Wisdom from Isaiah 1&2

“Why should you be beaten anymore? Why do you persist in rebellion? Your whole head is injured, your whole heart afflicted.”-Isaiah 1:5

God made us to be in unity with Him, to do life with Him, not because he needs us but because he wants us! He wants to do life with us! But instead, we rebel against him consistently. We are all guilty of rebelling against God, and we are all capable of doubting Him even when we are His followers and we truly love Him. We are supposed to strive daily to know Him more, to really seek out the opportunity to know Him in every way we are able to. We are all covered in bruises, scars, open wounds, welts, sores, you name it we got it; plus, we know they are there, yet we willingly choose to keep inflicting pain on ourselves and not seek out healing. There are bandages and wrappings, medicines and olive oil, even just water right beside us and yet, we turn away from it and think we can just grin and bear it. We’ll continue walking on a broken leg, even though we feel our bones rubbing together, the warmth of blood seeping through our clothes, the intense pressure we are putting ourselves through as if we are also carrying a bag of rocks on our back; yet, we are always one step away from healing, from love and comfort, from good coping mechanisms provided by God and so much more.

And that doesn’t even cover the world we are living in. Have you ever asked yourself: why are we not living in heaven yet? Why do we keep choosing to live in sin, in pain? How are we different from Sodom and Gomorrah? Are we truly that different? The answer: No, we really aren’t far off from Sodom and Gomorrah because there are so many people scattered around, believing in false gods, false religions, and they wholeheartedly believe that they are correct. What should we do to avoid becoming like those two cities? Hear His Word and listen to His instructions, following what he says in immediate obedience. He’s tired of tradition, of all of us just following tradition because we feel we have to; He wants us to follow Him and his celebrations because we WANT to, because we GET to. He wants us to stop our grumbling, to stop our “I have to?” attitudes, and have a solid “Yes, I get to!” in our Spirit! Stop doing wrong; start doing right. Have him cleanse your soul, cleanse your mind and heart so that you CAN fight for the fatherless (orphans) and the widows (husbandless), fight for the ones who have a hard time fending for themselves.

“Whoever says, ‘I know him,’ but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in Him.”-1 John 2:4-5

He KNOWS all of our wrongdoings, He KNOWS everything we feel and think, BUT He wants us to talk to him, to process with him. He wants to hear your/my voice, despite already knowing how you feel and what you’re thinking. God is a vengeful God, He does feel wrath and will/has acted on it, but he is also a God of love and forgiveness. He is our parent and parents do discipline their kids from time-to-time; we should fully accept both parts of Him and understand that He always wants to do what is best for us. At any moment in your life, you can turn and repent, BUT, it must be done so in sincerity, faith, trust and love. Without any of those, you aren’t truly repenting. He will break you, over-and-over again, until you truly pass through a season and see how it grew you, remembering that only God can truly satisfy you.

The Lord’s temple will reside on a mountain, most likely in heaven (maybe even a new earth one day); all routes to heaven give the impression that you can get to Him, but, there’s only ONE true way to Him: Jesus and the cross. But once you’re there, in His Kingdom at the end of your earthly life, all streams will lead you to His mountain. Imagine it: Being DIRECTLY taught by Him, not only reading His Word, but by hearing it directly from His mouth. There will be NO more fighting in His Kingdom. Instead of warfare, we will find true peace! He will invite us to walk in the light with Him, to walk in the fire and not get burned! How amazing it is to know God! Sometimes, it does feel he has abandoned us, that he isn’t listening; BUT, is the teacher ever teaching during a test in class? No, they are prepping for the next lesson and letting you learn on your own. However, if you have a question in wise guidance, the teacher is still there for you to ask and to give helpful advice.

“He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.”-Isaiah 2:4

Unfortunately, there are lots of idols in today’s world and there are people, including believers, who become too comfortable where they are and therefore, neglect His commands. We are so focused on the works of our hands, to labor daily (to extremes) just to make a little bit of money. Money is literally the root of all evil. Life was so much simpler before money became a thing invented by people. In those, honestly in all those moments, humans will be humbled, all of our pride will be taken away. That is a gift! Let Him take your pride away, let Him be exalted by giving Him your struggles for He loves to be able to do that. On that day, all of your idols will be gone, extinguished, extinct! What an amazing day that will be, to experience true freedom and true peace! On that day, those who don’t fear the Lord WILL; they will hide, thinking they will be struck down in shame; little do they know, He is waiting to embrace them. He is literally saying to stop just instantly trusting people; He wants us to be cautious when choosing people to trust, or at least choosing how much we should trust each person with. So, learn to trust in Him for He will never deceit you, nor will he ever let you down!

“Stop trusting in mere humans, who have but a breath in their nostrils. Why hold them in esteem?”-Isaiah 2:22