Today’s Scrip-Bit 24 April 2022 Isaiah 43:11.

24 Apr 2022 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Isaiah 43:11.       I, even I, am the Lord, and beside me there is no saviour…. 

It’s time to come together friends, for our weekly tete a tete, our weekly heart to heart with our heavenly Father, where we offer up our praise and thanksgiving, while He showers us with renewed strength and confidence to face another trying week in this evil and ungodly world. And today, this first Sunday after Christ’s miraculous resurrection, we are going to open our worship with a heartfelt but oh so true song. It’s titled ‘God Will Make a Way.’ Its author is Don Moen, the music professor and long-time choir director for the Hour of Power Religious Programme. 

The story goes that some years ago, he received a phone call late one night, informing him that some of His family members had met in a fatal vehicle accident. We all know what that kind of phone call can bring, and deep in sorrow, he says, on his way to the accident scene, while contemplating what to do, the Lord placed these comforting words in his heart. Let’s sing them now nuh, with a real heartfelt and soulful feeling, knowing that they are true, because we too have experienced the marvellous comfort and LOVE of our great God in our times of sorrow. 

So, in true sacrificial praise: ‘God will make a way Where there seems to be no way He works in ways we cannot see He will make a way for me He will be my guide Hold me closely to His side With LOVE and strength for each new day He will make a way, He will make a way. By a roadway in the wilderness, He’ll lead me And rivers in the desert will I see Heaven and Earth will fade but His word will still remain And He will do something new today Oh, God will make a way Where there seems to be no way He works in ways we cannot see He will make a way for me He will be my guide Hold me closely to His side With LOVE and strength for each new day He will make a way, He will make a way. 

By a roadway in the wilderness, He’ll lead me And rivers in the desert will I see Heaven and Earth will fade but His word will still remain And He will do something new today Oh, God will make a way Where there seems to be no way He works in ways we cannot see He will make a way for me He will be my guide Hold me closely to His side With LOVE and strength for each new day He will make a way, He will make a way With LOVE and strength for each new day He will make a way, He will make a way.’ 

And if you are true and faithful believer, then you know that that is the God-awesome truth! Our God will ALWAYS make a way for us to handle whatever comes against us. Bruh Paul said it so well in 2 Corinthians. ‘Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble (tribulation), by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.’ (2 Cor. 1:3-4) What an awesome God we serve my people! 

And if we are only new believers and haven’t had much of that kind of experience with God, His word is literally littered (smile) with occasions where He’s made a way, where there seemed to be no way. Look at how He told Noah to build and ark. Poor Noah didn’t have a clue about building an ark, but ended up building a big and sturdy craft that would have been a wonder of the world, even by today’s standards, by simply following God’s directions. The story can be found in Genesis chapter 6. 

The same thing goes for Abraham: God told him to pick up his family and leave for parts unknown, and at seventy-five years old, Abraham did as told, and God showed him the way to where He wanted him to go. Genesis 12 tells us that story. And what about when God told Abraham to sacrifice his only child Isaac, that’s after promising that Isaac would be his road to greatness. Abraham must have wondered what God was about, but again he remained faithful, and just as he was about to plunge the knife into Isaac’s heart, the Lord stopped him, and instead provided a ram tangled in the nearby bushes for the sacrifice. That you can find in Genesis 22. 

Then check out the descendants of Abraham, the Hebrew children enslaved in Egypt. The Lord heard their cry for freedom and after several hundred years, sent Moses to do the job. Moses was rather reluctant, but the Lord stood beside him all the way. And when Pharaoh finally allowed the Egyptians to leave, how did He do it? By parting the Red Sea and allowing the Hebrews to walk through on dry land, but then closing up the trench and drowning the Egyptians when they pursued them. Exodus 14 tells that rather interesting story. 

And God didn’t take them the easy route to the Promised Land, for fear that they would encounter warlike tribes and lose heart and return to Egypt. He took them the long, hard way, through the wilderness. ‘And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night, in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night.’ (Ex. 13:21) Wow! What an innovative and resourceful God is our Lord!  

And then, when it seemed they would die of thirst in the wilderness, they came to the bitter waters of Marah, and complained to Moses, who in turn cried out to the Lord for direction. He had Moses cast a tree into the waters, and the waters were made sweet. (Ex. 15:23-25) And when the children of Israel were hungry, the Lord sent them manna from heaven and quails enough to choke them. (smile) Ex. 16 tells that story. And though the Lord kept them in the wilderness for forty long years because of their stubborn disobedience, until all those who had come out of Egypt died, except Joshua and Caleb, He did so without their clothes or shoes wearing out, or them becoming sick. 

And without fail, all down through the ages, the Lord has looked after those who bowed down to Him in all sincerity and truth. And the most important promise, He made through the prophet Isaiah in speaking of the Lord as their only redeemer. The Good Book tells it thus: ‘When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon (scorch) thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee (in thy place).’ (Is. 43:2-3) What a mighty promise that is friends! 

And later on in that chapter the Lord further declares: ‘I, even I, am the Lord, and beside me there is no saviour…. Yea, before the day was I am he, and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let (reverse) it?’ (Is. 43:11, 13) Now that’s a very good question. And the answer to it is NOBODY! 

