Today is a great day! It's Monday, but God is still speaking to you. Let's check out Isaiah 43:14-28 after you ask God to speak to you through his Word. Give it a read-through at least twice if you can. What are you hearing there that God is impressing on you? These complaints from God made me think:
"You have not called upon me . . .you have not wearied yourselves for me. . . . You have not honored me with your sacrifices . . . you have not brought any fragrant calamus for me, or lavished on me the fat of your sacrifices." (v. 22-24)
What strikes me here, God, is that you sound strikingly like a wife who feels neglected and unloved. It's like you're saying, "When is the last time you bought me some nice perfume or went out of your way to do anything special for me?" I know this isn't about what you need but about what I need. Only when I love you like I should do I find the real life you want to give.
I say that I love you, God. I say that you have first place. But I confess that sometimes I fail to show it. I wonder, if you were my wife, would you feel loved by me or would you feel neglected and taken for granted? When is the last time I made a significant sacrifice for you just to express my love? What have I lavished on you lately? My time? My money? My creativity to do something special for you?
I know that, as in every other relationship, my actions speak so much louder than my words when it comes to how I really feel about you, God. Lord, I want to love you more intensely than ever before. I want you to feel loved and treasured by me. Because the truth is that you are the best thing that ever happened to me! Amen.
Please share your thoughts with us by commenting below. Either sign in with your Google account profile or select Anonymous from the drop-down list.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
Quest
It's a beautiful day! Ready to hear from God? Great! Let's go to Isaiah 43 and read verses 1-13. He's definitely got something to say to you here. Take a minute to listen with your heart. What are you hearing? Here is what I'm hearing:
I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you . . . they will not sweep over you. And when you walk through the fire, you will not be burned. (v. 1-2)
Wait! God, you mean that you accept me as your own and call me by name to walk with you, and that is going to involve fording rushing rivers and plunging through fire? So a life lived in relationship with you is more like a wilderness expedition than a membership at the country club. You're inviting me to journey along with you and experience an adventure together! And it will involve risk and danger and difficulty at times. You're not offering me a smooth, easy ride, but the excitement and challenge of invading enemy territory, expanding my borders, pursing the ultimate prize.
I accept! But only because I trust your promise to uphold me and see me through every challenge. I anticipate the thrill of accompanying you on this adventure and experiencing your deliverance. It will be worth it to get to encounter your divine presence, to get to know you personally, God. That is far worth the hardships of the journey. I won't trade it for the pseudo-safety of a tame religion that shrinks back from any real risk. And I wouldn't want to navigate the jungles and battlefields of this world without you beside me. When I have a healthy fear of your awesome power I am free from fearing anything else.
I embrace the journey, God. Thank you so much for inviting me along!
You guys had some really good comments yesterday. It's enriching to me and the other readers when you share your thoughts, too. And it creates a sense of community. So why not go ahead?
Please share your thoughts by commenting below. Either sign in with your Google account profile or select Anonymous from the drop-down list.
I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you . . . they will not sweep over you. And when you walk through the fire, you will not be burned. (v. 1-2)
Wait! God, you mean that you accept me as your own and call me by name to walk with you, and that is going to involve fording rushing rivers and plunging through fire? So a life lived in relationship with you is more like a wilderness expedition than a membership at the country club. You're inviting me to journey along with you and experience an adventure together! And it will involve risk and danger and difficulty at times. You're not offering me a smooth, easy ride, but the excitement and challenge of invading enemy territory, expanding my borders, pursing the ultimate prize.
I accept! But only because I trust your promise to uphold me and see me through every challenge. I anticipate the thrill of accompanying you on this adventure and experiencing your deliverance. It will be worth it to get to encounter your divine presence, to get to know you personally, God. That is far worth the hardships of the journey. I won't trade it for the pseudo-safety of a tame religion that shrinks back from any real risk. And I wouldn't want to navigate the jungles and battlefields of this world without you beside me. When I have a healthy fear of your awesome power I am free from fearing anything else.
I embrace the journey, God. Thank you so much for inviting me along!
