Humility and Special Favor

 Scripture:

“My hand made them; that is how they came to be,” says the LORD. I show special favor to the humble and contrite, who respect what I have to say.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭66‬:‭2‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

God is speaking here through Isaiah and tells His people that He shows special favor to the humble and contrite, and those who respect what He has to say. This is a very clear blessing for those who remain humble before God and who tremble at His voice. He promises “special favor.”

Application:

My place in serving God is to walk humbly before Him and to do whatever He speaks and puts into my heart. For me, I want to live in the “special favor” category. Therefore, I must walk in humility and contrition. I need to, as the end of the verse says, “respect” what God has to say. I want to live my life in obedience to God’s call and will for me. 

Prayer:

Father, You are my everything! Help me to walk in humility, contrition, and realizing that You made, You called me, You anointed me, and I can do nothing apart from You. I ask You for special favor this morning. Help me to walk in humility every day of my life and to follow You completely. 

Yours,

Jeff

Divine Intervention

 Scripture:

“Since ancient times no one has heard or perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who intervenes for those who wait for him.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭64‬:‭4‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

Isaiah speaks in this passage about God. He lets us know that no one has ever heard or seen any God that comes even close to our God. He describes God by saying that He intervenes for those who wait for Him. He is not just a god out there to be worshiped, but He is a God who intervenes in the lives of real people.

Application:

In this beautiful passage about God intervening in the lives of His people, we see that there is one condition. He said God intervenes for those who wait for Him. Waiting is much harder than we like to think. God promises to come through for us, but we must sometimes be willing to wait. Waiting implies we are looking forward to a better future once God intervenes. 

Prayer:

Father, teach me to wait. Help me to walk in patient expectation of Your promises. Lord, I’m with Isaiah, the world has never seen or heard of a God like You. You never fail and always come out as the victor. Help me to live in faith, knowing that You will intervene in the situations of my life. 

Yours,

Jeff

The Rest of the Promise

 Scripture:

“to strengthen those who mourn in Zion, by giving them a turban, instead of ashes, oil symbolizing joy, instead of mourning, a garment symbolizing praise, instead of discouragement. They will be called oaks of righteousness, trees planted by the LORD to reveal his splendor.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭61‬:‭3‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

This verse actually continues a word from verse 2, which is very familiar. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me and has anointed me to… in this verse “strengthen those who mourn in Zion, giving them a turban instead of ashes, oil of joy instead of mourning, praise instead of discouragement, and they will be called oaks of righteousness, trees planted by the Lord.” This is the rest of the promise that Jesus came to fulfill. These trade offs are incredible promises to God’s people, but we have to walk in them. 

Application:

We need to shift our thinking from mourning, discouragement, and ashes, to joy, praise, and righteousness. Jesus, at the beginning of His ministry preached the text right up to this point, and probably this as well. He came, not just to deliver us, heal us, and free us, but to give us joy, praise, and righteousness. We must make the decision to walk in what Jesus has already provided. Today, I choose joy, praise, and righteousness. I want to live for what Jesus died for.

Prayer:

Father, let Your joy fill my life! Let Your peace fill my life. Let Your love fill my life. Let me represent You well in all that I do. Teach me Yours ways and help me to walk in Your paths. You are incredible and I love You more each day. Let my life reveal Your splendor as the end of this verse says. Reveal Yourself through my life. I give it completely to You for Your purposes.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Sabbath Rest

 Scripture:

“You must observe the Sabbath rather than doing anything you please on my holy day. You must look forward to the Sabbath and treat the LORD’s holy day with respect. You must treat it with respect by refraining from your normal activities, and by refraining from your selfish pursuits and from making business deals. Then you will find joy in your relationship to the LORD, and I will give you great prosperity, and cause crops to grow on the land I gave to your ancestor Jacob.” Know for certain that the LORD has spoken.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭58‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

In this passage I see the importance God puts on observing the Sabbath. He tells His people they must look forward to Sabbath and treat it with respect. He reminds them that they are to refrain from their normal activities on that day, then they would find joy in their relationship with the Lord. He adds that He will make them very prosperous and would bless their crops if they would love the Sabbath.

