““As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit, who is on you, will not depart from you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will always be on your lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of their descendants—from this time on and forever,” says the Lord.”
Isaiah 59:21 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/isa.59.21.NIV
Written hundreds (between 100-600 BC) years before the birth of Jesus. God is timeless and He speaks to us today. Am I listening?
“Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”
Isaiah 53:4-12 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/isa.53.4-12.NIV
God supports us when we repent and ask for help. But we have to repent and ask for help.
“Suppose someone says to God, ‘I am guilty but will offend no more. Teach me what I cannot see; if I have done wrong, I will not do so again.’ Should God then reward you on your terms, when you refuse to repent? You must decide, not I; so tell me what you know. “Men of understanding declare, wise men who hear me say to me, ‘Job speaks without knowledge; his words lack insight.’ Oh, that Job might be tested to the utmost for answering like a wicked man! To his sin he adds rebellion; scornfully he claps his hands among us and multiplies his words against God.””
Job 34:31-37 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/job.34.35.NIV
When I forget this I end up I. The weeds and off of the path. When I remember and follow, the path is clear and the burden is light.
“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 well-being 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 blotted out nor destroyed from before me.””
Isaiah 48:17-19 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/isa.48.19.NIV
We are given today.
Pray. Ask forgiveness and forgive yourself for whatever came before so you can make today extraordinary! If you’re here, God has a plan for you, you are not forgotten nor abandoned.
Get out there and do some good today!
“He reveals the deep things of darkness and brings utter darkness into the light. He makes nations great, and destroys them; he enlarges nations, and disperses them. He deprives the leaders of the earth of their reason; he makes them wander in a trackless waste. They grope in darkness with no light; he makes them stagger like drunkards.”
Job 12:22-25 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/job.12.23-25.NIV
After what has been a really crazy week with an election on Tuesday that saw yes a victory in both popular vote and electoral college by one party. Those from the other side are distraught. This morning at Westside Christian church they preached on peacemakers.
I find that right now this is greatly needed.
We will not all agree and certainly I do not necessarily agree with all of the past and future decisions to be made by the executive office, however, as an American, I find that sticking together is always the best choice. When emotions rule we make poor choices, so let’s stand together as a nation and as a people. Let us stand up to power when it’s in the wrong and voice our support for the weak. In kindness, we can come together in love. We can show each other what it means to be humble in victory and gracious in defeat.
For my brothers and sisters in Christ, no matter your denomination. It is our role to be the peacemakers. Not to shout from the rooftops when our particular candidate wins, nor to go into great despair when they lose, but find the middle way. As Wesley wrote to choose the middle way, or the via media, and help those without a voice no matter their political ideology.
One of my friends, who is very much in one party, told the story of his son, who spoke up for people on both sides of the spectrum in opposition to his friends. This is a message to us all.
Let us always be willing to speak truth to power, and when we see that our leaders from our party do things that they should not do, let us never be silent. We must always remain vigilant that all American citizens have inalienable rights, and that it’s all of our duty to protect them.
The Basement of Time 