You guys had some really good comments yesterday. It's enriching to me and the other readers when you share your thoughts, too. And it creates a sense of community. So why not go ahead?
Please share your thoughts by commenting below. Either sign in with your Google account profile or select Anonymous from the drop-down list.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Enveloped in Flame
Did you find the lyrics yesterday? God says, "I will not give my glory to another." (Isa. 42:8). You'll hear that repeated multiple times in the bridge of Matt Redman's Heart of Worship. And God says that he will "open eyes that are blind" (v. 7), the basis for the line in Amazing Grace: "I once...was blind but now I see."
Today, soak in Isaiah 42:10-25. Ever heard Paige's Darkness Into Light? You'll find where that came from here. But what is God speaking to your heart right now in your circumstances through this part of his Word? Here's what I'm hearing:
They would not follow his ways; they did not obey his laws. So he poured out on them his burning anger. . . It enveloped them in flames, yet they did not understand; it consumed them, but they did not take it to heart. (v. 24-25)
This isn't the Charmin-stuffed God that I think a lot of Christians concoct in their minds. God is all-out passion. He is fire. He is fury. His emotions for people are intense! As passionately as he loves us, he is passionately angered by our stubborn self-will that leads us away from him and causes us to waste the life he has given us. When he thinks of all my potential for good wasting away in a dump because I'm so consumed with what I think I want, it burns God up. And he will burn my backside with an eventual blast of his anger. Not because he's mean and tyrannical. He wants me to get the message and change before it's too late.
This is the scarier side of God--the side I must have a healthy fear of. But it also intensifies my wonder of him. Like the mighty lion Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia, God isn't safe, but he is good. I can relate to Addison Road's burning question, What Do I Know of Holy? I intend to try to avoid experiencing the fire of God's anger and intead be filled with the fire of his passion. One thing God never is is cold. He won't be tamed or put in cold storage for me to pull him out and thaw him when I need a blessing.
God is fiery in the best sort of way. He is never apathetic or unmoved by what is going on with me. He cares immensely. He is either fired up by how I am letting him maximize my impact on others and my world or he is burning up about my wasted life. Either emotion, however opposite they may be, is coming from his red hot passionate love for me.
God, fill me with your fire!
Okay, you guys have been quiet lately. I'd love to hear your own thoughts from this passage. This shouldn't be a one-way conversation.
If you'd like to share your thoughts, comment below. Either sign in with your Google account profile or select Anonymous from the drop-down list.
Today, soak in Isaiah 42:10-25. Ever heard Paige's Darkness Into Light? You'll find where that came from here. But what is God speaking to your heart right now in your circumstances through this part of his Word? Here's what I'm hearing:
They would not follow his ways; they did not obey his laws. So he poured out on them his burning anger. . . It enveloped them in flames, yet they did not understand; it consumed them, but they did not take it to heart. (v. 24-25)
This isn't the Charmin-stuffed God that I think a lot of Christians concoct in their minds. God is all-out passion. He is fire. He is fury. His emotions for people are intense! As passionately as he loves us, he is passionately angered by our stubborn self-will that leads us away from him and causes us to waste the life he has given us. When he thinks of all my potential for good wasting away in a dump because I'm so consumed with what I think I want, it burns God up. And he will burn my backside with an eventual blast of his anger. Not because he's mean and tyrannical. He wants me to get the message and change before it's too late.
This is the scarier side of God--the side I must have a healthy fear of. But it also intensifies my wonder of him. Like the mighty lion Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia, God isn't safe, but he is good. I can relate to Addison Road's burning question, What Do I Know of Holy? I intend to try to avoid experiencing the fire of God's anger and intead be filled with the fire of his passion. One thing God never is is cold. He won't be tamed or put in cold storage for me to pull him out and thaw him when I need a blessing.
God is fiery in the best sort of way. He is never apathetic or unmoved by what is going on with me. He cares immensely. He is either fired up by how I am letting him maximize my impact on others and my world or he is burning up about my wasted life. Either emotion, however opposite they may be, is coming from his red hot passionate love for me.
