The Simple Life

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...

“I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know me, that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the Lord, and there is no other.” Isaiah 45:5-6 (ESV)   It seems that God, for some reason, needs to keep stating the obvious. However, if God keeps saying it, we need continual reminders that He alone is God, and there is no other.   This might be hard to grasp in a culture that would consider idols "silly" waste. Yet a people who usually love what we should use and use what we should love can easily get everything out of alignment.   If God is God alone, then I need to act as if God alone is God. This means that He possesses a place, both in history and in my life today, that is uniquely His. This means that He alone is my hope, authority, guide, and counselor. This means that all other values are measured by how they bring Him value.   https://www.podbean.c...

"But now hear, O Jacob my servant, Israel whom I have chosen! Thus says the Lord who made you, who formed you from the womb and will help you: Fear not, O Jacob my servant, Jeshurun whom I have chosen." Isaiah 44:1-2 (ESV)   Once the phrase, "thus says the Lord God," is uttered, no more is needed to be said. When the ultimate authority in the universe speaks, all others must remain silent. God was, is, and will be the only authority.   When I live as if I am an authority, I lose, for I can never be the absolute authority. Not only is it clear that God is the only and ultimate authority, but we are told that during our most vulnerable time, when we are being formed in the womb, God was present, active, and responsible for our very creation. Those who advocate abortion are Satanic in that they are trying to destroy the creative work of God, as well as the ability of God to demonstrate His mercy and grace to another person.   Ultimately, Satan loses because those murde...

"You are my witnesses," declares the Lord, "and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me. I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no savior." Isaiah 43:10-11 (ESV)   There is only one God. There has always been only one God, and there always will be only one God. We must know who God is.   Since there is one God, He has names, real names, that represent Him. It matters what name we use to describe Him, and it matters that we do not use His name in vain. Using His name in vain is to lie about something. We want to claim authority, so we use His name. We want to soften the hardness of a decision we make, so we use His name. Satan is the father of all lies, and there is no greater lie than to lie about what God has said, what He meant, or what He represents. I need to spend time discovering Him, not making Him up. https://www.podbean.com/relate365

Hear, you deaf, and look, you blind, that you may see! Who is blind but my servant, or deaf as my messenger whom I send? Who is blind as my dedicated one, or blind as the servant of the Lord? He sees many things, but does not observe them; his ears are open, but he does not hear. The Lord was pleased, for his righteousness' sake, to magnify his law and make it glorious. Isaiah 42:18-21 (ESV)   Why would anyone be intentionally blind and deaf? Those who are blind or deaf need to work harder at understanding the world around them, and they can easily be taken advantage of by those who can see and hear.   The irony here is that those who are blind and deaf do so by choice. Then, perhaps they roam the earth crying about not being able to see or hear. They talk about not seeing God, or not hearing God, when God is plenty evident if they would just open their eyes and choose to listen.   Choosing to be blind and deaf to God will prove to be a bad idea. https://www.podbean.com/r...