Isaiah 48:9-11 - For my own name's sake
I delay my wrath; for the sake of my praise I hold it back from
you, so as not to cut you off. See, I have refined you, though
not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace
of affliction. For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this. How can I let myself be defamed? I will not yield my glory to another.
It was Isaiah’s
sole job to deliver God’s exact words to the people. He relayed the words of
God’s hope….comfort….and this time anger and disappointment….to a people that
God had planned so much more. All God really
wanted was for them to love him more than anything else…trust him…and keep the
promises they made to him. But they fell so short of God’s goal for them.
They became
comfortable in the wealth of their city….and built false confidence in the
blood lines of the Jewish nation. They
let the fortified city they lived in become their salvation…thinking falsely
that its tall walls could protect them from anything. So God allowed the
refining fires of oppression teach them that he was their salvation…not the
material things around them.
It’s a concept
that satan uses to his advantage. He tricks us into thinking that because we
are good…because God is blessing us with good things…that we are centered in
God’s will. But the good things we surround ourselves with give us a false
sense of security…and allow our hearts to relax its dependence on God. We begin
to love things… instead of the promise we made to God to love him with all our
heart and soul and mind.
God doesn’t save
us because we are good...he saves us simply to show his love to us. God’s
greatest desire is to build a relationship with us…that includes prayer and
Bible study. He wants us to seek him with all our heart and souls and strength…so
that we will have the confidence of Moses…or David….or Abraham…to walk the path
he has planned for us.
We know when we
have found his will. Isaiah tells us in
verse 18….it says…. “If only you had paid attention to my
commands, your peace would have been like a river,
your righteousness like the waves of the sea.” That peace like a
gentle river comes only when we have fixed our eyes… ears… and heart on God…and
given him our full attention. …truly grasping the commands he gave us…not
trying to rationalize and justify away the ones we don’t like.
Maybe that’s what
John was talking about in Revelation 3:16.
It says… “So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about
to spit you out of my mouth.” We can’t have our cake and eat it too. We either believe the whole Bible….and follow
it completely…or we don’t believe it at all. God doesn’t want part time…or pick
and choose Christians. We do more harm
to his kingdom than good when we ride the fence.
Father…thank you
for the reminder that I need to build a relationship with you that stokes my
heart to its hottest degree. Forgive me
for riding the fence so many years….and wearing a mask of hypocrisy that hid my
many faults. Help me to identify the
many ways satan has tricked me into thinking that having a good nature and doing
kind deeds will make me a better Christian.
Help me listen better …and follow all your commands so I can feel the
peace of that gentle riven flowing through my life and decisions. Amen.
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