us. The blessings from that kind of relationship will flow not only to us, but to our children and to the generations that follow them.

That’s just one example, it’s true of all of the other commands of the Lord, too. Following His commands brings peace and blessing to us and to future generations. When we disregard His commands, pain and disaster follow, not just in punishment, but as the natural consequence of rejecting the principles by which God designed life to work best.

Pay attention to God’s directions, He gives them for our good, not our harm.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Monday Thought -- August 25, 2014

Good Morning Friends,

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the desert and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.” (Isaiah 43:18-21)

It is easy to dwell in the past and many of us do that. We rehearse our own mistakes and continue to beat ourselves up for them. We review our sins and continue to carry guilt because of them. I can remember things I did in grade school and cringe in shame because of them. The past haunts us.

But it doesn’t need to. Our past was a desert, a wasteland, a place with no life. But God has transformed us. He has taken our wasteland and made it into a paradise. He has brought His life-giving presence into our desert of death.

It is a new thing, and God has done it in our lives! God has done it for us because we are His people and He loves us. God has done it for us so that we would continually offer Him praise.

Don’t dwell on your past, on your mistakes and sins. They’ve been dealt with and forgiven! Instead, dwell on the One who has dealt with them. Dwell on the Lord. Give Him praise! Remember not your sins, remember instead your forgiveness! Remember not your life of emptiness and death, remember your life of purpose, joy, peace, and life!

Give Him praise!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Friday Thought -- August 22, 2014

Good Morning Friends,

“I am Jehovah; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols.” (Isaiah 42:8)

God has a name – it is Jehovah. His name means to be self-existent. He is the eternal one. No one created God, He created everything else. He doesn’t owe His existence to man, nor to anyone or anything else. Everything else owes its existence to Him.

He is a marvelous God. He is loving – that is His basic characteristic. He is kind and gentle and patient. But He is also jealous! The one thing God will not tolerate is when we give what is rightfully His to someone or something else. It’s especially grievous to God when we give His glory to things He has created.

Most of us don’t have a little idol sitting in the corner of our living room, or anywhere else in our homes. We don’t burn incense to them. We don’t bow and worship them. We don’t pray to them. We don’t bring offerings to them.

Our idols take other forms! There is only One who deserves first place in your life. There is only One who should be turned to in times of distress. There is only One who deserves to be followed without question. Those are the things that belong to God, and to God only.

Are you giving what is God’s to anyone or anything else?

Jesus said, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” (Matthew 22:21)

His, by Grace,

Steve

Thursday Thought -- August 21, 2014

Good Morning Friends,

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all. For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” (Isaiah 41:10-13)

What are you afraid of?

Are you afraid God might not be watching and something might happen that He wasn’t aware of? That can never happen. Jesus said, “I am with you always.” (Matthew 28:20) God never sleeps and He never takes His eyes off you.

Are you afraid God might desert you? That will never happen. God has promised, “I will never leave you, I will never forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)

Are you afraid God won’t be able to help you? “Nothing is impossible with God.” (Luke

1:37) There is no problem so big that God cannot deal with it.

Are you afraid God might do something harmful to you? “God cannot be tempted by evil.” (James 1:13) All His ways are righteous and perfect and loving.

What are you afraid of? God says, “Do not be afraid, I am with you.”

His, by Grace,

Steve

Wednesday Thought -- August 20, 2014

Good Morning Friends,

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:28-31)

The strongest among men can’t do it on their own. Even their strength will give out at some point in the journey. Rely upon yourself and there will come a time, probably many of them, when you won’t last.

But there is Someone who can be relied upon. He’ll never get tired. His strength will never give out. He’ll never grow weary of helping you. There will never come a time when He’ll not know what to do, when His wisdom will fail.

As I understand the eagle’s flight, that powerful bird allows the wind to do much of the work. The eagle rides the wind. So, too, there is a Wind that we can ride and it is found in trusting the Lord.

Try to do it yourself and you’ll collapse along the way with nothing left to give. Trust God and there will be wind enough to see you through to the very end of the race!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Tuesday Thought -- August 19, 2014

Good Morning Friends,

“See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance? Who has understood the mind of the LORD, or instructed him as his counselor? Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge or showed him the path of understanding?” (Isaiah 40:10-14)

Two images come out of this passage for me.

