(Isaiah 61:1-11)
1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
Because the Lord anointed me
To bring good news to the humble;
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim release to captives
And freedom to prisoners;
2 To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
3 To grant those who mourn in Zion,
Giving them a garland instead of ashes,
The oil of gladness instead of mourning,
The cloak of praise instead of a disheartened spirit.
So they will be called oaks of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.
4 Then they will rebuild the ancient ruins,
They will raise up the former devastations;
And they will repair the ruined cities,
The desolations of many generations.
5 Strangers will stand and pasture your flocks,
And foreigners will be your farmers and your vinedressers.
6 But you will be called the priests of the Lord;
You will be spoken of as ministers of our God.
You will eat the wealth of nations,
And you will boast in their riches.
7 Instead of your shame you will have a double portion,
And instead of humiliation they will shout for joy over their portion.
Therefore they will possess a double portion in their land,
Everlasting joy will be theirs.
8 For I, the Lord, love justice,
I hate robbery in the burnt offering;
And I will faithfully give them their reward,
And make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 Then their offspring will be known among the nations,
And their descendants in the midst of the peoples.
All who see them will recognize them
Because they are the offspring whom the Lord has blessed.
10 I will rejoice greatly in the Lord,
My soul will be joyful in my God;
For He has clothed me with garments of salvation,
He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness,
As a groom puts on a turban,
And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the earth produces its sprouts,
And as a garden causes the things sown in it to spring up,
So the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
To spring up before all the nations.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
Because the Lord anointed me
To bring good news to the humble;
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim release to captives
And freedom to prisoners;
2 To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
3 To grant those who mourn in Zion,
Giving them a garland instead of ashes,
The oil of gladness instead of mourning,
The cloak of praise instead of a disheartened spirit.
So they will be called oaks of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.
4 Then they will rebuild the ancient ruins,
They will raise up the former devastations;
And they will repair the ruined cities,
The desolations of many generations.
5 Strangers will stand and pasture your flocks,
And foreigners will be your farmers and your vinedressers.
6 But you will be called the priests of the Lord;
You will be spoken of as ministers of our God.
You will eat the wealth of nations,
And you will boast in their riches.
7 Instead of your shame you will have a double portion,
And instead of humiliation they will shout for joy over their portion.
Therefore they will possess a double portion in their land,
Everlasting joy will be theirs.
8 For I, the Lord, love justice,
I hate robbery in the burnt offering;
And I will faithfully give them their reward,
And make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 Then their offspring will be known among the nations,
And their descendants in the midst of the peoples.
All who see them will recognize them
Because they are the offspring whom the Lord has blessed.
10 I will rejoice greatly in the Lord,
My soul will be joyful in my God;
For He has clothed me with garments of salvation,
He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness,
As a groom puts on a turban,
And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the earth produces its sprouts,
And as a garden causes the things sown in it to spring up,
So the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
To spring up before all the nations.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
Because of sinful pride, people think that they can work their way into God's favor and into heaven. And/or they think that they can create a different way than what God has established. Some people even believe that they are good enough just as they are in order to get into (some sort of personal version of) heaven. And in all their efforts, they not only try to control their own lives and fate, but they will try to get others to conform their lives and beliefs to fit into their personal desires and agendas. With some sort of guise of "unity" and order, it might even sound "good" and "right". But one is deceiving themselves if they think they have any sort of control over what is right and what is the purpose for our existence.
Christianity, on the other hand, is not a manmade religion, nor should anyone try to make it so. And it is not a set of dos and don'ts to earn God's love. The Lord already loves all people, and therefore provided a way for all people to come to know Him, if they so choose. This is why He created us in the first place. Therefore, Christianity is a personal relationship with the Lord.
Salvation is from the Lord Jesus Christ. No one is good enough to get into heaven, and we do not have to try to be "good enough" before going to Him for forgiveness and freedom from sin. We are to go to Him as we are, but with a humble heart, realizing our sinful nature and our need for His forgiveness. At the same time, He clothes us with His righteousness, and He begins to change us from the inside out. Because we go to Him brokenhearted, He will build us up in His strength and wisdom, and guide us in His joy.
Therefore, Christianity is not a set of dos and don'ts to keep God's love and our salvation. Salvation cannot be lost or even given away, because of the Lord's grace and faithfulness! And our obedience will be the evidence of our love and trust in the Lord, as He is faithful to work for us, in us and through us, as we ask and allow.
It is always within our control to ask and allow the Lord to be in control - because - we know He will do a much better job - at everything!!! This applies to what happens in our own lives, as well as how and where we find unity, love and peace with others. The Lord created us with the purpose of being His child, as well as desiring that we get along with our siblings and others. Therefore, Christianity is about having a consistent two-way communication in a personal relationship with the Lord. And it is the most important and blessed relationship one could ever have!
No comments:
Post a Comment