Word for the Day

Looking at Isaiah

“They will neither hunger nor thirst. The searing sun will not reach them anymore. For the Lord in his mercy will lead them; he will lead them beside cool waters.” – Isaiah 49:10

            This verse is part of God’s promise of Israel’s restoration. The key word for me is   mercy (in red above). People both then and now misunderstand how God works. The fact that mankind still exists is due to the mercy of the one who created all things. If what is said of him is true, and I believe it is, they he could literally will our total annihilation with a thought and we would all cease to exist. However, he knows we are but dust and to dusk we shall return (read Psalm 103:7-18 below)

            As is so often the case, Christ is shown as a Shepherd, with us being his flock. He loves us, feeds us, takes very good care of us by protecting us from our enemy. Because of his mercy and undeserved favor (grace) God does this for us. “Israel’s condition will change from captivity and oppression to contentment and prosperity such as that enjoyed by a well fed, protected, and watered flock of sheep. These ideal conditions will be enjoyed by the faithful remnant returning for their kingdom in Israel. John reveals that this condition is a foretaste of heaven” *(Rev. 7:16, 17).

            In God’s great mercy he doesn’t desire that any would perish. It’s right in Peter’s second letter: “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” (2 Peter 3:9)           The promise he is speaking of is his Return or the 2^nd Coming. The Jews didn’t deserve God’s mercy, and neither do we today, but he is merciful to us because he chooses to be for his own good pleasure.  Whatever has been promised to Israel is promised to us as well.  Because all non-Jews were grafted into the spiritual vine due to the Jews rejection of Christ as their Messiah, all their promises become ours. 

            None of us have earned one single thing with regards to forgiveness or our entrance into heaven. Whatever the Lord does is done because he wants to do it for us and it is always in our best interests.  Next we will move on to chapter 50. Until then, walk with the King and be a blessing! rlkeller

Resources: The Life Application Study Bible; www.biblegateway.com/Isaiah

*  MacArthur Study Bible (NKJV) 

Revelation 7:16-17 New Living Translation (NLT)  “They will never again be hungry or thirsty; they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun. For the Lamb on the throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to springs of life-giving water.  And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”

Psalm 103:7-18 

“He revealed his character to Moses

    and his deeds to the people of Israel.

The Lord is compassionate and merciful,

    slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.

He will not constantly accuse us,

    nor remain angry forever.

He does not punish us for all our sins;

    he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.

For his unfailing love toward those who fear him

    is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.

He has removed our sins as far from us

    as the east is from the west.

The Lord is like a father to his children,

    tender and compassionate to those who fear him.

For he knows how weak we are;

    he remembers we are only dust.

Our days on earth are like grass;

Word for the Day

Thoughts From a Random Mind

Here’s a valuable life lesson:  If you make a mistake, no matter how big or small, take ownership of it. Don’t pass the buck or make excuses. Own it. Hopefully it won’t be treated like a life or death situation, but even if it is, still own it. By doing that you build up your trustworthiness and integrity among your peers. Sometimes we don’t realize how important personal integrity is to a person until you have none. 

                  Whenever I make a mistake, and I make my fair share for sure, I definitely feel bad. It’s never intentional, but I don’t like to make mistakes. We live in an unforgiving world; so I try to learn from the situation, and then put it behind me. I typically don’t continually make the same mistake. My next mistake is always fresh and new. 

                  So establish integrity, thus building trust. These attributes are worth their weight in gold and speak volumes about your personal character. rlkeller

Looking at Isaiah

“At just the right time, I will respond to you.” – Isaiah 49:8

            The Jews were a stiff-necked group, calling out to God only when they were in dire need. Otherwise, they did as they pleased, only repenting when faced with judgment or after they had been hit with the consequences of their actions. I lifted the first part of verse 8 from the page to speak on it. There are so many things that can be said regarding this chapter, but as I read thru it the Holy Spirit had these words stand out to me.

            What I’m about to say goes for Jew and Gentile alike. We are a worrisome lot, finding it difficult to wait for much of anything. Things had gotten so bad during Isaiah’s run as God’s prophet that Israel actually thought that God had forgotten them while they were in exile in Babylon. The destruction of Jerusalem and Judah and the Jews being ushered off to Babylon were the consequences of their actions. Disobey your parents in any era and consequences present themselves. It’s no different with Almighty God, our Heavenly Father. When things appeared to be at their worst and the Jews thought all was lost, God reveals these incredible words: “At just the right time, I will respond to you.” 

