today's meditation (Is.65) Finding Peace and Joy

(Dear Lord Jesu, guide me and give me insight as I read and study Your word, and let it be the meditation of my heart...)

(Isaiah 65:1-25) 

1   “I permitted Myself to be sought by those who did not ask for Me;
     I permitted Myself to be found by those who did not seek Me.
     I said, ‘Here am I, here am I,’
     To a nation which did not call on My name.
2   I have spread out My hands all day long to a rebellious people,
     Who walk in the way which is not good, following their own thoughts,
3   A people who continually provoke Me to My face,
     Offering sacrifices in gardens and burning incense on bricks;
4   Who sit among graves and spend the night in secret places;
     Who eat pig’s flesh,
     And the broth of unclean meat is in their pots.
5   Who say, ‘Keep to yourself, do not come near me,
     For I am holier than you!’
     These are smoke in My nostrils,
     A fire that burns all the day.
6   Behold, it is written before Me:
     I will not keep silent, but I will repay;
     I will even repay into their laps,
7   Both your own wrongdoings and the wrongdoings of your fathers together,” says the Lord.
     “Because they have burned incense on the mountains 
     And scorned Me on the hills,
     Therefore I will measure their former work into their laps.”

8   This is what the Lord says:

     “Just as the new wine is found in the cluster,
     And one says, ‘Do not destroy it, for there is benefit in it,’
     So I will act in behalf of My servants 
     In order not to destroy all of them.
9   I will bring forth offspring from Jacob,
     And an heir of My mountains from Judah;
     My chosen ones shall inherit it,
     And My servants will live there.
10 Sharon will be a pasture land for flocks,
     And the Valley of Achor a resting place for herds,
     For My people who seek Me.
11 But as for you who abandon the Lord,
     Who forget My holy mountain,
     Who set a table for Fortune,
     And fill a jug of mixed wine for Destiny,
12 I will destine you for the sword,
     And all of you will bow down to the slaughter.
     Because I called, but you did not answer;
     I spoke, but you did not listen.
     Instead, you did evil in My sight
     And chose that in which I did not delight.”

13 Therefore, this is what the Lord God says:
     “Behold, My servants will eat, but you will be hungry.
     Behold, My servants will drink, but you will be thirsty.
     Behold, My servants will rejoice, but you will be put to shame.
14 Behold, My servants will shout joyfully with a glad heart,
     But you will cry out from a painful heart,
     And you will wail from a broken spirit.
15 You will leave your name as a curse to My chosen ones,
     And the Lord God will put you to death.
     But My servants will be called by another name.
16 Because the one who is blessed on the earth 
     Will be blessed by the God of truth;
     And the one who swears an oath on the earth 
     Will swear by the God of truth;
     Because the former troubles are forgotten,
     And because they are hidden from My sight!

17 “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth;
     And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind.
18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create;
     For behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing 
     And her people for gladness.
19 I will also rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in My people;
     And there will no longer be heard in her 
     The voice of weeping and the sound of crying.
20 No longer will there be in it an infant who lives only a few days,
     Or an old person who does not live out his days;
     For the youth will die at the age of a hundred,
     And the one who does not reach the age of a hundred 
     Will be thought accursed.
21 They will build houses and inhabit them;
     They will also plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22 They will not build and another inhabit,
     They will not plant and another eat;
     For as the lifetime of a tree, so will be the days of My people,
     And My chosen ones will fully enjoy the work of their hands.
23 They will not labor in vain,
     Or give birth to children for disaster;
     For they are the descendants of those blessed by the Lord,
      And their descendants with them.

24 It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; while they are still speaking, I will listen. 25 The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox; and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will do no evil or harm on all My holy mountain,” says the Lord.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

The Lord will establish the Millennial kingdom, which will be Garden of Eden-like.  The only difference is that people will still have a sinful nature.  Those going into the Millennium will all be Christians, but those being born during that time will have to make a personal decision to put their faith and trust in Christ.  

Since Jesus will be here on earth, reigning as King overall, there will be immediate justice and a literal peace on earth.  As far as spiritual peace, no matter who you are or which time period a person finds themselves in, we all need saving to find that peace and joy-filled life.  And this salvation can only be found in the Lord Jesus Christ.

(2 Thessalonians 3:16)  Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all!

today's meditation (Is.26) Becoming a Believer

(Dear Lord Jesus, guide me and give me insight as I read and study Your word, and let it be the meditation of my heart...)

(Isaiah 26:1-21)

1   On that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
     “We have a strong city;
     He sets up walls and ramparts for security.
2   Open the gates, that the righteous nation may enter,
     The one that remains faithful.
3   The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace,
     Because he trusts in You.
4   Trust in the Lord forever,
     For in God the Lord, we have an everlasting Rock.
5   For He has brought low those who dwell on high, the unassailable city;
     He lays it low, He lays it low to the ground, He casts it to the dust.
6   The foot will trample it,
     The feet of the poor, the steps of the helpless.”

