Read the Bible in a Year (02AUG19)

DAILY REMINDER – Today, August 2’s Bible reading is Isaiah 23-27.

NEXT DAY REMINDER – Tomorrow, August 3’s Bible reading is Isaiah 28-30. May God bless you with the reading of His WORD.

ISAIAH MOMENT – (02AUG19) “But those who die in the Lord will live; their bodies will rise again! Those who sleep in the earth will rise up and sing for joy! For your life-giving light will fall like dew on your people in the place of the dead!” (Isaiah 26:19). One thing that every human being cannot avoid is death. Rather it is the death of a loved one, death of a pet, death of a relationship, or our own that will one day come, if Jesus hasn’t come back first, we will all be faced with the possibility of death in some form. Isaiah gave this prophetic word that those who die in the Lord will one day rise to joy in living again. That’s right! Death is not the end for those who are in Christ Jesus. The Bible says, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). The thief, who is the devil, has done nothing but destroy and has stolen the beauty that God intended for us to experience here on earth. Yet, Jesus came to restore us back to the Father and make it possible for everyone who chooses Him to have the fulness of life in eternity. Though we may lose loved ones and even our own lives on earth, one day, it will all be over and there will be no more death, grief, heartache and pain. The Bible says, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death' or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away" (Revelation 21:4). It is so important to take hold of God’s promises when we experience a loss because it gives us hope for what’s to come. 

The Apostle Paul wrote about death, grief, and the hope that we shall one day see our loved ones again if they were saved and we endure to the end. Paul wrote, “And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14). Can you envision it now? We will see our loved ones who died in Christ be brought back for us to reunite with them? Just think, some of them endured much suffering while on earth, but death enabled them to be free of the things that they went through, while in their physical bodies. Although we never want to see anyone leave us because it leaves a hole in our hearts, the Lord, if we allow Him, will fill that hole with His presence because His plans are never to hurt us, but to make us complete in our reliance on Him. “Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light’ ” (Matthew 11:28-30). Regardless of whatever type of loss you may have experienced, tell the Lord about your troubles and rely on Him because He cares for you and will never leave you nor forsake you. Something to ponder….

QUESTION OF THE DAY - (02UG19) Why do we have to wait to be chastised in order to do right by God? Have you ever thought about your children and how they responded to your rebuke? You may have warned and warned that if they did not change their behavior, certain consequences would come their way. Yet, they despised your rebuke and continued on their own path. It was not until you laid down the law and gave them a strict discipline did they finally get the message and change from their rebellious ways. This is the same way that we as human beings are with God. Isaiah wrote, “Lord, in distress we searched for you. We prayed beneath the burden of your discipline. Just as a pregnant woman writhes and cries out in pain as she gives birth, so were we in your presence, Lord” (Isaiah 26:16-17). God had given the nations warning after warning, including Israel and Judah, but they rejected His warnings, so it was only after they had received the punishment that was due them that they turned towards God.

We are seeing God give warnings today all across the world in an attempt to wake up the lost. Yet, many are refusing to turn from their wicked ways and humble themselves before the Lord. Therefore, there are many judgments that are taking place, and more will come as a result of man’s idolatry, and total disregard as to the things of God. The Bible says, “…When your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness. But when grace is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteousness; even in a land of uprightness, they go on doing evil and do not regard the majesty of the Lord” (Isaiah 26:9b-10). God is a merciful Father, but when His children choose to live in rebellion, He has no choice but to render judgment to redirect us from our erroneous ways. Let us pray daily for those who are lost that they may find their way and ensure that we live our lives in accordance to the will of our Heavenly Father. Something to ponder….

ISAIAH MOMENT – (02AUG19) “You will keep in perfect peace those who minds are steadfast, because they trust in you” (Isaiah 26:3). In today’s time, we are seeing trouble taking place everywhere. We are hearing of terrorism, murder, injustice, deception, pedophilia, diseases and other types of things that can make a person lose their mind, if it is not fixated on Jesus. Although we hear about many things that are taking place on the earth, we can have perfect peace in Jesus. We are unable to solve all of the problems of the world because only God has the answer to man’s troubles. Nevertheless, we can pray, evangelize, and help those we can who may be in need or experiencing hardships.

Isaiah was singing a song of praise for the things that the Lord had done. He was being shown many visions concerning judgments that were to come on the nations. Yet, he knew that peace was found in the Lord and those who honored God would take refuge in Him. The Bible says, “Yes, Lord, walking in the ways of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts” (Isaiah 26:8). The nations of Tyre, Egypt, Cush, and Babylon were going to experience an overthrow like they had never seen, but those who turned to the Lord and decided to allow Him to dwell in their hearts would be in peace. Let’s remember that no matter what comes our way, we can find perfect peace in the Lord if our minds stay on Him. “…he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The Lord has spoken” (Isaiah 25:7c-8). Something to ponder….