October 21, 2006 - Isaiah 62-64 and I Timothy 1
Do you ever feel forsaken by God? That is how Israel felt at this point, and it is how Satan wants us to feel. He wants us to be hopeless. However, if there is one thing that we should learn from Isaiah's prophecies, it is that God does not want to forsake. He longs to redeem people. He will redeem your life from destruction, if you will turn to Him. (62:12)
The reason for this is God is a God of lovingkindness. (63:7b) The word in Hebrew means that He keeps His covenants. God told Israel that He loved them, and He would be their God, if they would follow His commands. He kept His part, but they failed to worship Him only and to follow Him. Therefore, He had to punish them. However, all along His heart was to bless them, and to pour out His covenant love on them.
We need to pray the prayer of Isaiah 64:1-4. We need to desire to have God come to us in His fullness. We need to want to experience His power. He will do it, if we seek Him from a sincere heart, and know that He comes to those who wait on Him. (v.4) Waiting here is active waiting. It is pursuing Him and obeying Him. Waiting is looking for Him to act, because we trust Him. I pray that all of us have our hearts set on waiting on the Lord to come down in fullness on us and on our families, and on our church family.
I Timothy 1 focuses on Timothy mostly. He is in Ephesus, leading the church. Paul wants Him to remind the believers that they must follow God's commands and not strange doctrines. Then, it is almost as if Paul is saying that anyone can do that, if he can. God saved him, and he was the chief of sinners. (v.15) God was using him as an example of God's longsuffering. (v.16) If God could put up with Paul's hard heart, He could work in anyone. Isn't that how all of us should feel? We should take our own sin seriously. We should be assured that God can save anyone, if He can save us. Then, we should set out like Paul and Timothy to share the gospel with those around us.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Isaiah 65-66 and I Timothy 2.
The reason for this is God is a God of lovingkindness. (63:7b) The word in Hebrew means that He keeps His covenants. God told Israel that He loved them, and He would be their God, if they would follow His commands. He kept His part, but they failed to worship Him only and to follow Him. Therefore, He had to punish them. However, all along His heart was to bless them, and to pour out His covenant love on them.
We need to pray the prayer of Isaiah 64:1-4. We need to desire to have God come to us in His fullness. We need to want to experience His power. He will do it, if we seek Him from a sincere heart, and know that He comes to those who wait on Him. (v.4) Waiting here is active waiting. It is pursuing Him and obeying Him. Waiting is looking for Him to act, because we trust Him. I pray that all of us have our hearts set on waiting on the Lord to come down in fullness on us and on our families, and on our church family.
I Timothy 1 focuses on Timothy mostly. He is in Ephesus, leading the church. Paul wants Him to remind the believers that they must follow God's commands and not strange doctrines. Then, it is almost as if Paul is saying that anyone can do that, if he can. God saved him, and he was the chief of sinners. (v.15) God was using him as an example of God's longsuffering. (v.16) If God could put up with Paul's hard heart, He could work in anyone. Isn't that how all of us should feel? We should take our own sin seriously. We should be assured that God can save anyone, if He can save us. Then, we should set out like Paul and Timothy to share the gospel with those around us.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Isaiah 65-66 and I Timothy 2.