1.    The Sovereign Lord. His characteristics include: power, wisdom, judgment, strength.

2.    The Great Shepherd. His characteristics include: tenderness, love, gentleness.

Both images are true of God.

The Sovereign Lord, with all of His power and might is also our loving Shepherd. It is He who gathers us in His arms, holds us close to His heart, leads us gently.

That’s a very comforting image. To be in His arms and close to His heart is to be in the place that is more trustworthy and safer than any other place. He knows what He is doing. No one has to give Him counsel to help Him discern what is right. He is powerful enough to protect us from any danger. No danger on earth or in heaven can harm us when we are close to His heart.

The Eternal Father, the Almighty God, the Sovereign Lord loves you. He is your Father, your Shepherd, your Friend! Now that’s a good thought on which to dwell!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Monday Thought -- August 18, 2014

Good Morning Friends,

“All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.” (Isaiah 40:6-8)

The life span of a man on earth is so brief. The older I get, the more apparent that becomes to me. Life moves so quickly. It seems like it was such a short time ago that I graduated from high school and now my children have graduated and in another year my oldest grandchild will start high school. Life goes by so quickly.

To some extent I can delay the ravages of age. Face lifts and tummy tucks could help to preserve my body and give it the appearance of being younger than it is. If I was a woman I could get away with makeup to cover some of my wrinkles and blemishes. But the truth is that any of the efforts I put into delaying the aging process will make only a slight difference. Time marches on without stopping. Soon, perhaps very soon, my body will be done with its time here.

That’s not meant to be discouraging, only challenging. There are things that time will not cause to fade or disappear. The Word of God will continue for eternity. It’s been having its impact on people’s lives for thousands of years already and that impact will continue as long as men are on earth! My spiritual life will not fade with time, either. How I grow spiritually in these short years of earthly life will go on through eternity. And the same is true of the spiritual lives of others.

There are some things we can focus our lives on that will not be ravaged by time. They seem like good things to put at the top of our priority list!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Friday Thought -- August 15, 2014

Good Morning Friends,

Sennacherib was king of Assyria, whose capital was Nineveh. He and his powerful and large army came against Jerusalem, intent on capturing it. Hezekiah was king in Jerusalem and he cried out to the Lord and sought the Lord’s guidance and help.

Scripture records that when Hezekiah heard what Sennacherib was doing “he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and went into the temple of the Lord. He sent Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary, and the leading priests, all wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah.” (Isaiah 37:1-2) When the nation faced military and political trouble, the king did not turn to his military and political advisers, he turned to the Lord and to the Lord’s prophet. What an interesting and unusual response to such a problem, so different from what we would expect in our own day of our own leaders.

Then Hezekiah received a threatening letter from Sennacherib and “he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. Hezekiah prayed to the Lord.” (Isaiah 37:14-15) In time of trouble, the king turned to prayer!

Isaiah responded to what Hezekiah had done with these words, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Because you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria, this is the word the Lord has spoken against him.’” (Isaiah 37:21-22) Isaiah goes into a long account of how the Lord will defeat Sennacherib, concluding with this promise, “He will not enter this city or shoot an arrow here.” (Isaiah 37:33) Sennacherib did not enter the city and did not even shoot an arrow against it. In the night, the angel of the Lord put 185,000 Assyrians soldiers to death and Sennacherib and the rest of his army fled back to Assyria where Sennacherib was assassinated!

We’re facing tremendous problems in our country, so complex that no one knows how to deal with them all. We have financial distress that threatens the very fiber of our economic system. We have a broken health care system that costs too much, helps too few, and locks too many out. We have moral deterioration that seems to have no end. We have such political infighting that little of significance can be accomplished in our national and state capitals. We face problems around the world and struggle to know how to respond. You can add your own ideas of other complex problems that you see in our time.

Don’t you wish the leaders of our country would seek the Lord for our national problems like Hezekiah did for Israel’s in Isaiah’s day?

Or here’s a more personal question – facing     problems like that, how come we don’t pray?

His, by Grace,

Steve

Thursday Thought -- August 14, 2014

Good Morning Friends,

“A highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it. No lion will be there, nor will any ferocious beast get up on it; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there, and the ransomed of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.” (Isaiah 35:8-10)

There is a secure pathway that leads to the Lord. The enemy cannot touch us there. No danger will be present. Instead, it will be a path of joy, filled with singing. The end of the road is heaven.

