Thursday, October 17, 2013

The Circumstances Within Us (Isaiah 40:27-31)


SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/17/2013 11:54 AM

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  The Circumstances within us

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Isaiah 40:27-31

            Message of the verses:  “27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and assert, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the LORD, And the justice due me escapes the notice of my God"? 28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. 29 He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power. 30 Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly, 31 Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.”

            “27 Why would you ever complain, O Jacob, or, whine, Israel, saying, "GOD has lost track of me. He doesn’t care what happens to me"?”  (The Message)  This verse as seen in The Message seems to help me to understand what Isaiah is writing, for the people of Israel were complaining to the Lord that He did not know what they were going through, even though it was their sin that brought them to the point at which they were at.    Let us look at Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”  In this verse we can see that we as believers need to draw our strength from the Lord to accomplish the things that we are to do.  The children of Israel were not doing this but drawing their strength from their own self, and this will never work.  This leads me to something that I have thought about from time to time, and that has to do with the Judgment Seat of Christ, which will happen when we get to heaven.  Some of the things that we may think we will be rewarded for will just burn up like wood, hay, and stubble, for I believe that these will be the things that we try to do in our own strength, but the things that are like gold, silver and precious jewels, things that last and cannot be burned up will be the things we do in the power of the Holy Spirit, things that I believe were given for us to do before the foundations of the earth as Ephesians 2:10 speaks of, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” 

            Dr. Wiersbe writes the following about the word “renew.”  “The word ‘renew’ means ‘to exchange,’ as taking off old clothing and putting on new.  We exchange our weakness for His power (2 Cr. 12:1-10).  As we wait before Him, God enables us to soar when there is a crisis, to run when the challenges are many, and to walk faithfully in the day-by-day demands of life.  It is much harder to walk in the ordinary pressures of life than to fly like the eagle in the time of crisis.”

            Dr. Wiersbe goes on to talk about one who is going to take a journey of 1000 miles has to begin with one step and continue to plod along, not running, but taking their time to finish their journey.  As believers we can trust the Lord to give us the strength we need to get us to where He wants us to go, and remember we need to do it through His strength.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Trying to do things on my own has never worked out for me, as I need to follow the direction of Proverbs 3:5-6, “5  Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.”  Knowing this is much less difficult than doing it.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Follow the advice and direction of Proverbs 3:5-6.

Memory verses for the week:  2 Peter 1:1-8

            1 Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:  2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.  4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.  5 For this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, 6 and in your knowledge self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, 7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness love.  8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible Question:  “In green pastures.”

Today’s Bible Question:  “Whose bones did Moses take with him in the exodus from Egypt?”

Answer in our next SD.

10/17/2013 1:06 PM

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