Yes my fellow saints, our God is great and powerful enough to make big promises and to also keep them. And did He ever keep that big one about being the redeemer, which He fulfilled through the death and resurrection of Christ in the Easter Season, which we’ve just celebrated, in fact are still celebrating! (smile) 

So, if you are a true believer in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, then there is no reason to fear anything this world can throw against us, for the Creator of heaven and earth, and all therein, has promised to protect His people who are called by His name. Glory Be! That means we can be assured of the Lord’s grace and mercy in any and every circumstance, of His making a way, where there seems to be no way, for He is the God of marvellous miracles! Much LOVE!

…I am the first…and I am the last…and beside me there is NO God… (Is. 44:6b) 

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Today​’s Scrip-Bit 17 April 2019 Isaiah 44:6.

17 Apr 2019 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Isaiah 44:6.    ​Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.
 
Well it looks like another dark, cloudy, rainy, windy and stormy day here in Paradise! (smile) Yeh, it rained for much of yesterday, even through the night, and has begun again this morning, just when I have things to go out the street and do! Chuh! First time since I’m here I’ve seen so much rain fall. We’d get the li’l ten seconds drizzle or the two minutes showers, but not continuous stuff like this. 

But the land badly needed it because it was dry and brown everywhere. Can imagine the joy of the golf course owners up the street. You couldn’t use the golf vernacular of ‘greens,’ about it because it looked more like ‘browns.’ (smile) Even the sea is acting up some, as I watch the white capped frothing waves break over the nearby reef, then hurtle onwards, only to dash themselves against the rocky shore! But that’s Mother Nature, and try as we want, I doubt we’ll ever tame her, because she’s of God’s own making! 

That brings us to another important thing we can’t do; create gods for ourselves, or as Isaiah puts it, the folly of idolatry! Yes friends, we’re living in a rather idolatrous world, not so much the worshipping of pagan Gods, but of worldly things, places and people. We’re talking about the cult of celebrity that’s now dominant in our world; people who don’t’ know their A from their E, but we’re flocking to follow their insipid, eccentric lifestyles and ungodly ways. 

And social media is only enhancing the foolishness! We waste so much time on the nonsense, but have no time for the real, One True God, except to try and leverage Him out of our idolatrous society. Yes, these things have some useful purposes, but not when we become addicted to them as we are and place Almighty God on the back burner of our lives, if we even have Him on our stove at all! 

But please listen to the words of the Lord to the idolatrous society of Israel, through the mouth of the prophet Isaiah. ‘Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.’ Oh my people, those are words of absolute truth, as the nation of Israel found out to their utter detriment, when they refused to stop worshipping idols and other pagan gods. 

Listen further to the words of God: ‘They that make a graven image are all of them vanity (useless); and their delectable (precious) things shall not profit; and they are their own witnesses; they see not, nor know; that they may be ashamed. Who hath formed a god, or molten (molded) image that is profitable for nothing? Behold all his fellows (companions) shall be ashamed: and the workmen they are of men (mere men): let them all be gathered together, let them stand up; yet they shall fear, and they shall be ashamed together.’ (Is.44:9-11) 

Yeh friends, Satan has blinded our eyes and deafened our ears so that we can’t see or hear the nonsense, neither are we ashamed and regretful of the evil and ungodly lifestyle we’re living! And after that passage above, the Lord goes on to vilify the blacksmith, the carpenter and the tree cutter. And as to the tree cutter, the wood he provides, the Lord declares (right ho!): ‘

Then shall it be for man to burn: for he will take thereof, and warm himself; yea, he kindleth it, and baketh bread; yea, he maketh a god, and worshippeth it; he maketh a graven image, and falleth down thereto. He burneth part (half) thereof in the fire; with part (half) thereof he eateth flesh; he roastest roast, and is satisfied: yea, he warmeth himself, and saith, aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire: 

And the residue thereof he maketh a god, even his graven image: he falleth down unto it, and worshippeth it, and prayeth unto it, and saith, deliver me, for thou art my god…And none considereth in his heart, neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say, I have burned part (half) of it in the fire; yea, also I have baked bread upon the coals thereof; I have roasted flesh, and eaten it: and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination? Shall I fall down to the stock of a tree?’ (Is.44:15-17,19) 

Ah my people, that’s the exact same way we are behaving today, not literally, but figuratively! Now listen closely to the scholars take on those verses. ‘44:9-20. This expose of idolatry is the most taunting in all of the Bible. The prophet Isaiah, serving as the spokesman of Yahweh, reveals the utter foolishness of polytheistic pagan idolatry. The graven image (carved idol) is called vanity (nothing). Delectable things refers to the adornment of the idols with gold, silver and precious stones. 

The prophet announces that the idols themselves are their own witnesses. They see not, nor know. Therefore these inanimate objects are profitable for nothing. Isaiah then berates the workmen (artisans) for designing and constructing their idols in the figure of a man. He exposes the basic fallacy of idolatry, a god made in the image of man. Thus the prophet’s criticism of one who would worship and idol carved from the same tree that he would use for firewood is that he feedeth on ashes.’ 

Ah mih breddren, I can’t add a whole lot more to that nuh, except to remind us that we are spending too much time involved with the artifacts of man, and not enough with our Creator, our God, and that can only bring serious repercussions in the end. Now let’s go home telling the world about our safe and secure position in Christ by declaring (right ho!) our Wednesday Wail. 

With sincere hearts and a strong sense of purpose: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

And believe me, that future sure will be glorious! Much LOVE!

…only through the acceptance of Jesus…will blind eyes be opened…and deaf ears made to hear…