S. of Solomon, Isaiah

Last night several teens and a few pastoral staff came over to the house and we watched the Oregon civil war between Oregon and Oregon State.  What an exciting game!  The Ducks (Oregon) finally pulled it off and we were all excited.  Plenty of Pizza, Chip & Dip, and Pop.... make for a great time!  Well, this morning I read S. of S. and into Isaiah.  Here are a few devotional thoughts I got as I read this morning: 1) LOVE- Song of Solomon 8:7  "Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned."  What a wonderful description of love! 2) LEARN TO DO WELL- Isaiah 1:17 says "Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow."  It tells us to "learn to do well", and then tells us how to do well.  By helping the oppressed, the fatherless, and the widow, we can learn to do well.  3) LOOK AT THEIR COUNTENANCE- Isaiah 3:9 says:  "The show of their countenance doth witness against them;"  You can look at someone and see if their is rebellion in them by their countenance (facial expression).  So often you can look at a teenager and see whether or not they have a sweet spirit.  Their face will manifest their spirit.  I tell teenagers that the face is the widow of the soul.  4) FOUL DRINK!  Isaiah 5:11  "Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them!"  Isaiah 5:22  "Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:"  Habakkuk 2:15  "Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness!" The Bible is AGAINST alcoholic drink!  I told someone years ago, if the Bible didn't say a thing against alcoholic drinks, I have seen enough wives cry their eyes out, enough battered women and abused children, enough poverty caused by it, enough wrecked and ruined lives caused by it, enough people killed by drunken drivers, enough heartache, enough jails filled by people in their because of their actions while drinking, and the list goes on and on.  I'm against it!  It will come to no good! 4) BELIEVE AND BE ESTABLISHED- 2 Chronicles 20:20  "Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper."  Now contrast that to Isaiah 7:9  "If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established."  So, the key is to believe!!!!  Keep the faith dear friend.  Well, hope you have a blessed day!  (like the background?)  Pastor Mike Mutchler