God, fill me with your fire!
Okay, you guys have been quiet lately. I'd love to hear your own thoughts from this passage. This shouldn't be a one-way conversation.
If you'd like to share your thoughts, comment below. Either sign in with your Google account profile or select Anonymous from the drop-down list.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Breathe Life
God wants to speak to you. Are you listening? Today I'm reading Isaiah 41:21 - 42:9. And just a tip, if you pay attention you may hear lyrics to a hit praise song or two here too. Can you find them? Read it with me. Do you hear anything?
See, [the world's idols] are all false! Their deeds amount to nothing; their images are but wind and confusion. . . . God Yahweh . . . gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it. (41:29; 42:5)
Our world is a noisy place with a lot of people leaking the hot air of their empty philosophies of life. The gods of our world make a lot of noise and create a big stir like a strong wind howling through a trailer park. But there is no real substance there. The end result of going their direction is chaos and confusion. People are left wondering what there is to live for, if there is anything they can count on or legitimately hope for. It's all smoke and mirrors.
The God of creation, on the other hand, is a different story. The wind of God is the breath of life. When he speaks life springs up and blooms. That's what God gives that no idol can--life.
God, breathe your life into me! Blow through our community and bring real life to everyone around.
If you'd like to share your thoughts, comment below. Either sign in with your Google account profile or select Anonymous from the drop-down list.
See, [the world's idols] are all false! Their deeds amount to nothing; their images are but wind and confusion. . . . God Yahweh . . . gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it. (41:29; 42:5)
Our world is a noisy place with a lot of people leaking the hot air of their empty philosophies of life. The gods of our world make a lot of noise and create a big stir like a strong wind howling through a trailer park. But there is no real substance there. The end result of going their direction is chaos and confusion. People are left wondering what there is to live for, if there is anything they can count on or legitimately hope for. It's all smoke and mirrors.
The God of creation, on the other hand, is a different story. The wind of God is the breath of life. When he speaks life springs up and blooms. That's what God gives that no idol can--life.
God, breathe your life into me! Blow through our community and bring real life to everyone around.
If you'd like to share your thoughts, comment below. Either sign in with your Google account profile or select Anonymous from the drop-down list.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Drenched
We're going back to Isaiah 41 for another message from God today. Go ahead and listen to what he has to say in verses 17-20. Read it through 2-3 times and focus in on different phrases. Ask God to give you ears to hear. Pick a phrase that is speaking loudly to you and journal your observation and application. Here's mine:
The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. . . . I will turn the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into springs. (v. 17, 18)
God takes pleasure in supplying my most intense needs when I trust him. It's not really my tongue that's parched; it's my soul, when I'm living in the wilderness of doubt and self-direction. My inner life begins to shrivel up. Dreams begin to die. The difference his love and grace and wisdom make in my life is so radical that it's like a desert being morphed into a lush meadow fed by a cool, fresh spring that just keeps gushing. That's what he wants to do in my life. His commands aren't to repress me but to free me so that my inner life and relationships can flourish!
God pour the water of your goodness over me. Drench me in it!
If you'd like to share your thoughts, comment below. Either sign in with your Google account profile or select Anonymous from the drop-down list.
The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. . . . I will turn the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into springs. (v. 17, 18)
God takes pleasure in supplying my most intense needs when I trust him. It's not really my tongue that's parched; it's my soul, when I'm living in the wilderness of doubt and self-direction. My inner life begins to shrivel up. Dreams begin to die. The difference his love and grace and wisdom make in my life is so radical that it's like a desert being morphed into a lush meadow fed by a cool, fresh spring that just keeps gushing. That's what he wants to do in my life. His commands aren't to repress me but to free me so that my inner life and relationships can flourish!
God pour the water of your goodness over me. Drench me in it!
If you'd like to share your thoughts, comment below. Either sign in with your Google account profile or select Anonymous from the drop-down list.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Rejection
I've been on the go all day. Sorry about getting to this later than usual. But it's good to hear from God in the evening as well as the morning! Today's conversation starts with what God has to say in Isaiah 41:1-16. There is some really encouraging stuff here. Why don't you give it a thoughtful read?
