Tag: restoration

Posted in Devotions

Acts 14 Part 2–Rock Star or Heretic, God is Still in Charge

Posted on by Michael Smith

People are fickle.  Paul and Barnabus were literally being treated like gods.  They preached the Gospel, healed the sick, and the crowd loved it…well they did until they didn’t.  Paul and Barnabus told the crowd to cut it out.  They were just normal guys, like the rest of the crowd.  They continued to point back to God not to themselves.  Well, somehow the Jewish leaders in the area used that to stir the crowd up and change their mood from deifying Paul to killing him.  The next thing that we read is that the crowd stone Paul to what seems to be death and dragged him out of the town.  That could not have been pleasant.

The disciples were crushed.  Their leader was dead…or was he? Nope! Paul stood up and went back into town preaching and training leaders for the churches in the area.  Dr. Luke does not share details, but stoning is not a form of execution that one can easily fake.  God healed Paul.  There is no telling the amount of damage their stoning would have done to Paul, but Paul rose, went back into town, and carried on as if nothing had transpired! That was a miracle.

Each time I read one of the amazing stories of healing, I am reminded of 2 things.  First, God does not promise this journey will be easy, pleasant, or painless.  As soldiers in battle, we must expect opposition to take many forms and be in our path.  Sometimes we can easily confront it and move on, but other times, it will seem life altering and overwhelming.  We cannot see any way to get past it.  It is those times when God shows Himself the most amazing.  He promises to prepare, protect, and provide for His own.  What form that may take is often different than we would hope or expect.  When we see God’s handiwork, however, we know without a doubt it was Him all along.

Paul did not gloat or draw attention to himself upon His return.  Instead, he and Barnabus simply continued the work of the Gospel.  No fanfare, no revenge–simply showing grace and love for the people in the churches that the men helped to establish.  As our Lord’s soldiers, we must remember that serving God is simply not about us.  Whether we are being courted as Rock stars or stoned as heretics; we must focus on the Lord and His mission for our lives.  If we will, He will be glorified, and we will be blessed!

God Bless You

14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out, 15 “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. 16 In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. 17 Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.” 18 Even with these words they scarcely restrained the people from offering sacrifice to them.

Paul Stoned at Lystra

19 But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. 20 But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. 21 When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, 22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. 23 And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

Posted in A Father's Love, devotion, Devotions, Holiness, spiritual warfare, The Gospels, wisdom, worship

Luke 15 Part 1–The Lost Stories (Sheep and Coin)

Posted on by Michael Smith

Luke highlights God’s Devotion to us by relating Jesus’ parables about the lost sheep, coin, and son.  These parables highlight God’s incredible devotion for the lost.  In the first story Jesus speaks of the danger a shepherd is willing to risk saving a lost lamb.  He would leave the 99 in his flock to find the one that was lost.  And when found, He would love the lost lamb, carry it to safety and celebrate the lamb’s return without a worry for the other 99.  

Next, Jesus speaks of a lost coin.  In this parable, Jesus highlights the lengths, depths, and effort the owner would take to find a lost treasure. Neither darkness nor filth would stop the master’s search for the treasure.  When found, one sees the relief and celebration for the return of that treasure. At this point, the crowd could relate–but could they really?

God considers each of us as precious treasures.  There is no length too far, no risk to big, no search too exhaustive to find and bring his treasures back.  He truly loves us and cannot emphasize enough the lengths he is willing to go to save us.  There is absolutely nothing else in the world that matches our Father’s love for us, His sheep, His treasure.  If we could help the world to understand the depth and length of God’s unconditional love for us, one would think they would immediately accept Jesus, God’s restorative Gift of Life.

God Bless You

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

The Parable of the Lost Coin

8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins[a] and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Posted in A Father's Love, devotion, Fathers Love, spiritual warfare, The Gospels, wisdom, worship

Luke 7 Part 2–Taking a Step Off the Beaten Path

Posted on by Michael Smith

As doctor Luke continues to tell our Lord’s story, He makes a brief diversion.  He takes us off the beaten path to a farming community of Nain.  Jesus happens onto a funeral. A widow is burying her only son.  The procession is coming out of the city gate and Jesus and His guys meet up with them.  Jesus sees the widow, the community, and takes compassion on the widow.  Jesus raises the son from death and returns him to his mom.  What a great story!

