SONG OF SOLOMON & ISIAH

What a great day we had Sunday!!  Great crowd of people, people saved and baptized and one joining the church.  We also had Steve and Mary Frost from Hammond, IN to visit us and they have agreed to come as new staff here at Grand View.  Steve will be our Youth Pastor and coach sports in our school and teach Bible, and Mary will teach in our upper grades.  It will be a blessing to have them on board.  Starting this month, we will be having five new families working full time for our church.  What a blessing that will be!   In reading in Song of Solomon and Isaiah, here are a few thoughts for the day: 1) Songs-- I knew that the Song of Solomon was a song, but what I hadn't noticed is some of the songs I grew up singing that came from this book.  S of S 2:1 says: I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys."  He's the lily of the valley, the bright and morning star, he's the fairest of ten thousand to my soul."  (came from this verse)  S of S 2:4 says: "He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love."  He brought me to his banqueting table, his banner over me is love. (Chorus that came from here.)  No doubt there are more. 2) Isaiah 1:11- "and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats."  Even in the Old Testament, God makes it clear that it is not the blood of these animals that He delights in.  God delights in obedience, love, dedication, and such things from our lives.  The blood was payment for our sins, and actually a pointing to the real payment of Christ's shed blood for our sins, but he delights in obedience from His children. 3) Isaiah 10:20 says: .."but shall stay upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth."  God looks forward to that day when this will be the case for Israel, and we should already be looking to the LORD this way, because we are indeed His children!  Lord, help me today to stay upon you.  To keep my mind ever mindful of you and your love for me, and my love for you.  Help me to stay upon you in truth, oh Holy One of Israel, My Redeemer, My God! 4) What a day when the lion will lie down with the young calf, and the wolf and lamb shall lie down together in peace.  Isaiah 11:6-9 tells us about that time on earth when Jesus rules and reigns for 1,000 years!  There and then peace will be upon the earth, but not until then.  May God bless you today in all of your endeavors, and let us "stay upon him" throughout the day!  Pastor Mike Mutchler