            I wrote a book called “There’s No McDonalds in Heaven”. In it I speak about having patience when it comes to waiting for God’s answers to our many queries and requests. This verse puts a spot light on just how God operates when it comes to answering prayers or moving on your behalf. It never takes place when we think it best. It comes at the time God knows is the absolute perfect time for us to receive the very answer we needed. It was just as true back in Bible times as it is today. We must spend time with God so we know when he speaks to us. Cultivate your relationship with the Lord so you reap all the blessings and benefits God has intended you to have.  Next we will check out chapter 50. Until then walk with the King and be a blessing! rlkeller

Resources: The Life Application Study Bible; https://www.practicaprophetica.com/isaiah-important-chapters-to-study/

Thoughts From a Random Mind

IT’S YOUR CHOICE

                  The brevity of life can hit you like a punch in the gut at times. Our lives are like a wisp of air, which dissipates into the winds of time. One never knows on what day or at what time we will take our last breath. Yesterday at work I found out that a 56 year old co-worker died in his sleep over the weekend. Although he was a smoker, he didn’t seem to be in poor health at all. When I lived in Texas a short time ago I knew a co-worker who was up in a tree in his yard cutting down limbs. He lost his balance and fell, landing squarely on the crown of his head. He was pronounced brain dead at the hospital.  While living in NC back in the ‘90’s, I had a co-worker who was doing nothing more than starting his lawn mower. While pulling the starter cord he lost his balance and fell backward hitting the base of his skull squarely on the bumper of his parked car. He died instantly. 

            These examples all prove one basic fact of life; we have no control over the longevity of our lives. We could literally be here today and gone tomorrow. It is a very sobering thought to not know when your life will end. It makes our eternal destination go from being an after thought to a more important, more immediate concern. 

            Where will you spend eternity? Do you believe there is a God? If not, are you sure? If you do, have you allowed that belief to change your life? If you haven’t don’t you think it deserves some consideration? We all have a choice to make. We can go about our lives either believing or disbelieving in God. That is our choice. We can also decide to enter into an intimate, personal relationship with God or we can keep at a distance and not allow him to forgive us of all our misdeeds and make the changes necessary to re-create your life. It’s your choice. You hold the key to your future in your hand. What will you do with it?  rlkeller

Looking at Isaiah

“The Lord called me before my birth; from within the womb he called me by name.” “The one who formed me in my mother’s womb to be his servant, who commissioned me to bring Israel back to him.” “You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me. I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.” – Isaiah 49:1, 5-6

            Almighty God, Creator of all things, has laid out who the future redeemer of the world will be, although not by name. It seems interesting to me that the redeemer himself says the Lord (God) called him before he was born, yet we know the Redeemer is Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God. So the birth mentioned obviously must be his earthly, Holy Spirit inspired birth to Mary, because Christ is part of the Trinity, which exists the same way Almighty God and the Holy Spirit do. In other words, he wasn’t born any other time in history. So while the Bible says God simply “IS”, it certainly stands to reason that they “ARE” just the same. 

            God had constructed a plan from the beginning of time to restore the Jews in spite of their rebellious ways, plus include the rest of the world in his plan as well. Remember, Gentiles are not just a small group from a particular region. The world at that time, as well as today, has two groups in God’s eyes: The Jews & the Gentiles or non-Jews. This is borne out in the statement “you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.” 

            The Lord God does as he pleases for his own reasons; reasons we are not privy to. We don’t need to know in advance what God is doing. It’s not as if we can find out on our own and he’s certainly not sharing that information. Knowing only complicates things for us and raises a plethora of often times unanswerable questions. It’s much better to trust that God has our best interests at heart. Some can’t deal with not knowing what the future holds. Frankly, that type of information is irrelevant, because whether we know or don’t know the future is already set and will play out exactly the way the Lord has prescribed it.  Next time we will continue looking at Chapter 49. Until then, walk with the King and be a blessing.

Resources: The Life Application Study Bible; www.biblegateway.com