Isaiah_45

Scripture - What stood out?

Isaiah 45

4 For the sake of Jacob my servant,

    of Israel my chosen,

I summon you by name

    and bestow on you a title of honor,

    though you do not acknowledge me.

5 I am the Lord, and there is no other;

    apart from me there is no God.

I will strengthen you,

    though you have not acknowledged me,

6 so that from the rising of the sun

    to the place of its setting

people may know there is none besides me.

Observation - What does it say?

In this chapter Isaiah’s prophesy, which I am defining as a message from God which sometimes refers to future events, concerns Cyrus who will end the Babylonian exile of the Israelites. The chapter goes on to reveal and reiterate the characteristics and nature of God as best expressed in our words and ideas.

Understanding - What does it mean?

Several things stood out to me from the above verses. I have since gone back and re read these three verses 5 additional times mulling them over in my head and in my heart asking God to reveal to me what he meant by them. This is what I believe He imparted to me: God desires to be acknowledged...by us. 

While verse 4 has a very literal interpretation (the Israelites were in agony, having been in Babylonian captivity), I also felt HS show me of one other. I think it is easy for Christians to sometimes envy the relationship that God had with the nation of Israel. Look at how they are spoken about by Him, “Israel my chosen”. If you are a Christian, you long to hear those words spoken aloud by God about yourself. And as I thought these thoughts I remembered the promise spoken over Isaac and Abraham in Genesis 22:18 “...and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”

God’s blessing over me, over all of us came through Jesus, who came for not one nation, but all nations on earth. It’s why sometimes God summons you by name, even though you don’t acknowledge Him. 

There is no mention of love in the above three verses. But I remember a time when I walked onto a dance floor and desperately wanted my childhood crush to just notice me. She never did. Her heart belonged to another. However, I contend that God’s heart does belong to you. You are His childhood crush. And he desperately wants you to notice Him. 

Life Application - How can I apply this to my life today?

I choose to take notice of you today. I will notice you in the beauty of the outside world and the beauty of the inside world. I will take 5 minutes today and just think about how my whole life you have been calling out to me. By name. Even though for so long I did not acknowledge you.

I love you Lord,

-kenneth lee

Luke 6

Scripture

Luke: 6:45

 

“A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.”

 

Observation-What does it say? 

 

In this passage, Jesus is not speaking to a general audience, He was speaking to His disciples and anyone else who chose to align themselves with Him. Jesus spoke on the Beatitudes, the importance of loving your enemies, He spoke on not judging others, and in this particular verse, He spoke on knowing if a person was a true disciple by their actions-(knowing a tree by the fruit it produces). How a person talks and acts will show the true colors of their heart.

 

Understanding-What does it mean?

 

You’re just like your dad.

 

Have you ever received that comment in your life? Depending on what the person is referring to, it can be a good or a bad thing. For me, I get my stubbornness from my dad. But I also have his hard work ethic. I also get my rugged good looks from him. And from that last statement, you also know now that I get my silly sense of humor from him as well. 🤣 The point is we all obtain characteristics from our parents whether they are good ones or bad ones. It’s in our DNA. It’s also from being around them constantly and how they raised us to be.

 

So if you consider yourself to be a Christ Follower, you should have some of your Heavenly Father’s traits. Or should I say your actions should be producing some of the fruits of the spirit.

 

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

-Galatians‬ ‭5:22-23‬a‬‬

 

You see, once you accept Jesus into your heart, you are now adopted into the family of God. He is now your Heavenly Father, who leaves you His Holy Spirit to help strengthen and guide you in your daily life. Our relationship with Jesus is one of a Father and child. So, it’s only natural if we spend our time with Him and follow His instructions, that we too will begin to look and act like Him. At the end of the day, the fruit of a person’s life-their words and actions, reveals who is and is not a true follower of Jesus. A believer’s actions must match his or her professions-(Romans 8:5-8).

 

Life Application

 

Do my words and actions reflect that I am a follower of Christ Jesus?

 

Father God, forgive me for the times my actions and words fall short of Your calling. I pray that You continue to fill me with your Holy Spirit, help me to be obedient to Your will, and guide me to fulfill Your ways. Help steer me away from being a tree that produces bitter fruits, that withers away and is thrown into the fire. Instead help me to be a tree that produces fruit, that helps nurture and feed others in need. In your Holy name I pray, Amen.

 

-Moses Gaddi

 

Isaiah_43

Scripture

 

Isaiah 43:18-19

 

18 “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. 19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

 

Observation-What does it say?

 

“In this chapter the Lord comforts his people. By his divine foresight he perceives that there are great and varied trials a little way ahead, and therefore He prepares them for the ordeal. They are to go through rushing waters and flaming fires; and He kindly bids them not to be afraid.” (Spurgeon’s Verse Expositions-Isaiah 43-Studylight.org)

 

Understanding-What does it mean?

 

God is in control.

 

The Lord brings comfort unlike no other. He was the only TRUE source of comfort for Israel and continues to be the only true source of comfort during this time.

 

The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18

 

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Matthew 5:4

 

Let your steadfast love comfort me according to your promise to your servant. Psalm 119:76

 

“Shout for joy, you heavens; rejoice, you earth; burst into song, you mountains! For the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.” Isaiah 49:13 NIV

 

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3

 

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NIV

 

Life Application

 

Continue to meditate on God’s Word and His promises/character during this time.

 

It’s easy for us to dwell on the past and wish for things to go back to the way it used to be. However, God is doing a NEW thing and just like He encouraged Israel, we must forget the former things and not dwell on the past. He is doing something new!

 

For me personally, Covid-19 has shaken my world and changed everything for me from my daily schedule, to my Sabbath, to my work, to homeschooling, to ministry, to my meal planning, shopping days, date nights, hugs, time with my extended family, etc. It’s like everything in my life that I felt was in order got completely shaken up! BUT, God is creating something beautiful with this new normal of mine by forcing me to let go of how things used to be. After 5 weeks of grieving and completely letting go of how things used to be, I’m starting to see it even more clearly now!

 

I do not want to dismiss the struggle that many of us are still facing right now (like not being with each other in person), but if you take time to meditate on His Word and meditate on the positives that have come about in the last 5 weeks, it’s amazing what God will reveal to you.

 

Praying for you and I miss you all dearly!

 

-Michelle Gaddi