The Simple Life

Wail, for the day of the Lord is near; as destruction from the Almighty it will come! Therefore all hands will be feeble, and every human heart will melt. They will be dismayed: pangs and agony will seize them; they will be in anguish like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at one another; their faces will be aflame. Isaiah 13:6-8 (ESV) We cannot imagine a day when all men are weak, helpless, and feeble. We cannot picture a time different from today, yet history has proven that life can change quickly and irrevocably. The wise prepare for things they cannot know by knowing the One who can be known and cannot change. We do not control the future. We enter the future and stand before the One who creates and controls it. Evidence continually points towards us preparing for our future by strengthening our relationships, not our pocketbooks. God is most capable. We are most vulnerable, and our trust in Him will never disappoint. The children of God are children of hope. The children of...

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins. The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. Isaiah 11:1-6 (ESV) Things will not always be as they are today. Life as we know it will change. Our time and ear...

Shall the axe boast over him who hews with it, or the saw magnify itself against him who wields it? As if a rod should wield him who lifts it, or as if a staff should lift him who is not wood Therefore the Lord God of hosts will send wasting sickness among his stout warriors, and under his glory a burning will be kindled, like the burning of fire. Isaiah  10:15-16  (ESV) We are instruments dependent upon the skill of the one who uses us. By ourselves, we cannot accomplish anything. Without one to swing the ax, the ax lies in the dirt. An unskilled wood splitter dulls the ax, chips the handle, and can easily end up with bloody knuckles. The skilled woodsman skillfully and seemingly effortlessly slices through the toughest logs to make them useful. A worthy worker has the right tools for the job, uses them properly, and, when finished, maximizes the tools, the objects on which the tools were used, and the energy expended to accomplish the task. I am the tool. God is the workman....

Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees, and the writers who keep writing oppression, to turn aside the needy from justice and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be their spoil, and that they may make the fatherless their prey! What will you do on the day of punishment, in the ruin that will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help, and where will you leave your wealth? Nothing remains but to crouch among the prisoners or fall among the slain. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still. Isaiah 10:1-4 (ESV Strong's) Those who use people rather than love people will face an angry God someday. The innocent are often taken advantage of, yet one day, those who trust in God will be vindicated. Our litigious culture often prioritizes personal interests over the pursuit of truth. In the process, we usually run the innocent over and attribute it to doing what is necessary to promote what we have called right. One day, w...

The elder and honored man is the head, and the prophet who teaches lies is the tail; for those who guide this people have been leading them astray, and those who are guided by them are swallowed up. Therefore, the Lord does not rejoice over their young men, and has no compassion on their fatherless and widows; for everyone is godless and an evildoer, and every mouth speaks folly. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still. For wickedness burns like a fire; it consumes briers and thorns; it kindles the thickets of the forest, and they roll upward in a column of smoke. Isaiah  9:15-18  (ESV) Self-absorbed people usually do not know they are self-absorbed because it is normal for the culture to be self-absorbed. However, a self-absorbed culture fosters a lifestyle that encourages self-centeredness. Self-absorbed cultures help people in need when it benefits them (which helps alleviates guilt), they ignore people in need if it costs them, and t...

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. Isaiah 9:6-7 (ESV) Prophets told it the way it was. They were known for telling the truth and accurately discussing the future. We tend to see the prophets as "prophetic," meaning they tell us what to expect. This passage perfectly illustrates the prophetic message and validates Isaiah as a legitimate prophet. However, many prophets exposed the people's sin in a way that warned them of impending doom. Speaking to people who live in sin about the destructiveness coming their way is not necessarily prophetic; it is obvious...