Isaiah 61 - 10.17.25
Scripture: Isaiah 61:1-4
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,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn, 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.
They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.
Observations:
This is a Scripture Jesus read in the temple.
It was His mission. He has commissioned us to fulfill it as well.
We are to proclaim good news to the poor.
Bind up the brokenhearted.
Proclaim freedom to the captives.
Release prisoners from darkness.
Proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.
I love His exchange:
Beauty for Ashes.
Joy instead of mourning.
Praise instead of despair.
By doing this we will display God’s splendor, rebuild ancient ruins, and restore places long devastated.
Application:
As I look at the list above I need to ask myself:
What am I doing?
What do I need to do better?
What am I neglecting?
Who do you want me to share with?
All the words above are action words. God does not call us to be spectators. He calls us to join with him in His work. Through His power I can rebuild and restore.
Prayer:
Lord,
You offer such a good exchange beauty for ashes, joy instead of mourning, praise instead of despair. Thank you! Please forgive me for times when I walk ignoring all you have for me. Please help me give to you those things that hold me back and receive your goodness. Then, I can go and help others do the same. Thank you for Jesus’s example. I want to follow it. Thank you for the Holy Spirit to guide and empower me. Please show me who you have purposed for me to share with and the right time to do so.
Amen
- Cindy Howard
Isaiah 60 - 10.16.25
SCRIPTURE
Isaiah 60:19 NIV
“The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you,
for the Lord will be your everlasting light—and—your God will be your glory.”
OBSERVATION
We should read Isaiah 60 and Revelation 21-22 again and again to remind ourselves of what awaits us. Our real Home. When we will SEE God face-to-face. Everything we are and everything we are doing Today is because—JESUS is—who He said—HE is—AND—HE IS Coming Back!
“For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.” (Hebrews 13:14)
“They will SEE His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night…or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.” (Revelation 22:4-5)
APPLICATION
Put God First
This Life on earth feels very urgent because we can see, taste, and feel it. But the Bible tells us that this place is not our home. Paul told us to “Set our sights on the Reality of Heaven—and to Let it FILL our thoughts” (Colossians 3:1-2). In Heaven we will SEE Christ Face-to-Face. We will also See how we prioritized our lives. Each day that we live we are one day closer to SEEING Jesus—
We have One Purpose-a Commission while we are here on earth. It is every Believer’s Purpose.
Make Disciples.
While Doing this we are to Live our Lives according to God’s Commandments.
If anyone doubts this, read through Jesus’ sermon on the mount (Matthew 5-7). Jesus didn’t forsake God’s commandments. He upped the ante by explaining it’s not just our outward actions that concern God—but our inward thoughts and heart as well.
God wants us to Put Him First not just because He Commands it BUT most importantly—because we Love Him—and—out of an ever-growing understanding of His Love for us. Which is SO great we will never fully understand it (Ephesians 3:19).
Loving God means Loving what He Loves.
We can get very distracted in this life with our plates being so full.
But only when we Put Jesus First in our Hearts will everything else in our lives fall into place.
God will accept No other position. HE won’t accept #2. He isn’t applying for the position. God IS God.
And to be clear in case there is any confusion…Jesus IS God—the Same God of the Old Testament.
Jesus said, “I AND The Father are ONE” (John 10:30 NIV)
The First Three Commandments Tell us How Important God takes Being—FIRST —Exodus 20:3-7
'“You shall have NO other gods before me.”
“You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind”
“You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God.”
I love a teaching that gave an acronym. Put God- F.I.R.S.T.
F: Finances: Put God First in Your Finances: Everything we have Belongs to God. He graciously only asks for 10% as a reminder of who we belong to and where our Provision comes from.
“You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But REMEMBER the Lord your God—For it is God who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which HE swore to your ancestors, as it is today.” (Deuteronomy 8:17-18 NIV)
I: Interests:Jesus First in Interests includes career, hobbies. I’m not a huge sports fan but I see how sports enthusiasts are with their teams. They jump up and down and shout for joy with every victory. They are called Fans. If believers do this in Church they are called “weirdo- fanatics”. What if we as believers put the same zeal for Jesus Into our worship on Sundays and our lifestyle as we do for our other interests?
