The Simple Life

Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations." Then I said, "Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth." Jeremiah 1:4-6 (ESV)   Those who desire to teach evolution also attempt to hide the fact that man was made, on purpose, in the image of God. There is no human being who has ever been an accidental blob of protoplasm. God is deliberative, purposeful, and perfectly capable of carrying out His work.   Those who want to ignore the evidence will not, because they cannot, find their purpose in life. Purpose always begins with God and will end with Him judging as to whether or not the intended purpose was achieved. Therefore, the most essential thing in life would be to align ourselves with His thoughts and purposes.   If we do that, even if we do not understand everything, everything will make sense. For now, we...

Thus says the Lord: "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word." Isaiah 66:1-2 (ESV)   God honors those who honor Him. When we think correctly, we think in terms of the all-powerful God and the non-powerful man. We think about the mercy God has extended to us, the grace He has made available, and we respond in harmony with both.   The older I get, the dumber I am. The older I get, the less powerful I feel. There will come a time when, as it was in my beginning, I will be helpless and realize that I can do nothing without help.   I am not self-perpetuating. I cannot control my destiny, but I can love the one who can, and will, and I can rest in the fact that He loves me. https://www.podbean.c...

But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. Isaiah 64:8 (ESV) God makes it clear who has the authority in this life. Clay has no way to claim authority over the potter, and for man to do such a thing is ludicrous.   It is interesting that Adam, the first man, was formed from clay, and this sculpted clay was lifeless until God breathed the breath of life into it. In a way, man is nothing more than living, breathing clay, and when his breath runs out, he goes back to clay.   The prophet continues to talk of the craziness of some people by saying this: "I spread out my hands all the day to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, following their own devices…." Isaiah 65:2 (ESV)   Created clay listening to its own advice and ignoring the creator's directives--there may be nothing crazier.   Yet, how often do I listen to my "advice?" How frequently do I even acknowledge God in my ever...

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. Isaiah 53:7 (ESV)   It is incredible to hear of the one who is all-powerful using that power to die for us, to redeem us, and to demonstrate His love to us. He did not use His power or authority for himself. He used it on our behalf.   There will always be authority and authoritative people. Authority will always have some "power" that comes with it. Those who understand life and leadership also recognize that the only legitimate use of power is for the benefit of others.   Power becomes abusive when it is used to benefit the one who holds the power. Those who have any power need to examine Christ's example of how power is used correctly, and then adjust their lives accordingly.   Jesus did not need to die. He chose to die.   Power is never the purpose, and always needs to ...

Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:1-6 (ESV)   Long before Jesus came, we knew He would come, and why He would come. We need not defend these statements. We need to be awe...

I, I am he who comforts you; who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, of the son of man who is made like grass, and have forgotten the Lord, your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth, and you fear continually all the day because of the wrath of the oppressor, when he sets himself to destroy? And where is the wrath of the oppressor? Isaiah 51:12-13 (ESV)   God is the only one who can comfort. All others can only numb our pain. The people in our lives can temporarily ease our pain using methods such as medication, entertainment, and conversation, but God alone can comfort us in our pain.   The Godless have gotten used to seeking and finding temporary comfort in the things of this world. It is possible to get lost in a movie, a splendid meal, or find relief in drugs, alcohol, or sex. Yet, when the effects of such wear off, the desperate situation remains.   Without God, there is no absolute comfort or purpose in your pain and in ...

"Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the Lord: look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for he was but one when I called him, that I might bless him and multiply him.” Isaiah 51:1-2 (ESV)   Those who desire to seek God should look backward to gain perspective, and they should look forward to gain momentum.   "The remembrance of God's mercy in the past is helpful to us in many ways. Isaiah was led by the Spirit of God to admonish the Israelites to look back that they might be cheered and encouraged in a time of gloom and sadness, and that they might be animated with fresh confidence in God's power to bring them up again from their sad condition, as they thought of all that He had done for them in times past, when they were equally low, or when, peradventure, they were even in a worse plight than they were at present. It is a great thing for people to...

Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God. Isaiah 50:10 (ESV)   When there is nothing, there is still something. When there is complete darkness, there is light. Trust is what makes or breaks us in this life. We cannot trust someone we do not know, and we cannot know someone with whom we have never spent time.   There is an old hymn titled "Trust and Obey," and one of its lines says this: "Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey." There is a cycle here that needs to be addressed. One can obey out of fear or out of trust. Either way, obedience is vital to our success. We might have fear, the fear of God, and that fear motivates us to obey. Yet, fear is the beginning of wisdom, whereas love is the end goal.   Fear puts us in a position to love correctly, to see that there is no other way than to trust and o...

Listen to me, O coastlands, and give attention, you peoples from afar. The Lord called me from the womb, from the body of my mother he named my name. Isaiah 49:1 (ESV)   "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations." Jeremiah 1:5   But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother's womb and called me through His grace, was pleased…. Galatians 1:15     For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb. Psalm 139:13   Evil enjoys destroying what God has created. Those who desire to normalize the destruction of babies in the womb are the epitome of evil. The destruction of a society always begins with a disregard for legitimate authority, and God is the only legitimate authority.   The cycle throughout history is clear. First, we replace truth with lies and validate our lies by consensus. Next, we undermine our detractors' credibility through relentles...

Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go. Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea; your offspring would have been like the sand, and your descendants like its grains; their name would never be cut off or destroyed from before me." Isaiah 48:17-19 (ESV)   Hindsight is always 20/20. Those who love God, and who walk with Him in reverence and obedience, will one day be successful. Those who choose to ignore Him will regret their actions. Hearing God does not mean we obey Him, but in order to listen to Him, we need to hear Him.   I am thankful that God is willing to guide me. He alone knows what the future holds, and He alone can control every detail of life. I know not the future and can control very little, other than my attitude.   For now, the choices are mine. ...

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...

“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...

    "I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols. Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them." Isaiah 42:8-9 (ESV)   God is God alone, and no one or anything else can take His place. Yet, it seems as if one of the greatest temptations we have is to take the glory that belongs to Him.   Often, we want to use God to gain status, rather than love God and enjoy the status that comes from being His. We seem to enjoy pointing to us when good happens, and question God when "bad" happens. We relish the good times without a thought towards God, while desperately praying to Him when things have gone south.   Taking a bow should be reserved for God, while bowing is reserved for us. He, alone, is God, and He, alone, should be glorified, and all those who, for any reason, steal His glory on this earth will, one day, wish they had not. https://www.podbean...

Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law. Isaiah 42:1-4 (ESV)   Those who come to God broken need not fear that their brokenness will be used against them. In fact, the bruised will not break, and those with very little hope will not be crushed. In this life, it is not my strength that matters; it is God's strength. My wisdom is limited; God's wisdom is unlimited. My power is virtually non-existent, and God's power is everywhere.   My goal in life should not be autonomy, but dependency. I need to be dependent upon God, and anything that allows me the privil...

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10 (ESV)   "They are poor and needy. God must have room in which to work. Emptiness to receive Him; weakness to be empowered by Him. It is into the empty branch that the vine-sap pours; into the hollowed basin that the water flows; the weakness of the child gives scope for the man's strength." (F. B. Meyer)   The principle of "weak being strong" is clear and consistent throughout the Scriptures. As in all true things, we can observe this principle manifest in various ways. A mind that is full, or already made up, cannot accept new ideas and cannot learn. The one who perceives themselves as strong will not ask, seek, or desire help.   False perceptions of ourselves often make us "God," independent, needing no one, and all-powerful, when in reality, we are just the opposite.   We need to live i...

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:28-31 (ESV) The weak and weary do not lose strength if their strength is dependent upon God, for God never grows faint or weary. He is never overtired, never loses His temper, and never loses sight of His purpose. Humans are frail and dependent by design. When we strive for independence, we strive to be something we cannot be, thereby magnifying our weaknesses and losing any strength that has been offered to us. Those who wait on the Lord, who trust in Him, will never be disappointed, ...

A voice says, "Cry!" And I said, "What shall I cry?" All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. Isaiah 40:6-8 (ESV) We must keep life and death in perspective. We all know that people live and die. We understand that all people die, and those who have some terminal illness are, in some ways, specially gifted in that they get a chance to better prepare for the inevitable. You would think, since we all know that we will die and that we will be dead a whole lot longer than we are alive, that we would all be ready for such a time. Yet, for most of us, death is a surprise, a moment for which we were not prepared. Perhaps we should live in the context of reality and be prepared for the things of which we are certain. https://www.podbean.com/relate365

Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: "O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire. For they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed. So now, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the Lord.” Isaiah 37:14-20 (ESV) Good leaders have a singular purpose — to make it known that God alone is God. https://www.podbean.com/relate365

Do not listen to Hezekiah. For thus says the king of Assyria: Make your peace with me and come out to me. Then each one of you will eat of his own vine, and each one of his own fig tree, and each one of you will drink the water of his own cistern. Isaiah 36:16 (ESV) Those in political power often tell us to listen to them and ignore the "Christian" leaders who obviously are against national unity. Those in political power are constantly trying to gain a majority vote to validate their belief system. To do this, they spend tremendous amounts of time, money, and energy to convince us that the lies they believe are actually the only way one can live. Truth defeats lies and requires no exorbitant resources to do so. A crooked politician will spend millions of dollars to convince the world that something like abortion is good for society. Special interest groups may spend millions trying to convince us that same sex marriage is acceptable. Yet, all the resources in the world canno...

Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out in a loud voice in the language of Judah: "Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria! Thus says the king: 'Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you. Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord by saying, "The Lord will surely deliver us. This city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’"” Isaiah 36:13-15 (ESV) Whoever tells you to trust in the only living God is not deceiving you. Trusting in God is all we have and will ever have. Trusting in God allows one to live a life of purposeful peace. Trust in God is always rewarded well, whereas trust in anything or anyone else is always met with discouragement and defeat. When we read Rabshakeh's decree, we can fret or relax and live by faith. If we know God, we live by faith and allow our quiet confidence to rule. If we do not know Him, we focus on the ever-present dangers and live anxious-filled lives. For now, the c...

The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling has seized the godless: "Who among us can dwell with the consuming fire? Who among us can dwell with everlasting burnings?" He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, who despises the gain of oppressions, who shakes his hands, lest they hold a bribe, who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed and shuts his eyes from looking on evil. Isaiah 33:14-15 (ESV) "It is certain that no man shall find his profession to be of use to him in testing times but he that is true in it, he that is thorough in it, he that is neither a sinner nor a hypocrite in the sense in which those words are here used. Safety in Zion belongs to those born in her by regeneration, reared in her by sanctification, enfranchised in her by faith in the Son of God, settled in her by fixed principles, confirmed in her by obedience to her laws, and bound to her by intense love of her King and her citizens. Such "shall dwell on high" secure from danger, an...