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Identity

For you have rejected your people, the house of Jacob, because they are full of things from the east and of fortune-tellers like the Philistines, and they strike hands with the children of foreigners. Their land is filled with silver and gold, and there is no end to their treasures; their land is filled with horses, and there is no end to their chariots. Their land is filled with idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their own fingers have made. Isaiah 2:6-8 (ESV) Compromise is the door to disaster when you compromise with truth. Those who are Godless live Godless lives, and those who are Godly should have little in common with them. I have been married for many years, and my lifestyle has little in common with a man my age who has never been married. At my age, I do not act like a teenager, I am not concerned with my credit score, and I prefer older pickup trucks to newer ones. We must live within the identity God gives us in Christ and reject the idea of gathering ...
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It's easy for something that was once important to become worthless.

How the faithful city has become a whore, she who was full of justice! Righteousness lodged in her, but now murderers. Your silver has become dross, your best wine mixed with water. Your princes are rebels and companions of thieves. Everyone loves a bribe and runs after gifts. They do not bring justice to the fatherless, and the widow's cause does not come to them. Isaiah  1:21-23  (ESV) It's easy for something that was once important to become worthless. Intimacy is meant to be experienced within strict guidelines, and when the guidelines are blurred, erased, or discarded, what was once beautiful becomes wrong, even evil. Money can be used for good, or it can be the weight around our necks that drowns us. We were made to live peculiarly, and when we avoid the particulars, we invite disaster to be our constant companion. Sort of right is not right. Kind of good is not good. Almost listening is not listening. Those who need to justify their lifestyle must not know that one day,...
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Life gets rough when I choose to go it alone.

"Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken." Isaiah  1:18-20  (ESV) I often like to ignore the "if-then" clauses in the Bible. I want to think that any flaws in my character and any acts of disobedience are problems that are too big for me to deal with, and therefore, I will never be held accountable for my actions. Just because God knows what decisions I will make does not mean He controls those decisions. He has given me volition, and my choices do matter. I must never pawn off my responsibility and play the victim. Life gets rough when I choose to go it alone. It is reasonable for me to listen to and obey God. For now, my choices are mine, and my choices matter.  ...
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It’s Not About Me

Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations— I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. Isaiah  1:13-15  (ESV)   When we make "religion" about ourselves, we make fools of ourselves. When we make relationships about ourselves, we become "users" rather than "lovers." It is easy to go through the motions of loving God and others when we demonstrate that we love ourselves, and our outward exhibition of sincerity is a show to convince ourselves of our sincerity. Several places in the Bible tell us that our prayers are worthless. God sees through our religious drama and deals with our hearts as they are. We need not do anything to...
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Freedom

"The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master's crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand." Isaiah 1:3 (ESV) Animals recognize the one who cares for them. For years, I operated the horse program at Silver Birch Ranch. Over time, the horses recognized my voice and looks and could identify me at a distance. Depending on what they were up to, they either welcomed me or ran from me, but they always knew it was me. Those who listened to me lived relatively carefree and straightforward lives. I bore the burden of caring for them; they needed to allow me to do so. One day, four horses escaped into the massive National Forest, two of whom were MIA for quite a long time. I was concerned, for I knew that without my help and protection, they were easy prey in those woods. Within a few weeks, I saw them standing by the gate, waiting to return home. Skinny, scarred, and scared, they finally realized that being under the master was better than going alone.   http...
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Speaking To The Deaf and Blind

Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the Lord has spoken: "Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me." Isaiah 1:2 (ESV) "Isaiah lived during the decline of Israel in the shadow of Assyria. He spoke the word of God to a people who were "deaf and blind," who refused to listen to his warnings of looming disaster. He warned that the sin of the people of Judah would bring God's judgment, yet he also declared that God is sovereign and would use Cyrus the Persian to return them from exile. The book speaks of a "servant," a "man of sorrows," who would be "pierced for our transgressions," accomplishing God's purposes of salvation. The final chapters give a beautiful description of a new creation in which God will rule as King, judging the wicked and establishing eternal peace." (ESV Introduction) Here is a prophet assigned to proclaim God's Word to the "deaf and blind." What a...
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God has not asked us to do anything we cannot do.

The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh. The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil. (Ecclesiastes  12:11-14  ESVST)   We must be careful not to add to what God has said, for adding parts to truth can be as devastating as subtracting parts. We must have the whole truth without additions or subtractions.   Anything that does not increase our fear of God is dangerous, and anything that compromises obedience to God is devastating.   God has not asked us to do anything we cannot do. He has asked us only to do things we can do when we obey and depend on Him. If you do not fear God, you do not know Him. If...
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