Read the Bible in a Year (08AUG19)

DAILY REMINDER – Today, August 8’s Bible reading is Isaiah 49-53.

NEXT DAY REMINDER – Tomorrow, August 9’s Bible reading is Isaiah 54-58. May God bless you with the reading of His WORD.

ISAIAH MOMENT – (08AUG19) “He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem” (Isaiah 53:2-3). Man had fallen! Failing to resist Satan and his deception brought about a chain of events that would cause God to choose His love for man at the expense of His one and only Son. The ultimate plan had been decided upon, and everything from that moment would involve laying the foundation for it to be manifested. Every person, every event, every action done by God and man was part of the road map leading up to the coming of the Messiah. If anyone had asked if there was another way, the answer would have been an overwhelming no. Blood was required to pay for the sins of man, but not just any blood. The blood of lambs, bulls, doves, and goats where just a temporary stay of execution until the time of the Messiah was to arrive. When He finally did, He was accepted by few, rejected by most, and mistreated by those who could not receive His message. Although He offered Himself as a free Gift, many rejected Him because He came in the wrong package according to their ungodly view.

So many people are still rejecting the free Gift of salvation. They reject it because the devil has made serving him to appear more appealing than serving the Lord. Many people think of holiness as just merely a list of do’s and don’ts to follow. The devil’s motto, “Do as thou wilt,” has become the banner for the masses and has caused many to reject Christ to cleave to their antichrist ideology. Satan has done all he could to keep the human race enslaved to sin although Jesus has offered eternal life to all who accept Him. Jesus did not come as a Casanova, rich ruler, nor a flamboyant leader. He came as a humble servant who was submissive to the will of His Father. The Bible says, “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:6-8). Jesus humbled Himself, so that we may be restored back to the Father. The loving thing about it is that He would have done it even if it were just for one of His lost sheep. What a loving Savior we have. Something to ponder….

QUESTION OF THE DAY - (08AUG19) Have you ever been the unfortunate victim of being let down by someone you trusted? Where you ever able to rebuild that trust, or did it dissipate forever? Israel had a trust problem. They did not have confidence that the Lord would follow through with what He said and deliver them out of the hands of their enemies. The Bible says, “But Zion said, ‘The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me’ ” (Isaiah 49:14). Despite them having been the ones who had forsaken God, they viewed the Lord in a distorted view that He had somehow forgotten about them, but they were mistaken. The Lord had this to say: “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me’ ” (Isaiah 49:15-16). The Lord was encouraging Israel by letting them know that He was more reliable than an earthly mother who may forsake her children. He promised that He would never leave them, and His Word would not return void. He was going to deliver them at the appointed time from their enemies.

Sometimes we may make the mistake of placing God in the same category with humans who have let us down. We may think that God has forgotten about us and that we are traveling life’s road alone. Yet, He has promised to be more reliable than a parent, and our names are written on the palms of His hands. We are a permanent tattoo on our Heavenly Father where we are always in His view. We can place our complete trust in Him and never have to worry about being without Him. The Bible says, “Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me” (Psalm 27:10). The Lord receives us and will deliver us from the tricks of the enemy. Something to ponder….

ISAIAH MOMENT – (08AUG19) “Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices; together they shout for joy. When the Lord returns to Zion, they will see it with their own eyes” (Isaiah 52:8). Israel was given the promise of a time when the Messiah would return to earth, and they would be able to rejoice like never before. The Lord would come to get all the people of the earth to bring peace and good tidings to them. Blessed would be those who carried the good news of His coming and told of His reign. Everyone would be able to sing for joy for the salvation of the Lord had come.

We too will be able to rejoice because time is wrapping up, and Jesus is soon to return to get His bride without spot or wrinkle. Unfortunately, not all will be ready to see Him. Some will be in fear and sorry at the sight of His coming. Nevertheless, this is our blessed hope for those who are waiting with great anticipation. We do not know the day nor hour that Christ will return, but this we do know -- the signs of His return are pointing to Him being closer than ever before. For those who are not ready, the time to get prepared is now. Tomorrow is not promised to any of us, so it is time sensitive that we ensure our lives are ready for whenever He returns. Until then, evangelize to the lost, pray for those in need, always offer a helping hand, and show the love of Christ within you. Something to ponder….