“So…whatever you do—Do it ALL for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31 )
R: Relationships: Putting God First in relationships means there may be a cost. Peter understood this when he stood before the same Sanhedrin that had Jesus crucified and said, “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). You can also read about three brave men who refused to bow down to an idol made of Gold on threat of being thrown into a Furnace turned up seven times hotter (Daniel 3:13-28). God glorified Himself by preserving them.
S: Schedule: Put God First in our Schedule. We heard an important Truth from Pastor Levi about Sabbath. God created a Sabbath because He values us and knows our needs—to commune with Him and Rest. It’s also important to recognize that we need communion, worship, and rest with God-- every single day. We are in a relationship with God. If I told Larry (my husband), “I’ll be faithful to you One day a week, but these other six days my schedule is something I can’t account to you for”—How do you think he would respond? Partial faithfulness is NO faithfulness. We need God—daily. First. Every single day. With my current demands of a husband with a major health condition, chaplain responsibilities, ministry responsibilities, and the normal day in day out chores—I have to be very purposeful about getting up early for my morning time with God. When I don’t—God doesn’t suffer, I do. I need His Presence and His Filling each day—as we ALL do.
“Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.” (John 15:4a)
T: Troubles: Put Jesus First in our Troubles. We all go through various troubles and challenges at different times. So often Jesus is our last resort instead of our First. You can put an egg in boiling water and it hardens—You can put a potato in the same boiling water and it will soften. If we surrender our Troubles to Jesus, He promises to care for AND carry us through. May our lives be a sweet surrendered aroma.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28 NIV)
PRAYER
Lord Jesus,
One day I will stand before you as every single person will and You will open Your book and You will give the accounting of my life. What You considered Fruit and what You did not. Somehow I believe there will be things that make sense and things that I will be surprised both ways on. But your word says we will all KNOW that all YOU do is Justified. Help me Father to Hear Your voice and Do what You call me to do this side of eternity. Forgive me for the many times I have failed, judged, feared man over You. Give me boldness to go forward and help me if I err, to err on the side of sharing Your Love and salvation. Thank You for saving me. Hell is a very real eternal punishment that I don’t wish on anyone. Give me Your heart to speak up—whenever there is an opportunity. Point me to the people your eyes are on— and may I trust in Your word that says, “Your Holy Spirit will give my mouth utterance”. In Jesus Name. amen.
Tina L Kudelka
Isaiah 59 - 10.15.25
Scripture
Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. (Isaiah 59:1)
Observation
God says my arm is not too short that I cannot help you, and my ear is not short of hearing that I cannot hear your prayer. The arm of the Lord is a metaphor for God’s mighty power. The Lord made the heavens and the earth by His outstretched arm (Jer 32:17). He brought the Israelites out by His outstretched arm (Ex 6:6, Deut 26:8). There is nothing that the Lord cannot do through his mighty power.
The ears of the Lord are not too dull to hear. This expression shows how the Lord is always listening to our every prayer. The psalmist says He inclines his ear to me and hears my cry (Ps 40:1). This shows how the Lord is attentive to our prayers.
Application
The Lord is mighty, and the Lord always hears us. He is not short of resources to help us. Then why do we sometimes feel that the Lord is not seeing us, and that our prayers are not answered?
Sometimes the reason we haven’t received is simply because we have not asked! James 4:2 says “You do not have because you do not ask God”. Sometimes we do not receive even when we ask. This is because we ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend what you get on our pleasures (James 4:3). So if our prayers are not answered, let us examine our heart, and correct our motives if we need to.
Let us draw near to the Lord, knowing that He is our Father. He has all the power needed to solve our problems. He hears every cry of our heart. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need, (Heb 4:16), calling Him “Abba Father” (Gal 4:6).
Prayer
Father, I thank you because I am your child. I want to join with Jeremiah and say, “Oh Lord God, you have made the heavens and the earth by your power and outstretched arm, and nothing is too difficult for you (Jer 32:17). Your hand is not shortened so that it cannot help me, and your ear is not too dull that it cannot hear (Is 59:1). There is nothing impossible for you (Luke 1:37). And you have said that all things are possible for me when I believe (Mark 9:23). Lord, you are my confidence, and you keep my foot from getting caught (Prov 3:26). I put my trust in you, and you do not let those who put their trust in you to be put to shame (Rom 10:11). You are the glory and the lifter of my head (Ps 3:3). You are my God who performs all things for me (Ps 57:2). I can do all things through you who strengthen me (Phil 4:13). I trust in you. I rest in you (Ps 37:7). In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Asha Chacko George