That is, however, only part of the story.  To understand the depth of love and grace God has for us, let me throw out a couple extra facts.  Nain was well off the beaten path to other communities.  Jesus would have had to be going there for a specific purpose.  It was a long and arduous walk to the edge of a mountain.  So, Jesus walking there to coincidentally meet a funeral precession is simply unlikely.  Truth be told–Jesus set out very early that morning to meet a woman in great need.  He was the only solution to her life–a life that was now decimated.

Luke’s sidetrack was one of the great character revelations demonstrated in God’s word.  It is a physical example of God’s personal care.  This widow in this small farm town lost everything when her son died.  Her dear boy, her protection, her livelihood, and her standing in the community all now lay in a coffin.  Jesus went way out of His way to meet the widow, the coffin, and the boy to restore what this woman had lost.  The people in the town were rightfully amazed, but this was a small town–so what.  The “so what” is the reminder that God loves us personally! He will travel anywhere to meet us in our times of need; and He will restore what we have lost.  

I love Romans 5:8, “God demonstrated His love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” It is a spiritual version to Jesus journey to Nain.  God knew our need and he went way out of His way to meet us.  He comes to our funeral and restores us.  We can never forget that God’s sacrifice was not made at a point that we deserved it.  No, He made the sacrifice only because He loves us personally and completely. 

Thanks Lord, for allowing Luke to demonstrate that character trait in the little town of Nain.

God Bless You

Soon afterward Jesus went with his disciples to the village of Nain, and a large crowd followed him. 12 A funeral procession was coming out as he approached the village gate. The young man who had died was a widow’s only son, and a large crowd from the village was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, his heart overflowed with compassion. “Don’t cry!” he said. 14 Then he walked over to the coffin and touched it, and the bearers stopped. “Young man,” he said, “I tell you, get up.” 15 Then the dead boy sat up and began to talk! And Jesus gave him back to his mother.

16 Great fear swept the crowd, and they praised God, saying, “A mighty prophet has risen among us,” and “God has visited his people today.” 17 And the news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding countryside.

Posted in A Father's Love, Creation, Devotions, Holiness, spiritual warfare, wisdom, worship

Isaiah 64–The Reality of Sin and Forgiveness

Posted on by Michael Smith

Isaiah makes the case for a fallen Israel.  Now, remember this is a long time before any of the devastation was present.  It had to be strange reading by the king, but looking back, we know God revealed to Isaiah a full picture of the fall, the dispersal and the redemption and restoration of His people.  Still Isaiah seems to humbly be approaching the Lord and requesting a life of forgiveness, redemption, and restoration–WHY? Because that is what Dads do.  No matter how mad God becomes, He still loves us more.

So, Isaiah reminds God of His greatness and glory.  Additionally, He is reminding God that We are His kids.  He asks God to relent from His anger, though well-deserved and asks that we be forgiven and restored.  While the request is for the Israel of Isaiah’s time, it pours over thousands of years to present day when we and the world can know Christ personally and God eternally. We need to become humble and realize the scope of God’s Love and our sinful hearts. Like Isaiah, we need to approach the Lord with reverence and gratefulness.  He loves us and wants us to be personally connected to Him for now and forever.  We, like Isaiah, know God’s love and ability to forgive and restore us.  We simply need to accept the love and walk in submission to His leadership.  

God Bless You

[a]Oh, that you would burst from the heavens and come down!
    How the mountains would quake in your presence!
2 [b]As fire causes wood to burn
    and water to boil,
your coming would make the nations tremble.
    Then your enemies would learn the reason for your fame!
3 When you came down long ago,
    you did awesome deeds beyond our highest expectations.
    And oh, how the mountains quaked!
4 For since the world began,
    no ear has heard
and no eye has seen a God like you,
    who works for those who wait for him!
5 You welcome those who gladly do good,
    who follow godly ways.
But you have been very angry with us,
    for we are not godly.
We are constant sinners;
    how can people like us be saved?
6 We are all infected and impure with sin.
    When we display our righteous deeds,
    they are nothing but filthy rags.
Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall,
    and our sins sweep us away like the wind.
7 Yet no one calls on your name
    or pleads with you for mercy.
Therefore, you have turned away from us
    and turned us over[c] to our sins.