It sounds like a great pathway. But not everyone will be on it. It’s a pathway reserved for the clean, the unclean are barred from it. It is a way of holiness, so the wicked and their wickedness are locked out of it. Only the redeemed and ransomed, those who have been bought back from their slavery will be on the road.

There is an important point made by Isaiah in this vision of the way to heaven. It is a way of holiness and those who walk on the path will be holy. But it’s not those who have made themselves holy who are allowed on the road. It’s those who have been redeemed and ransomed, bought back from their slavery. Entrance to the road is not earned or paid for by those on the road. They are on the road because Someone else paid their entrance fee!

The end of the road will be great joy and rejoicing. But never forget how you got on the road. It was not your doing. It was not your holiness that got you admitted to the road. Someone paid the price for you. And a high price it was!

Enjoy the road, look forward with anticipation to its destination, and keep thanking the One who put you on it!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Wednesday Thought -- August 13, 2014

Good Morning Friends,

“The fortress will be abandoned, the noisy city deserted; citadel and watchtower will become a wasteland forever, the delight of donkeys, a pasture for flocks, till the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the desert becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field seems like a forest. Justice will dwell in the desert and righteousness live in the fertile field. The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever. My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest. Though hail flattens the forest and the city is leveled completely, how blessed you will be, sowing your seed by every stream, and letting your cattle and donkeys range free.” (Isaiah 32:14-20)

I like the picture that Isaiah paints in this passage. He paints the picture of a place that is desolate and dry, devoid of life and health. That’s a description of our current world. There is so much about our time that is devoid of life and health, so much about our day that is desolate and dry. We live in a spiritual wasteland of our own making.

Though we live in such a place, we don’t share its lifelessness and desolation. The Spirit has been poured out from on high and He dwells within us. Our hearts – desertlike before we came to Christ -- now bloom as a fertile field with roots that run deep like a strong forest. Though we live in a place in which justice and righteousness are rare – in our hearts they reign supreme because we serve the just One and the righteous One. We live in a place of turmoil – but have hearts that rest in God’s peace. Though devastation comes to the world – in our hearts is a place of blessing and peace and freedom.

I know, we don’t experience those things perfectly – because our hearts are not perfectly in line with God’s heart. But we taste them and we’ll know them more and more fully as we know Him more and more completely -- until that day when we’ll know peace and joy and freedom completely in the eternity of God’s presence.

Don’t despair because of the condition of the world around us. Instead, focus on the life within you – and on the One who bought it for you and brought it to you.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Tuesday Thought -- August 12, 2014

Good Morning Friends,

“Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the LORD. Yet he too is wise and can bring disaster; he does not take back his words. He will rise up against the house of the wicked, against those who help evildoers. But the Egyptians are men and not God; their horses are flesh and not spirit. When the LORD stretches out his hand, he who helps will stumble, he who is helped will fall; both will perish together. This is what the LORD says to me: ‘As a lion growls, a great lion over his prey -- and though a whole band of shepherds is called together against him, he is not frightened by their shouts or disturbed by their clamor -- so the LORD Almighty will come down to do battle on Mount Zion and on its heights. Like birds hovering overhead, the LORD Almighty will shield Jerusalem; he will shield it and deliver it, he will 'pass over' it and will rescue it.’ Return to him you have so greatly revolted against, O Israelites.” (Isaiah 31:1-6)

We have our financial advisers who can make sure that our future is secure. We have our doctors with their insightful tests and powerful drugs and equipment, we trust them to keep us healthy. Our national military forces are the most powerful in the world and are armed with weapons of destruction and defense that are unparalleled.

We are secure and so is our future!

But that’s really not true. Not if those are the counselors upon whom we rely, whose wisdom we trust. They are like noisy children when compared to the wisdom and power of the Lord. He is the One to trust, the only one to rely upon for security!

Financial advisers, doctors, military forces, they are not wrong to have. But they are wrong to put our trust in. God can use them as His tools to help us, but it is God we need to trust, it is Him we need to look to for the present and for the future.

We are secure and so is our future! True, but not because of what we have done to make it so. We are secure only as we trust in God.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Monday Thought -- August 11, 2014

Good Morning Friends,

“This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: ‘In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.’ You said, ‘No, we will flee on horses.’ Therefore you will flee! You said, ‘We will ride off on swift horses.’ Therefore your pursuers will be swift! Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!” (Isaiah 30:15-16,18)

God patiently waits for people (including you and me) to turn to Him and trust Him. He pursues us with love, longing to see us stop and come to Him.

