October 16, 2006 - Isaiah 47-49 and I Thessalonians 4
God wants every one of us to experience peace and righteousness in life. He did not just want this for the Jews in the Old Testament times. He wanted it for Babylon and for all of the Gentiles. He wants to bless all people with peace and righteousness. The problem is that we all resist His will, and often miss His peace and righteousness.
Look at Isaiah 48:18. Why did God want them to keep His commandments? Was He being selfish? Did He want them to do things for Him? That is not what He is saying here. He told them if they had been willing to keep His commandments, then their peace would have been like a river and their righteousness like the waves of the sea. Why does He use these two word pictures? A river keeps flowing and the waves of the sea keep rolling in. There is a constant flow of more and more water. That is what He wants for us to experience of peace and righteousness. He wants us to have more and more peace and righteousness flowing to us and through us. Isn't that a great picture of how God loves us and wants the best for us? I think it is.
Now, think about I Thessalonians 4. God's will is for us to experience sanctification. (v.3) What does that mean? It means that we would be separated from sin and doing His will. He called us to holiness. (v.7) Holiness is complete sanctification. Does He want us to be miserable and to miss out on all of the fun in life? No, He wants us to experience real life, which comes from the Lord. He wants His righteousness to flow out from us to others. This is God's way of preparing us for eternity with Him. We are to live here in the same way we will live in heaven. Of course, we can't fully do that, but with the Holy Spirit's provision, we should seek to come as close as possible.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Isaiah 50-52 and I Thessalonians 5.
Look at Isaiah 48:18. Why did God want them to keep His commandments? Was He being selfish? Did He want them to do things for Him? That is not what He is saying here. He told them if they had been willing to keep His commandments, then their peace would have been like a river and their righteousness like the waves of the sea. Why does He use these two word pictures? A river keeps flowing and the waves of the sea keep rolling in. There is a constant flow of more and more water. That is what He wants for us to experience of peace and righteousness. He wants us to have more and more peace and righteousness flowing to us and through us. Isn't that a great picture of how God loves us and wants the best for us? I think it is.
Now, think about I Thessalonians 4. God's will is for us to experience sanctification. (v.3) What does that mean? It means that we would be separated from sin and doing His will. He called us to holiness. (v.7) Holiness is complete sanctification. Does He want us to be miserable and to miss out on all of the fun in life? No, He wants us to experience real life, which comes from the Lord. He wants His righteousness to flow out from us to others. This is God's way of preparing us for eternity with Him. We are to live here in the same way we will live in heaven. Of course, we can't fully do that, but with the Holy Spirit's provision, we should seek to come as close as possible.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Isaiah 50-52 and I Thessalonians 5.