8 And yet, O Lord, you are our Father.
    We are the clay, and you are the potter.
    We all are formed by your hand.
9 Don’t be so angry with us, Lord.
    Please don’t remember our sins forever.
Look at us, we pray,
    and see that we are all your people.
10 Your holy cities are destroyed.
    Zion is a wilderness;
    yes, Jerusalem is a desolate ruin.
11 The holy and beautiful Temple
    where our ancestors praised you
has been burned down,
    and all the things of beauty are destroyed.
12 After all this, Lord, must you still refuse to help us?
    Will you continue to be silent and punish us?

Posted in A Father's Love, devotion, Holiness, spiritual warfare, The Gospels, wisdom, worship

Isaiah 63–A Story From Three Perspectives

Posted on by Michael Smith

Isaiah 63 could easily be a script to a Hollywood movie.  It looks At Israel from 3 perspectives; the Father that avenges His chosen’s enemies, a grateful child that recognizes and regrets their rebellion, and a humble recipient that begs for forgiveness for their wicked behavior.  The title could be “Three Genres”. 

In the first genre, the audience would see the rage of a Heavenly Father tired of seeing His chosen attacked and abused by all that are around them.  In His mind, these are His precious treasures, and no one will help them.  So, as any great Dad would–The Father interceded.  It was not pretty, and the enemies were destroyed “Hollywood Style”.  The Father wanted to make clear that while there are times when he has had to discipline them–no one can mess with His kids and not pay a price!

Act two is staged in a quiet forest, where a Lovely child tells the story of a Father’s patience and love for Children that chose to rebel.  She sings the praises of the patience of a Father that would love despite the rebellion.  One can hear the beautiful and humble grateful heart of this child of the King.  She knows she did not deserve the effort, but also that Her Heavenly father would Have it no other way.

Then the final vignette.  This vignette is in a chapel on a hill where a child who has given the Father a very difficult time realizes the err of their ways and repents and asks for the pardon the awful behavior.  In that, the Father gladly scoops up the child and forgives the child without a second thought.  It is a scene like the prodigal son with fine robes, fatted calves and celebration that lasts for days.  All are reunited, redeemed, and restored and the family of God walks in peace and unity…

The closing credits display three verses–Romans 5:8, 2 Chronicles 7:14 and I John 1:9…

God Bless You

Who is this who comes from Edom,
    from the city of Bozrah,
    with his clothing stained red?
Who is this in royal robes,
    marching in his great strength?

“It is I, the Lord, announcing your salvation!
    It is I, the Lord, who has the power to save!”

2 Why are your clothes so red,
    as if you have been treading out grapes?

3 “I have been treading the winepress alone;
    no one was there to help me.
In my anger I have trampled my enemies
    as if they were grapes.
In my fury I have trampled my foes.
    Their blood has stained my clothes.
4 For the time has come for me to avenge my people,
    to ransom them from their oppressors.
5 I was amazed to see that no one intervened
    to help the oppressed.
So I myself stepped in to save them with my strong arm,
    and my wrath sustained me.
6 I crushed the nations in my anger
    and made them stagger and fall to the ground,
    spilling their blood upon the earth.”

Posted in A Father's Love, devotion, Holiness, spiritual warfare, wisdom, worship

Isaiah 62–A Prophet’s Prayer

Posted on by Michael Smith

It is difficult to be gifted with the gift of prophecy.  Prophecy has two parts: foretelling the future and forthtelling the truth.  In part, many admire and are amazed at the accuracy of Isaiah’s prophecies about Jesus and about Israel.  Remember, at the time of these prophecies, Jerusalem, was prosperous and proud.  They were very sacrosanct and holy–they were just ignoring God.  They were checking boxes like mad, but had no heart for their Creator, Savior, and Provider.

Israel, like most still loved themselves more than God.  They did not mind making God a part of their lives as long as He did not interfere.  That is why much of Isaiah’s prophecy is simply calling them out for their sins of commission and omission. Here in chapter 62, We are blessed to see this prophet’s love for God and God’s chosen.  He personally prayed for their restoration.  for the return of their name and dignity.  The normally blunt and harsh prophet is now bearing his broken heart for these people, God’s Chosen.

We are also His chosen.  Isaiah wants us to also enjoy the blessing and restoration that is due God’s people.  When we trust the Lord as our savior, He will bring us into His family and, like Israel, will gather us and care for us.  This world is not our home.  We are being prepared for an eternal life in God’s presence.  Here there will be no fear, no darkness, no tears, and no regrets.  We will be new creations in the Heavenlies, in God’s loving family.  Like the Israel described in this passage, we will be restored and renewed in the image of our Lord.  What an amazing promise and gift.

