God's Power for Hope and Peace - Isaiah 7-8 and Ephesians 2
King Ahaz of the southern kingdom of Judah was facing a powerful enemy as both Syria and the northern kingdom of Israel had decided to join forces and attack him. He and his people were terribly afraid. Their hearts were unstable like trees in the wind. However, God sent Isaiah to tell Ahaz that He would not allow Syria and Israel to defeat him at this time. In fact, God would destroy both of those countries instead by sending Assyria against them. God's message to Ahaz was a message of hope and peace. God was showing him that He could and would bring peace, if Ahaz and the people would turn to Him. He even gave Ahaz the famous sign of the virgin bearing the child, which was named Immanuel, which means "God with us." God was shouting out to the king that He was there to deliver him and Judah, if they would put their trust in Him. However, they did not turn to Him. Eventually, they were taken captive by Babylon. They rejected the hope and peace of God.
In Ephesians 2 we read a powerful statement about God's power to bring lasting change in our lives. We are saved by His grace, not by our works. However, we have to choose to turn to Him and to trust Him. He does the saving and the changing. We surrender to Him in faith. Spiritually, we were like Israel and Judah, before we trusted Jesus. We were going our own way, following the lusts of the flesh, and we had no hope or peace. Then, Jesus came to bring us His hope and peace. In fact, He did this both for the Jewish believers and the Gentile believers, so that there could be one body of believers living in the hope and peace of God. What a testimony to the power of God! What a tribute to God's ability to bring hope and peace! I pray that each of us has allowed Jesus to save us from our sins and to give us His hope and peace. That is the life God has designed for us.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Isaiah 9-10 and Ephesians 3.
In Ephesians 2 we read a powerful statement about God's power to bring lasting change in our lives. We are saved by His grace, not by our works. However, we have to choose to turn to Him and to trust Him. He does the saving and the changing. We surrender to Him in faith. Spiritually, we were like Israel and Judah, before we trusted Jesus. We were going our own way, following the lusts of the flesh, and we had no hope or peace. Then, Jesus came to bring us His hope and peace. In fact, He did this both for the Jewish believers and the Gentile believers, so that there could be one body of believers living in the hope and peace of God. What a testimony to the power of God! What a tribute to God's ability to bring hope and peace! I pray that each of us has allowed Jesus to save us from our sins and to give us His hope and peace. That is the life God has designed for us.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Isaiah 9-10 and Ephesians 3.