ISAIAH-JEREMIAH
Today is Saturday, and I have a Mens Prayer Breakfast in a little while, so I just have some time to start typing away. I finished up Isaiah this morning, and read into Jeremiah. Here are a few choice thoughts out of so many I marked up this morning:
1) WHAT A TRADE- Isaiah 61:3, God offers to give: "beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;" What a trade! God takes our junk and gives us His treasures; He takes our sins, and gives us His righteousness; He took our wrath on the cross, and gives us His reward in Heaven. Wow! What a trade!
2) WHAT GOD HAS IN STORE-Isaiah 64:4 "For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him." Doesn't that sound like: 1 Corinthians 2:9 "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." I'm thankful that in the Old Testament, and in the New Testament, God promises the same reward for those who wait on Him and love Him! Heaven is truly a wonderful place beyond our descriptions and beyond our abilities to imagine. Wonderful! Cannot wait!
3) NOTICE THE CONTRAST-Isaiah 65:13,14 "Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry: behold, my servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty: behold, my servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be ashamed: Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for vexation of spirit." God shares with us the contrast between His servant and the rest of the world. I'm so glad to see that He gives us food, drink, rejoicing, and a song! Let us praise His holy name!
4) GOD'S KNOWLEDGE OF US-Jeremiah 1:5 "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." God knows us! Before He created us, He knew us. David said it this way: Psalms 139:2 "Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off." God knows us and still..... loves us! That my friend is the surprising thing of it all.... knowing us, He still loves us!
5) RETURN- Jeremiah chapters 3 and 4, is God pleading with Israel and Judah to return unto Him. He likens them to a wife who has divorced her husband and married another. It would be an pollution for her to then divorce that man and go back to her first husband; yet, God says "yet, return again to me, saith the LORD." (Jer. 3:1) Throughout these two chapters we see the words return, over and over. "Return, thou backsliding Israel"; "Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings"; "If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the LORD, return unto me:" I love this verse too: Hosea 6:1 "Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up." God will accept us as we return to Him. He saved us, and sealed us, and will readily restore us to fellowship when we return unto Him!
1) WHAT A TRADE- Isaiah 61:3, God offers to give: "beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;" What a trade! God takes our junk and gives us His treasures; He takes our sins, and gives us His righteousness; He took our wrath on the cross, and gives us His reward in Heaven. Wow! What a trade!
2) WHAT GOD HAS IN STORE-Isaiah 64:4 "For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him." Doesn't that sound like: 1 Corinthians 2:9 "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." I'm thankful that in the Old Testament, and in the New Testament, God promises the same reward for those who wait on Him and love Him! Heaven is truly a wonderful place beyond our descriptions and beyond our abilities to imagine. Wonderful! Cannot wait!
3) NOTICE THE CONTRAST-Isaiah 65:13,14 "Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry: behold, my servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty: behold, my servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be ashamed: Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for vexation of spirit." God shares with us the contrast between His servant and the rest of the world. I'm so glad to see that He gives us food, drink, rejoicing, and a song! Let us praise His holy name!
4) GOD'S KNOWLEDGE OF US-Jeremiah 1:5 "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." God knows us! Before He created us, He knew us. David said it this way: Psalms 139:2 "Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off." God knows us and still..... loves us! That my friend is the surprising thing of it all.... knowing us, He still loves us!
5) RETURN- Jeremiah chapters 3 and 4, is God pleading with Israel and Judah to return unto Him. He likens them to a wife who has divorced her husband and married another. It would be an pollution for her to then divorce that man and go back to her first husband; yet, God says "yet, return again to me, saith the LORD." (Jer. 3:1) Throughout these two chapters we see the words return, over and over. "Return, thou backsliding Israel"; "Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings"; "If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the LORD, return unto me:" I love this verse too: Hosea 6:1 "Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up." God will accept us as we return to Him. He saved us, and sealed us, and will readily restore us to fellowship when we return unto Him!
Well, more than I had thought I could get to today. Hope you have a blessed Saturday! Blessings on you my friend. Pastor Mike Mutchler
posted by webmaster at
7:49 AM
0 Comments