But we are so self-sufficient and independent. We can take care of ourselves. We can do what needs to be done. We can make it on our own. We have devised everything we think we need to succeed, protect ourselves, deal with our problems. “We will flee on horses.” That speaks of taking matters into our own hands and believing we can take care of ourselves.

But God is there waiting. He “longs to be gracious.” It is in His heart to save us, protect us, help us. But He will not force us to turn to Him. He’ll let us pursue our own devises as long as we will, all the while waiting with what we so desperately need.

Of course, that relates to those who do not know God, who run from Him, instead of turning to Him. But it relates to those of us who know Him, too. Time and again, even though we ought to know better, we rely upon ourselves. How foolish! How much pain we bear because of our foolishness.

And God waits patiently for us to turn to Him, longing to help us and show us His grace.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Friday Thought -- August 8, 2014

Good Morning Friends,

“These are rebellious people, deceitful children, children unwilling to listen to the Lord’s instruction. They say to the seers, ‘See no more visions!’ and to the prophets, ‘Give us no more visions of what is right! Tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions. Leave this way, get off this path, and stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel!’” (Isaiah 30:9-11)

What if God spoke and we decided we didn’t want to hear what He had to say to us?

That’s what was going on among the people of Israel. God was speaking and they wanted to stop hearing His message. They were looking for a different message, an easier message, one that did not require them to give up anything they didn’t want to give up or do anything they didn’t want to do. That it was God speaking didn’t make any difference to the people of Israel.

The seers and the prophets had a choice – tell the people what God was showing them and saying to them or tell the people only what they wanted to hear. Godly seers have no choice except to speak of the vision they have seen, whether it is wanted or not. Godly prophets have no choice except to the deliver the message God has given to them. The message is not the responsibility of the seer or the prophet, that responsibility belongs to God.

In our age, many people don’t like the message God has provided to us in Jesus. Many people want the message changed. They want it to be easier and less demanding. They want it to be less exclusive. They want to shape the message of God in a way that they like.

But we have no worthwhile message, except the one that God has given to us. God’s messengers aren’t responsible for the message, that responsibility belongs to God. Our responsibility is to honestly bring God’s message to all and let them decide how they will respond.

How are you responding?

His, by Grace,

Steve

Thursday Thought -- August 7, 2014

Good Morning Friends,

“The Lord says: ‘These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.’” (Isaiah 29:13)

It’s the heart that God is most concerned about! The actions we do and the words we say are important, but only as they reflect what is actually going on in our heart. When they are deceptive, they are worthless. It’s the heart that matters most.

Israel knew the words to say that pleased God and they knew the actions to take that demonstrated they were following Him. Their words and their actions could fool each other, could fool other nations, sometimes could even fool themselves. But they never fooled God. God could see into their hearts and that was what mattered.

Going through the motions in worship makes men think a person is religious. But if the heart is not there, it’s just motions, nothing more. God wants our hearts, honestly and sincerely.

His great command to Israel was, “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” (Deuteronomy 6:5)

Jesus said it’s those whose hearts are right that will see God. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” (Matthew 5:8)

Paul taught that salvation starts in the heart. If it doesn’t start there, it can’t start anywhere else. “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” (Romans 10:10)

It is your heart that God is most concerned about!

So, how’s your heart?

His, by Grace,

Steve

Wednesday Thought -- August 6, 2014

Good Morning Friends,

“You boast, ‘We have entered into a covenant with death, with the grave we have made an agreement. When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by, it cannot touch us, for we have made a lie our refuge and falsehood our hiding place.’ So this is what the Sovereign LORD says: 'See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed. I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line; hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie, and water will overflow your hiding place. Your covenant with death will be annulled; your agreement with the grave will not stand. When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by, you will be beaten down by it.’” (Isaiah 28:15-18)

Isaiah’s words were spoken to the tribe of Ephraim. They thought they had it all figured out. They had found a way to avoid calamity. They were confident of their “covenant with death.” Nothing would harm them.

But like the man in the story Jesus told in the Sermon on the Mount, they had built their house on sand. Their confidence would be proven foolish. Death and the grave would have their way with them. There would be nothing they could do to stop them.