God Bless You

Because I love Zion,
    I will not keep still.
Because my heart yearns for Jerusalem,
    I cannot remain silent.
I will not stop praying for her
    until her righteousness shines like the dawn,
    and her salvation blazes like a burning torch.
2 The nations will see your righteousness.
    World leaders will be blinded by your glory.
And you will be given a new name
    by the Lord’s own mouth.
3 The Lord will hold you in his hand for all to see—
    a splendid crown in the hand of God.
4 Never again will you be called “The Forsaken City”[a]
    or “The Desolate Land.”[b]
Your new name will be “The City of God’s Delight”[c]
    and “The Bride of God,”[d]
for the Lord delights in you
    and will claim you as his bride.
5 Your children will commit themselves to you, O Jerusalem,
    just as a young man commits himself to his bride.
Then God will rejoice over you
    as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride.

6 O Jerusalem, I have posted watchmen on your walls;
    they will pray day and night, continually.
    Take no rest, all you who pray to the Lord.
7 Give the Lord no rest until he completes his work,
    until he makes Jerusalem the pride of the earth.
8 The Lord has sworn to Jerusalem by his own strength:
    “I will never again hand you over to your enemies.
Never again will foreign warriors come
    and take away your grain and new wine.
9 You raised the grain, and you will eat it,
    praising the Lord.
Within the courtyards of the Temple,
    you yourselves will drink the wine you have pressed.”

10 Go out through the gates!
    Prepare the highway for my people to return!
Smooth out the road; pull out the boulders;
    raise a flag for all the nations to see.
11 The Lord has sent this message to every land:
    “Tell the people of Israel,[e]
‘Look, your Savior is coming.
    See, he brings his reward with him as he comes.’”
12 They will be called “The Holy People”
    and “The People Redeemed by the Lord.”
And Jerusalem will be known as “The Desirable Place”
    and “The City No Longer Forsaken.”

Posted in A Father's Love, Creation, Fathers Love, Holiness, spiritual warfare, wisdom, worship

Isaiah 61–The Most Lovely Prophecy

Posted on by Michael Smith

We have discussed repeatedly the idea that Isaiah was not only a prophet, but a true evangelist.  Of the many beautiful prophecies, Isaiah penned; none are more promising than Isaiah 61.  In a verse, Isaiah lays out the mission of the Lord and the mission of His chosen ones.  Just read and let this passage pour over you like a warm shower.  Let it reach into your spirit and remind you of the love of our Heavenly Father.  

From the beginning God wanted His kids to enjoy a full and meaningful life.  He wanted to restore all that had been lost.  He addresses all the pains of poverty, sickness, sadness, capture, imprisonment and blindness.  He understood that every need is unique, and that God cares for each of our needs personally and completely.  Isaiah speaks of restoration and vindication for God’s own.  He heals and restores them so that they can bring the same ministry to the world.

Christ has come.  He calls each to a personal relationship with God.  If we will follow, we will live eternally with Him in Heaven and will see Him prepare, protect, and provide for us while we are traveling through.  We must trust the Lord and know He always keeps His promises.  We can never forget that He will be there for us now and forever. Thanks Isaiah for sharing God’s beautiful promise.  Help me, Lord to trust You to carry it through.

God Bless You

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,[a]
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
    and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3     and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
    instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
    instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
    a planting of the Lord
    for the display of his splendor.

4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins
    and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
    that have been devastated for generations.
5 Strangers will shepherd your flocks;
    foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
6 And you will be called priests of the Lord,
    you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth of nations,
    and in their riches you will boast.

7 Instead of your shame
    you will receive a double portion,
and instead of disgrace
    you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit a double portion in your land,
    and everlasting joy will be yours.

8 “For I, the Lord, love justice;
    I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
In my faithfulness I will reward my people
    and make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 Their descendants will be known among the nations
    and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
    that they are a people the Lord has blessed.”

10 I delight greatly in the Lord;
    my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
    and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
    and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the soil makes the sprout come up
    and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness
    and praise spring up before all nations.

