[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (LRAU) as a daily reading update (reflection) from each chapter of the Bible]
𝕀𝕤𝕒𝕚𝕒𝕙
𝟝𝟜:𝟞
"‘For the LORD has called you,
Like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, Even like a wife of one's youth
when she is rejected,’ Says your God."
When there's a break-up, the ladies
are more devastated than the men, what? 😬😂
𝕀𝕤𝕒𝕚𝕒𝕙
𝟝𝟝:𝟙-𝟚
"Ho! Every one who thirsts,
come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine
and milk Without money and without cost. Why do you spend money for what is not
bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and
eat what is good, And delight yourself in abundance."
There are times (very frequently) I
feel like wasting my time, energy, and hope on things that are not glorifying
God and satisfying my soul. And I realize delighting in the attributes of God
and in His word is the only remedy, cure, and my ultimate satisfaction!
𝕀𝕤𝕒𝕚𝕒𝕙
𝟝𝟞:𝟛
"Let not the foreigner who has
joined himself to the LORD say, "The LORD will surely separate me from His
people." Nor let the eunuch say, "Behold, I am a dry
tree.""
God is exclusive and inclusive.
Exclusive of those who wouldn't put their trust in Him, and inclusive of all
those who trust Him!
𝕀𝕤𝕒𝕚𝕒𝕙
𝟝𝟟:𝟚𝟙
"‘There is no peace,’ says my
God, ‘for the wicked.’"
Some people think they can live
without God. But at what cost? The Scripture says, "There's no peace for
the wicked, yes here and yonder."
He is a fool who does not choose to
follow God because he has removed himself from the favor of God!
𝕀𝕤𝕒𝕚𝕒𝕙
𝟝𝟠:𝟙𝟛-𝟙𝟜
"If because of the sabbath,
you turn your foot From doing your own pleasure on My holy day, 𝕒𝕟𝕕
𝕔𝕒𝕝𝕝
𝕥𝕙𝕖
𝕤𝕒𝕓𝕓𝕒𝕥𝕙
𝕒
𝕕𝕖𝕝𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥,
the holy day of the LORD honorable, And honor it, desisting from your own ways,
From seeking your own pleasure And speaking your own word, Then you will 𝕥𝕒𝕜𝕖
𝕕𝕖𝕝𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥
𝕚𝕟
𝕥𝕙𝕖
𝕃𝕆ℝ𝔻,
And I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; And I will feed you with
the heritage of Jacob your father, For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."
Delighting in God. There's a
promise in that, blessings in it. How have we spent our Sunday?
𝕀𝕤𝕒𝕚𝕒𝕙
𝟝𝟡:𝟙-𝟚
"Behold, the LORD'S hand is
not so short That it cannot save; Nor is His ear so dull That it cannot hear.
But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your
sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear."
Do I struggle to delight in God?
Does God seem so far from me? The solution is Repentance—to turn back to God. “I
tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner
who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance”
(Luke 15:7, NASB).
𝕀𝕤𝕒𝕚𝕒𝕙
𝟞𝟘:𝟙
"Arise, shine; for your light
has come, And the glory of the LORD has risen upon you."
God's design for His people is to
enjoy the glory of God. It's to live in the light. The world is dark with sin
and the schemes of the devil. Yet, we, who are in Christ live in the light of
Christ. A day is coming when the darkness will be cast out completely from our
lives and our world!
𝕀𝕤𝕒𝕚𝕒𝕙
𝟞𝟙:𝟚
"To proclaim the favorable
year of the LORD And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who
mourn,"
The coming of Jesus is not only
good news but bad news too. Good news for those who need Him, bad news for
those who neglect Him. Salvation for those who hope on Him, Damnation on those
who live their own lives!
But for a believer, the salvation
of the righteous and the damnation of the unrighteous are good. For they shall
be vindicated, comforted, established, and exalted!
𝕀𝕤𝕒𝕚𝕒𝕙
𝟞𝟚:𝟜-𝟝
"It will no longer be said to
you, "Forsaken," Nor to your land will it any longer be said,
"Desolate"; But you will be called, "My delight is in her,"
And your land, "Married"; For the LORD delights in you, And to Him
your land will be married. For as a young man marries a virgin, So your sons
will marry you; And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, So your God will
rejoice over you."
What a wonderful plan God has for
His people. They were forsaken, divorced, and desolate, but God will have His
delight on them again!
If we are truly a child of God, no
matter what our circumstances may be now, God makes sure that everything works
out for our own good!
𝕀𝕤𝕒𝕚𝕒𝕙
𝟞𝟛:𝟟
"I shall make mention of the
lovingkindnesses of the LORD, the praises of the LORD, According to all that
the LORD has granted us, And the great goodness toward the house of Israel,
Which He has granted them according to His compassion And according to the
abundance of His lovingkindnesses."
I am not Isaiah but I have many
moments in life where the remembrance of lovingkindness is my only comfort.
𝕀𝕤𝕒𝕚𝕒𝕙
𝟞𝟜:𝟞
"For all of us have become
like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment;
And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us
away."
Putin or Hitler is not worse than
Gandhi in the eyes of God. The best deeds of the best human being on earth are
as filthy rags before God.
A spoonful of water and a bucket of
water makes no difference when you add them into an ocean. God's standard of
righteousness is an ocean of water if our righteousness is spoonful or cupful
or bucketful of water.
𝕀𝕤𝕒𝕚𝕒𝕙
𝟞𝟝:𝟚
"I have spread out My hands
all day long to a rebellious people, Who walk in the way which is not good,
following their own thoughts"
It's a picture of God pleading with
His people to come back to Him. It shows the loving nature of God, the patience
of God, the goodness of God, and also the stubbornness and foolishness of the human
heart.
[8:56 pm, 07/03/2022] S.R: 𝕀𝕤𝕒𝕚𝕒𝕙
𝟞𝟞:𝟚
"‘For My hand made all these
things, Thus all these things came into being,’ declares the LORD. ‘But to this
one I will look, To him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles
at My word.’"
Humility is a great Christian
virtue!