The Simple Life

You are wearied with your many counsels; let them stand forth and save you, those who divide the heavens, who gaze at the stars, who at the new moons make known what shall come upon you. Behold, they are like stubble; the fire consumes them; they cannot deliver themselves from the power of the flame. No coal for warming oneself is this, no fire to sit before! Such to you are those with whom you have labored, who have done business with you from your youth; they wander about, each in his own direction, there is no one to save you. Isaiah 47:13-15 (ESV)   We often quote the verse about the wisdom available in many counselors. We seldom quote the verse that tells us that we can become wearied by our many counsels. It matters who the counselors are and what they are saying. If the counselors love God and walk with Him, the advice will be golden. If they ignore God and walk in ignorance, their advice will be destructive.   For now, we have the choice of to whom we will listen, and ...

You felt secure in your wickedness, you said, "No one sees me"; your wisdom and your knowledge led you astray, and you said in your heart, "I am, and there is no one besides me." But evil shall come upon you, which you will not know how to charm away; disaster shall fall upon you, for which you will not be able to atone; and ruin shall come upon you suddenly, of which you know nothing. Isaiah 47:10-11 (ESV)   Feeling secure in wickedness is the most insecure security available to man. Those who are wicked will one day be found out. They will be exposed as evil, and all that they supposedly lived for will be exposed as fraudulent. There is no way for the wicked to prosper, because they can never be secure in their wickedness. Wickedness bears the fruit of anxiousness, and anxiousness eventually leads to hopelessness and depression.   If we deal with the wickedness in our lives, the anxious, hopeless depression will disappear. We need no miracle drug or activity; we n...

"Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors, remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,' calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it." Isaiah 46:8-11 (ESV)   God said that He has a purpose and that He will do it. He is not random. He will accomplish His purpose no matter what I think, do, or say. If I want to be a part of what He does, I need to choose to be a part of it. If I choose to ignore Him or say no to Him, I lose.   One cannot think that God is random or tied to our personal responses. He is not. My only hope is to be in sync with Him. https://www.podbean.com/relate365

"Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other." Isaiah 45:22 (ESV)   The word "saved" in this verse is a primitive root meaning to be proper, to be open, wide, or free (by implication) to be safe.   Everyone can turn to God or ignore God, because God has given them that choice. Even though we have the option of truth or ignorance, we do not have the choice of consequences. Our ideas and actions have consequences, and even though we can choose the path we take, we cannot decide where it ultimately leads.   Paths go somewhere, and only fools think that all paths go to the same place. If I choose to believe lies, then I also choose to look foolish when my lies are exposed. In fact, those who choose to live lies spend enormous energy trying to convince others that their lies are actually "truth," and they can never really enjoy the journey. If I choose to turn to God, acknowledge Him as God, and allow Him to love me, ...

For thus says the Lord, who created the heavens (he is God!), who formed the earth and made it (he established it; he did not create it empty, he formed it to be inhabited!): "I am the Lord, and there is no other. I did not speak in secret, in a land of darkness; I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, 'Seek me in vain.' I the Lord speak the truth; I declare what is right." Isaiah 45:18-19 (ESV)   God makes it very clear that He is God and there is no other. The only way this life will make any sense is if we live in this truth. If God can be amazed, I bet He is amazed at man who wants to have Him continually prove that He is God. It would be as if I were around you all the time, and you were constantly asking me to prove that I was Dave.   God has clearly communicated the fact that He is God, that He loves, that He is the creator and sustainer of life, and that those who seek Him, find Him. We need to look for Him honestly.     Learn More at Relate365.com https://w...

For thus says the Lord, who created the heavens (he is God!), who formed the earth and made it (he established it; he did not create it empty, he formed it to be inhabited!): "I am the Lord, and there is no other. I did not speak in secret, in a land of darkness; I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, 'Seek me in vain.' I the Lord speak the truth; I declare what is right." Isaiah 45:18-19 (ESV)   It seems like the theme in Isaiah is that God is God and there is no other. Perhaps if we all really knew that, and lived like that, we would be in a better place. Those who know God know how to love. Those who know God know what to hate (not who, but what). Those who know God know what is essential. They know what to live for and are not afraid to die.   Those who do not know God seem to be forever spinning their life tires in the "mud of life," expending much energy, while going nowhere. Their lives are full of self-inflicted misery. https://www.podbean.com/rela...