Posted in A Father's Love, Fathers Love, spiritual warfare, The Gospels, wisdom, worship

Isaiah 29-30 With God, There Is Always the Hope of Restoration

Posted on by Michael Smith

It is an amazing part of the knowledge of the Lord, to realize the reality that God’s strongest desire is to bless and protect the ones He loves.  In Isaiah 29-30, God speaks first of the siege of Jerusalem.  He speaks of the sadness as Jerusalem is taken down.  He warns not to run from what is ahead–but, to repent.  Turn their hearts from other gods and destroy their idols.  Then as they return to Him, the Lord will protect and restore them.  He will restore their faith, hope, and their future.  

When they return to Him, the Lord will then come in a fury and destroy the enemy, restore the land, and restore the faith and joy of the people.  Amid the sieges, the captivity, and the loss of national identity, it had to be these promises that allowed many to maintain their faith and follow God.  It was these promises that led the remnant back and through the centuries allowed the people of Israel to continue their traditions and seek the Messiah.

Now these thousands of years later, the Messiah has come and died and rose again; and, we all can be in personal relationship with God through faith in Jesus.  That faith will bring hope in all circumstance and as in the passage return us to days of peace and times of joy.  We will quit worshiping our handmade gods and humbly seek our Father.  We will experience peace, love, and have the confidence that we will be with the Lord throughout eternity.  

We can live without fear in a fearful time.  We can have real joy during chaos and unrest.  In short, we can and will live abundant lives even while the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. (John 10:10) We can walk in confidence as we allow our lives to be hidden in Christ with God. (Col 3:1-4) Thanks Father, that Your peace does pass all human understanding; and Your desire is to bless those You love.

God Bless You

18 Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you,
    and therefore, he exalts himself to show mercy to you.
For the Lord is a God of justice.
    Blessed are all those who wait for him.

19 For a people shall dwell in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you. 20 And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. 21 And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. 22 Then you will defile your carved idols overlaid with silver and your gold-plated metal images. You will scatter them as unclean things. You will say to them, “Be gone!”

23 And he will give rain for the seed with which you sow the ground, and bread, the produce of the ground, which will be rich and plenteous. In that day your livestock will graze in large pastures, 24 and the oxen and the donkeys that work the ground will eat seasoned fodder, which has been winnowed with shovel and fork. 25 And on every lofty mountain and every high hill there will be brooks running with water, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. 26 Moreover, the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day when the Lord binds up the brokenness of his people, and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow.

27 Behold, the name of the Lord comes from afar,
    burning with his anger, and in thick rising smoke;[d]
his lips are full of fury,
    and his tongue is like a devouring fire;
28 his breath is like an overflowing stream
    that reaches up to the neck;
to sift the nations with the sieve of destruction,
    and to place on the jaws of the peoples a bridle that leads astray.

29 You shall have a song as in the night when a holy feast is kept, and gladness of heart, as when one sets out to the sound of the flute to go to the mountain of the Lord, to the Rock of Israel. 30 And the Lord will cause his majestic voice to be heard and the descending blow of his arm to be seen, in furious anger and a flame of devouring fire, with a cloudburst and storm and hailstones. 31 The Assyrians will be terror-stricken at the voice of the Lord, when he strikes with his rod. 32 And every stroke of the appointed staff that the Lord lays on them will be to the sound of tambourines and lyres. Battling with brandished arm, he will fight with them. 33 For a burning place[e] has long been prepared; indeed, for the king it is made ready, its pyre made deep and wide, with fire and wood in abundance; the breath of the Lord, like a stream of sulfur, kindles it.

Posted in A Father's Love, Creation, devotion, Holiness, Marraige, spiritual warfare, The Gospels, wisdom, worship

Isaiah 27–The Caretaker’s Love and Protection

Posted on by Michael Smith

If there was ever a prophecy that shared the heart of a Father, it is Isaiah’s prophecy in this chapter. God is going to punish those that punished His chosen. He would take the leviathan or serpent; and do to them what they did to His chosen.  The picture of leviathan comes from Baal mythology as the enemy that Baal defeated.  God was sending the message that not Baal–but the one true God was the defeater of the evil one–whether that is Assyria, Egypt, Babylon, or Satan himself–God would destroy all whom would damage the ones He loves.

The other part of the prophecy reminds us that while God does discipline those He loves; it is always the Lord’s intent to restore the chosen and nurture and protect them.  Isaiah’s imagery shows a passionate and loving caretaker.  The prophecy also speaks of the remnant’s return to peace and prosperity.  Isaiah draws a picture of a carefree child; peacefully resting in a safe and lovely place.  That is God’s plan and desire for a people that will humbly follow His lead.

