Read the Bible in a Year (06AUG19)

DAILY REMINDER – Today, August 6’s Bible reading is Isaiah 42-44.

NEXT DAY REMINDER – Tomorrow, August 7’s Bible reading is Isaiah 45-48. May God bless you with the reading of His WORD.

ISAIAH MOMENT – (06AUG19) “Tell us, you idols, what is going to happen. Tell us what the former things were, so that we may consider them and know their final outcome” (Isaiah 41:22). Here, the Lord was mocking the worthless idols that the heathen nations made and bowed down to. These were gods who could not think, feel, tell about the past nor predict the future. God was saying that if these idols could do anything, let them do so in order that He may ponder over it. The idols, however, could not do anything but remain mute as they were. The Lord said, “But you are less than nothing and your works are utterly worthless; whoever chooses you is detestable” (Isaiah 41:24). Not only were the idols worthless, but the people who served them were just as useless and detestable in the Lord’s view because of their ignorance regarding their manmade gods. The Lord wanted Israel and the nations to see that there was only one God who reigned above.

Many people have made their leaders, politicians, jobs, money, and even relationships their god, but there is only one God. The Lord will not compete for the affection of a worthless god. He is God and God alone. He is the Creator of the universe. The Lord is the One who gives us the ability to do see, think, feel, taste, and smell, for without Him, we would cease to exist. Unfortunately, so many people have been fooled by the devil into serving him as their god. He is the father of all lies and one day, those who have rejected Christ will see that the devil was nothing more than a loan shark which promised a lot, but ultimately could not deliver. What a sad day that will be. “But those who trust in idols, who say to images, ‘You are our gods,’ will be turned back in utter shame” (Isaiah 42:17).  Something to ponder….

QUESTION OF THE DAY - (06AUG19) Do you know that you are special to God? Do you know that He chose you to be His very own? The Bible says, “But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham my friend, I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, ‘You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you (Isaiah 41:8-9). God had chosen Israel to place His name on them and they were to be subservient to Him. He loved them and chose them before they ever knew who He was. He protected them, guided them, and blessed them more than He had done with other nations of the world. His love for them was great and He expressed it in so many ways even when they had been unfaithful to Him.

Many people are walking around today in a place of emptiness because they do not know how valuable they are to God. They may have experienced rejection, abuse, depression, and felt unloved by others, so they never understood what love really was. Nevertheless, we have a Heavenly Father who loves us more than life itself. He sent His Son, Jesus, to give His life so that we may have eternal life. That was a love that no one could give but the Father. We are all special to God and He chose us to be His. He has blessed us with various gifts and talents to express our gratefulness to Him and for the encouragement of others. When the world shows us hate, we can always be certain of the love that Jesus has for us. In return, we are to shower it onto others so that they can know the love of God. Something to ponder….

ISAIAH MOMENT – (06AUG19) “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more” (Isaiah 43:25). Israel had committed many detestable acts against the Lord; yet, He was merciful and loving towards them. God was reminding Israel in the above text that even though they had sinned against Him, if they would repent and turn from their wicked ways, He would forgive, forget, and blot out their sins. Their trespasses would be expunged from their record. He would restore them unto Himself and their indiscretions would not be held against them. Just like He made that promise to Israel, the Lord is still doing the same thing for us today.

We have ALL sinned! Yes, there is not one person who can say that they have never sinned. We have all made mistakes and possibly wished that we could have a redo. Unfortunately, that is not possible because once time escapes us, it is gone forever. We can only do what’s right in the present and ask God’s forgiveness for all the wrong that we have done. He is all too willing to forgive us and He does not remember our sins once we repent of them. The enemy loves to remind us of our failures, but the Lord says that He has blotted them out for His name’s sake. Because His name is attached to His Word, we can know that God is not holding our past against us regardless of what man may say. Jesus died so that we do not have to be permanently stained by the sins of our past. When He said, “It is finished” on the cross, it indeed was. He loves us so much and that is why He died for us to be free from sin through the blood that He shed for us. The devil, our accuser, reminds us of our past, but the Lord, our Advocate, stepped into our past so that we can have a bright future in His presence. Something to ponder….