Application:

When God rested on the seventh day, it wasn’t because He was tired. He was showing us the importance of what later would become one of the Ten Commandments. When I look at Sabbath in the Old Testament, I see God promises incredible things to those who follow it and do what He says. We are not under the OT Law anymore, but we can definitely learn from it what God wants for His people. He wants us to rest in Him and trust Him with the results by taking a day to honor Him.

Prayer:

Father, help me to Sabbath well and to trust that You will take care of things in my life when I honor You with one day per week. Teach me to walk with You and to honor Your commands. I want to live in such a way that You can bless my life. Help me to trust You more and to walk in obedience to Your commands. 

Forever Yours,

Jeff

Don‘t Be Ashamed or Fearful

 Scripture:

“Don’t be afraid, for you will not be put to shame! Don’t be intimidated, for you will not be humiliated! You will forget about the shame you experienced in your youth; you will no longer remember the disgrace of your abandonment.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭54‬:‭4‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

Isaiah speaks to God’s people here saying that they will not be put to shame. He told them not to be intimidated because they would not be humiliated. He encouraged God’s people to forget about the shame of their youth and to forget about the disgrace of their abandonment. This promise comes to all of God’s children.

Application:

God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. As believers, we need to forget about our shame because we are cleaned by the blood of Jesus Christ. We need to stop thinking through a shame based mindset. He that the Son sets free, is free indeed. We are meant to live in freedom, not fear. We are to live by faith, not fear. We should never be intimidated, no matter how bad things look at the time because God will bring us out. We have nothing to fear because we have the Lord on our side.

Prayer:

Lord God, help me to walk in faith and not fear. Teach me to trust that You know all things and that You have my nest interests in mind. Help me not to walk in fear, but to know I have heard from You and then be bold and confident. Help me to lead Your people well. Let me never lead from a shame-based mindset, but by a faith-based mindset.

Your Son,

Jeff

Overwhelming Joy

 Scripture:

“Those whom the LORD has ransomed will return; they will enter Zion with a happy shout. Unending joy will crown them, happiness and joy will overwhelm them; grief and suffering will disappear.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭51‬:‭11‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

Isaiah speaks to God’s people here saying that those whom the Lord has ransomed, will have a happy shout, and overwhelming joy. He says that grief and suffering will disappear from them. These are incredible promises for God’s people who are ransomed.

Application:

The cross paid our ransom as New Testament believers. Therefore, we can claim this promise as our very own. This morning I am claiming unending joy as a crown, and overwhelming joy as mine. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit and Should be a significant part of our lives as Christians because of the Holy Spirit. Grief and suffering have to go away from our lives because we have been ransomed.

Prayer:

Father, I claim Your joy, happiness, and peace in my life. I thank You that Jesus paid the ransom for my life and therefore, I don’t have to live in suffering and grief. Help me to walk in the Spirit every day of my life. Teach me to follow Your ways and to live a full life. I want to represent You well in my generation.

Your Son,

Jeff

God’s Self-Description

 Scripture:

“This is what the LORD, your protector, says, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you how to succeed, who leads you in the way you should go.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭48‬:‭17‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

God is speaking in this passage and He tells His people that He is their protector. God protects what belongs to Him. He goes on to say that He teaches us to succeed and leads us in the way we should go. We are never left on our own to figure things out. He is with us, protects us, leads us, and teaches us how to succeed.

Application:

God delights in blessing His people. He loves to prosper those who are fully committed to Him. He is faithful to His word and does what He says He will do. We can trust our God. He is the only one who can lead us into all truth and bless our lives with prosperity. We must learn to trust Him more and more each day. We must listed for His voice and follow Him completely. We can then walk in His abundant provision. 

Prayer:

Father, You are good and Your mercies are new every morning. You are my strength and my shield. You are my help and my source. Thank You for loving me, caring for me, and showing me my next steps at all times. Continue to guide me into all truth. Lead me into a life that You can prosper. Help me to accomplish everything You put me in this world to accomplish. I am Yours.

Forever,

Jeff