In our time, we have seen the rise and fall of many empires.  We have seen nations trust God and as they did, they were blessed. Conversely, as they turned their backs on Him, chaos and destruction followed.  God wants to bless those that follow Him–whether a nation or a remnant, He loves His own.  We must be ready to trust and follow the Lord in all seasons and circumstance.  If we will, He will bless us and walk with us through great and difficult times.  As the old hymn says–trust and obey, there is no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey. 

God Bless You

 In that day the Lord with his hard and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea.

2 In that day,
“A pleasant vineyard,[a] sing of it!
3     I, the Lord, am its keeper;
    every moment I water it.
    Lest anyone punish it,
I keep it night and day;
4     I have no wrath.
Would that I had thorns and briers to battle!
    I would march against them,
    I would burn them up together.
5 Or let them lay hold of my protection,
    let them make peace with me,
    let them make peace with me.”

6 In days to come[b] Jacob shall take root,
    Israel shall blossom and put forth shoots
    and fill the whole world with fruit.

7 Has he struck them as he struck those who struck them?
    Or have they been slain as their slayers were slain?
8 Measure by measure,[c] by exile you contended with them;
    he removed them with his fierce breath[d] in the day of the east wind.
9 Therefore by this the guilt of Jacob will be atoned for,
    and this will be the full fruit of the removal of his sin:[e]
when he makes all the stones of the altars
    like chalkstones crushed to pieces,
    no Asherim or incense altars will remain standing.
10 For the fortified city is solitary,
    a habitation deserted and forsaken, like the wilderness;
there the calf grazes;
    there it lies down and strips its branches.
11 When its boughs are dry, they are broken;
    women come and make a fire of them.
For this is a people without discernment;
    therefore he who made them will not have compassion on them;
    he who formed them will show them no favor.

12 In that day from the river Euphrates[f] to the Brook of Egypt the Lord will thresh out the grain, and you will be gleaned one by one, O people of Israel. 13 And in that day a great trumpet will be blown, and those who were lost in the land of Assyria and those who were driven out to the land of Egypt will come and worship the Lord on the holy mountain at Jerusalem.

Posted in devotion, Holiness, spiritual warfare, The Gospels, wisdom, worship

Isaiah 14 Part 1–Restoration

Posted on by Michael Smith

The Lord has never hidden His love for Israel.  As they contemplated the destruction of their nation, Isaiah was called upon to also remind them restoration followed.  God’s timing is His own and history reminds us that Israel’s restoration as a nation was never really completed until 1948.  Still, God did restore His people.  He used the world after WWII to bring the Israeli people home from across Europe and the world.  Now Israel stands as an independent nation with influence across the globe.

Then and now, God has laid claim to HIs people. That is why those that honor God honor Israel.  It is also why those who hate God want Israel wiped from the map.  One can never underestimate the power of the tiny nation.  As God loves His people Israel, He also loves those around the world that have chosen to have a personal relationship with Him.  They are His adopted children and have the same devotion.  

As one of His chosen, we must live and act as the devoted ones.  Hide the word of God in our hearts. Pray without ceasing. Do not forsake the meeting and fellowship with other believers.  Instead, simply trust God and humbly follow His lead in our lives.  If we will, Like Israel, we will experience God’s restoration in our lives.

God Bless You

The Lord will have compassion on Jacob.
    Once again, He will choose Israel
    and will settle them in their own land.
Foreigners will join them
    and unite with the descendants of Jacob.
2 Nations will take them
    and bring them to their own place.
And Israel will take possession of the nations
    and make them male and female servants in the Lord’s land.
They will make captives of their captors
    and rule over their oppressors.

3 On the day the Lord gives you relief from your suffering and turmoil and from the harsh labor forced on you, 

4 you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon:

                How the oppressor has come to an end!

                        How his fury[a] has ended!

5 The Lord has broken the rod of the wicked,
    the scepter of the rulers,
6 which in anger struck down peoples
    with unceasing blows,
and in fury subdued nations
    with relentless aggression.
7 All the lands are at rest and at peace;
    they break into singing.
8 Even the junipers and the cedars of Lebanon
    gloat over you and say,
“Now that you have been laid low,
    no one comes to cut us down.”