7   The way of the righteous is smooth;
     O Upright One, make the path of the righteous level.
8   Indeed, while following the way of Your judgments, Lord,
     We have waited for You eagerly;
     Your name, and remembering You, is the desire of our souls.
9   At night my soul longs for You,
     Indeed, my spirit within me seeks You diligently;
     For when the earth experiences Your judgments,
     The inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.
10 Though the wicked person is shown compassion,
     He does not learn righteousness;
     He deals unjustly in the land of uprightness,
     And does not perceive the majesty of the Lord.

11 Lord, Your hand is lifted up, yet they do not see it.
     They see Your zeal for the people and are put to shame;
     Indeed, fire will devour Your enemies.
12 Lord, You will establish peace for us,
     Since You have also performed for us all our works.
13 Lord, our God, other masters besides You have ruled us;
     But through You alone we confess Your name.
14 The dead will not live, the departed spirits will not rise;
     Therefore You have punished and destroyed them,
     And You have eliminated all remembrance of them.
15 You have increased the nation, Lord,
     You have increased the nation, You are glorified;
     You have extended all the borders of the land.
16 Lord, they sought You in distress;
     They could only whisper a prayer,
     Your discipline was upon them.
17 As the pregnant woman approaches the time to give birth,
     She writhes and cries out in her labor pains;
     This is how we were before You, Lord.
18 We were pregnant, we writhed in labor,
     We gave birth, as it seems, only to wind.
     We could not accomplish deliverance for the earth,
     Nor were inhabitants of the world born.
19 Your dead will live;
     Their corpses will rise.
     You who lie in the dust, awake and shout for joy,
     For your dew is as the dew of the dawn,
     And the earth will give birth to the departed spirits.

20 Come, my people, enter your rooms 
     And close your doors behind you;
     Hide for a little while 
     Until indignation runs its course.
21 For behold, the Lord is about to come out from His place 
     To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their wrongdoing;
     And the earth will reveal her bloodshed 
     And will no longer cover her slain.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

During the Tribulation, when Israel as a nation puts their faith in the Lord Jesus, they will seek His very physical protection against the enemies.  Then when Jesus comes again to have the victory at Armageddon, He will remove all evil and all unbelievers from the earth.  And throughout His thousand year reign, He will keep things in check so that there is peace and blessings everywhere.  It is at this time that Israel will have all their land, and all of their covenants fulfilled.

This passage is prophetic, but it is also meaningful and relatable to us today!  We know this because within the entire Bible's context, the salvation of the Lord is exactly this:

- (verse 1) we can sing of salvation's security we have in Jesus

- (verse 2) when we put our faith in Jesus, we are made righteous

- (verse 2) because the Lord is faithful, it is He who keeps us faithful

- (verse 3) when we put our trust in Jesus, He helps us in our striving to remain steadfast in His will

- (verse 3) Jesus gives us perfect peace!  No matter what is happening around us, we can have peace of mind and peace of heart when we trust in Him ("to trust" means that what He says works, and then we follow through by doing what He says, trusting that He will work things out for us)

- (verse 4) we can trust in the Lord because He is the everlasting Rock, He does not move, He does not change, and He is all-powerful

- (verse 5) the Lord fights for us and takes revenge for us so we do not have to

- (verse 7) as we live in Jesus' righteousness, He will make our path smooth and level

- (verse 7) we can know that doing it God's way is right, because He is all-knowing and right

- (verse 8) as we follow and live in God's will, we will see the blessings, and desire to know Him more and more

- (verse 9) we should diligently seek the Lord knowing that we cannot lose our salvation, but when we live in sin here on earth, He will allow consequences into our lives to discipline us and make us see that we need to get back to seeking Him

- (verses 10-11) there are still unbelievers in this world, and because of their wickedness and distain towards us, sometimes God allows us to experience trials and temptations, which test our faith in order to prove that God cares and will help us

- (verse 12) we can be confident that God will bring us peace, because we can see how He has faithfully worked things out in the past 

- (verse 13) God should come first in our lives because no one else can compare to Him!!!  If we put ourselves or others ahead of God, they will only let us down

- (verse 14) God will punish all unbelievers for every sin they have committed, and they will not have a second change because they will have had a fair opportunity here on earth to make their decision for all eternity

- (verse 16) if any unbeliever prays, their manmade gods cannot do anything for them.  If they try praying to God Himself without confessing their sins, it should be known that sin impedes prayers.  Meanwhile, God still cares and so, allows people to go through things to help them see their need to be saved, and their need for a personal relationship with Him.

(verses 17-18)  trying to save yourself in your own efforts is like going through painful childbirth only to give birth to nothing.  We cannot do anything to save ourselves!

- (verse 19) anyone becoming a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ has guaranteed eternal life

- (verse 19) we can know that there will be perfect joy in heaven