In contrast to the shaky foundation upon which they had built their confidence, God offers a sure foundation, a solid rock. It had been tested and found more than adequate as a foundation for life. It was a supremely valuable foundation and would not be shaken. And God offered this new foundation to them. They could exchange the sand for a rock.

Of course, most of Ephraim clung to the sand. They rejected the rock, the cornerstone, the sure foundation. By the time they realized they had made a poor choice, it was too late.

So, too, for our world. Many think they have death figured out. They’ve made their peace with it. But they’ve built on sand. When they finally realize they were wrong, it may be too late for them.

You have chosen the Rock. Cling to Him! The storms will still come, but your foundation will not be shaken. The Rock will always be secure.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Tuesday Thought -- August 5, 2014

Good Morning Friends,

“Lord, you establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished you have done for us. O Lord, our God, other lords besides you have ruled over us, but your name alone do we honor.” (Isaiah 26:12-13)

Where does peace come from?

Peace can refer to the absence of hostility. That peace doesn’t come from the world – war and fighting and hostility rage among nations, within countries, in political arenas, in workplaces, among families and in marriages. There is almost no place that we can turn and honestly say that it is a place of peace – not in this world. Human personalities and selfishness get in the way of peace.

Peace can also refer to the absence of anxiety. That peace doesn’t some from the world, either. There is so much about which we can be and are anxious. Finances and relationships and health and jobs and so much more. They all rob us of peace.

Where does peace come from? It can only from the Lord. Only by trusting in God can we overcome the anxieties that abound. As Peter said, “Cast all your anxieties upon Him because He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7) The shoulders of the Lord are the only shoulders strong enough to trust with all of our cares. He alone can bring peace to our hearts. Only by trusting God and following His ways can we see an end to hostilities. His counsel about marriage and family life is the only counsel that can bring peace to our homes. His counsel about how to get along with others for us – and for nations – is the only hope of establishing relationships that are right and good. Only He can bring peace.

The angels made the announcement on the night of Jesus’ birth, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” (Luke 2:14) Jesus affirmed that He is the One who came to bring peace, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)

“Lord, you establish peace for us!” Embrace the peace that God offers to you – freedom from anxiety and release from hostility. Thank God for this marvelous gift.

His, by Grace and in Peace,

Steve

Monday Thought -- August 4, 2014

Good Morning Friends,

“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal. The path of the righteous is level; O upright One, you make the way of the righteous smooth.” (Isaiah 26:3-4, 7)

We live in a world filled with turmoil and anxiety. There is so much to worry about! Hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, wars, terrorist attacks. Disease and accidents often strike without warning and take abilities and sometimes life from those we love. The economy isn’t doing as well as it could. Stocks are up and down. Employment concerns trouble some people. There are so many things our world offers that can become snares for our children. There’s not a parent in our world who doesn’t worry, or shouldn’t. Marriages are breaking down in record numbers, who will be next, someone we know?

There is so much to worry about, where can a man find peace?

In only one place! Peace comes only from trusting the Lord. Peace comes only from putting our minds firmly on Him and sticking with Him through good times and bad times. There are other things which seem solid for periods of time, perhaps even long periods of time, but eventually every other foundation a man chooses will be shaken. Only the Lord remains a solid foundation worth building a life on. Even when the whole world shakes, He’ll still be the solid Rock!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Friday Thought -- August 1, 2014

Good Morning Friends,

For chapter after chapter, Isaiah speaks prophetic words about the Lord’s judgment that was coming to the nations. Specific words were spoken against Assyria, the Philistines, Moab, Damascus, Cush, Egypt, Babylon, Jerusalem, and Tyre. The Lord’s judgment was coming: “O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago. You have made the city a heap of rubble, the fortified town a ruin, the foreigners’ stronghold a city no more; it will never be rebuilt.” (Isaiah 25:1-2)

But not all was to be devastation and judgment. “You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat.” (Isaiah 25:4)

“He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth. The LORD has spoken. In that day they will say, ‘Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the LORD, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.’” (Isaiah 25:8-9)

We can count on the judgments God has predicted coming true. God will faithfully keep His word, doing the things He has planned for ages. But those who trust in Him need not fear judgment. It is not judgment that awaits us, but refuge, comfort, joy, salvation!

God has always laid down the choice of two paths for man to follow. Choose to ignore or reject Him and judgment surely awaits. Choose to trust Him and the blessings that will ultimately flow to us will be amazing!

I choose to trust Him!

His, by Grace,

Steve