I am holding onto this promise today:
You are my servant; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strenthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (v. 9-10)
Rejection. It's an ugly word. I fear it sometimes. I like to be accepted, wanted, appreciated, valued, even desired. It's part of being human. But I don't always get that from people, and when I don't it hurts. But now I know that it doesn't really matter. Because here's the deal: God accepts me! The only perfect one in the universe not only accepts me, he has chosen me. He wants me on his team! And it's not like I was the leftover that the other team didn't want. No, he wanted me enough to pay heavily to get me--more than any signing bonus that any hotshot sports superstar ever got. Wierd, huh? Blows me away!
I'm chosen not to be superstar but a servant. Not to crave the bright lights and cameras but the basin and towel. I know, it's all kind of backwards...in a wonderful way. He doesn't leave me to do the work alone. He serves right alongside me. He's cheering me on. He's telling me to never quit, never give way to discouragement. He's there. He's strong. He's pulling the bulk of the load. Every need he supplies. I never lack the time or resources or money or talent or opportunity to do exactly what he has called me to do. And I'll serve a God like that until my dying day. Check that--forever!
Holy God, thank you that when I come before you you never reject me. It's an honor to be on your team!
If you'd like to share your thoughts, comment below. Either sign in with your Google account profile or select Anonymous from the drop-down list.
I am holding onto this promise today:
You are my servant; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strenthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (v. 9-10)
Rejection. It's an ugly word. I fear it sometimes. I like to be accepted, wanted, appreciated, valued, even desired. It's part of being human. But I don't always get that from people, and when I don't it hurts. But now I know that it doesn't really matter. Because here's the deal: God accepts me! The only perfect one in the universe not only accepts me, he has chosen me. He wants me on his team! And it's not like I was the leftover that the other team didn't want. No, he wanted me enough to pay heavily to get me--more than any signing bonus that any hotshot sports superstar ever got. Wierd, huh? Blows me away!
I'm chosen not to be superstar but a servant. Not to crave the bright lights and cameras but the basin and towel. I know, it's all kind of backwards...in a wonderful way. He doesn't leave me to do the work alone. He serves right alongside me. He's cheering me on. He's telling me to never quit, never give way to discouragement. He's there. He's strong. He's pulling the bulk of the load. Every need he supplies. I never lack the time or resources or money or talent or opportunity to do exactly what he has called me to do. And I'll serve a God like that until my dying day. Check that--forever!
Holy God, thank you that when I come before you you never reject me. It's an honor to be on your team!
If you'd like to share your thoughts, comment below. Either sign in with your Google account profile or select Anonymous from the drop-down list.
Friday, February 18, 2011
My One Constant
Happy Friday! We need to hear from God as we head into the weekend. Let's spend a minute in Isaiah 40:27-31. It's short and powerful! Read it two or three times and notice every phrase. I encourage you to write in a journal what is standing out to you and why. Here's mine:
The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary. . . . He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. (v. 28-29)
God, though I get weary and burned out sometimes, you never do. You are perfectly constant. Every day for you is your best day! You don't have off days like I do. And what's more, you lend your strength and power to me and others who believe in you and who look expectantly to you for help.
I'm so glad that I can rest in the everlasting God whose love and energy never, ever quit on me. In my life, he's my one constant.
If you'd like to share your thoughts, comment below. Either sign in with your Google account profile or select Anonymous from the drop-down list.
The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary. . . . He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. (v. 28-29)
God, though I get weary and burned out sometimes, you never do. You are perfectly constant. Every day for you is your best day! You don't have off days like I do. And what's more, you lend your strength and power to me and others who believe in you and who look expectantly to you for help.
I'm so glad that I can rest in the everlasting God whose love and energy never, ever quit on me. In my life, he's my one constant.
If you'd like to share your thoughts, comment below. Either sign in with your Google account profile or select Anonymous from the drop-down list.
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