ISAIAH 57:15 - 59:21
CONTRITE AND HUMBLE SPIRIT: A "broken heart and a contrite spirit" are a demonstration of God's hatred of sin and evil. When stubbornness is broken down, when resistance is gone, and when we stop fighting, we are ready to repent. Repentance is to turn from self-sufficiency to God, re-connecting with our Life-Source. Repentance must include restored communion with God (abiding) or it is not complete. This means we must repent of being self-sufficient and self-confident, self-righteous and independent. When we return, we come on His terms. NO MORE COUNTERFEITS!
GOD'S WAYS: "He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel. The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us." (Psa 103:7-12)
God's ways are the way of VICTORY, (forgiveness with no resentment). He has not dealt with us in light of our sin, our iniquity, or our transgressions. He stepped into the breach caused by our rebellion and healed it with Himself. When we function in righteousness and justice, we walk in His ways. When we live by the Spirit instead of by our own life and flesh, we live in victory.
GOD'S THOUGHTS: We call them motives. God is always motivated to bring us closer to Himself. Our motive is always to please the Lord, to "delight ourselves in the Lord", to stay close to Him, obeying Him by faith because we love Him. He will not be manipulated by our external behavior. He is more interested in what we ARE, then in what we DO. What we really need to "fast" is legalism, criticism, and hypocrisy.
WRAPPED UP IN MY OWN PROBLEMS: "Their webs shall not become garments.... neither their works..." When we move at our own pace, we fall behind and hatch adder's eggs. Jesus said, "Follow Me" and He kept on walking! To stop or slow down is to rebel. We have no options: change and grow up, or lag behind become prey.
KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE FLAG: The "standard" is the flag that is raised up high so we can gather together at that site. Our "standard" is a New Covenant of Grace. As that standard is raised, we are gathered together - a new race of priests, delivered, anointed, the Word of God in our mouths, offering reconciliation to the nations.
RESPONSE: Grace is not something we ARE, it is what we DO. We are restorers, replenishers, redeemers, healers, freedom-fighters, reconcilers. That puts the "kibosh" on legalism, criticism and hypocrisy. While they worshipped God, they were cruel, oppressive and mean! Heartless, external worship leads to indescribable, moral wickedness and spiritual ignorance. It makes us disoriented to reality. True worship rises from a heart of gratitude and humility and is reflected outwardly in righteousness and justice. In the breach, the gap, between our shame and our glory, stands our Redeemer, God our Avenger.
PHILIPPIANS 1:1-26
THE BOOK OF JOY: "Rejoice" and "joy" are used 18 times in this short book (4 chap). Paul was under house arrest, probably in Rome, and expresses his unspeakable joy! Someone once said that "joy is peace, dancing." Joy does not depend on circumstances, other people, or things. It depends on how I think - and Philippians will give us that information too. In times of testing, my joy is the choice to believe and live in God's Word. When we set our hearts on Jesus, Who is our joy, everything else becomes irrelevant or immaterial. Whatever you set your mind on determines how you live. You are controlled by what you put in your mind and allow to live in there. Whatever you "practice", you get good at. Practice joy! Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain.
THE FRUITS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS: (v.1, 18, 24-25)First of all, there is joy, fruit of the Spirit. Think of God as exceedingly joyful. Because God is so good and so great, and He is the center of our lives, we are joyful. (v.6) God is working in us to bring about spiritual maturity. (v.9) Love governs our behavior. We are sacrificial servants (not victims). Because we see everything through the eyes of love, we aren't critical. (v.10) We are "sincere and without offense." "Sincere" means (literally) "judged in the sunlight". Because we live transparent lives, we are void of offenses (leading to sin). (v.18-20) We have "hope" - and our hope is that we won't do anything to discredit Jesus or our own testimony, for that matter. No matter what, that Jesus would be seen in us. (v.21) We are content, no passive or self-sufficient. We live at peace with Christ's sufficiency. Our contentment diminishes fear, anxiety and insecurity. (v.25) The "joy of faith" is that we confront issues with JOY, not with gritted teeth.
RESPONSE: I think what makes Philippians so dynamic is that it was written under hostile conditions. We don't have a lot of details about Paul's circumstance other than that he was a prisoner. The Romans had to arrest him to keep the Jews from killing him! So he had enemies. He is living in Rome where he doesn't really know anyone. All he has with him is the clothes on his back. So Philippians is the bare naked truth about what it is really like to serve Jesus. Is Jesus enough when He is all you have? Paul thinks so.
PSALM 71:1-24
ALMOST THERE: Many in the OT sinned in their old age and died "in sin". I don't want that to be me. God took me from the womb (not some drunk doctor, like I had been told) - and He will take me from the womb of the earth when He's ready. (v.9) I don't want to be useless. Now that my vigor is gone, I don't want to be forsaken by God or by people. God has taught me all along my Christian walk - and will teach me on my deathbed! I'll be listening for His Voice. I don't want to sin when I am almost there! As long as I can still speak, I will tell others of how good, how wonderful, and how fabulous You are!
PROVERBS 24:9-10
Anyone can call himself a Christian when things are going his way! Anyone can say they believe God when they are doing fine. Trouble will sift you out! You can't fake it when the pressure is on.
RESPONSE: I can't think of a worse fate than to be useless. Of course, what does it mean to be totally useless? Even an old, bedridden, comatose person can be the source of someone's trial of faith. What I don't get is someone who dies with curses on their lips. If I thought I was only going to live for another year, I'd be grabbing all my grandchildren and telling them how fabulous God is! (I do that anyway!)
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