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In Christ, Mark
In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
This is what the Lord says—your
Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
“If only you had paid attention to My commands, your descendants would have been like the sand, your children like its numberless grains; their name would never be blotted out nor destroyed from before Me.”
Isaiah
48:18a, 19
This ends today’s
reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Peace and
righteousness, two things we all should want. They are byproducts of remaining obedient
to the Lord’s commands. The Lord’s word assures us of this.
And yet,
we tend to fall into sin, giving in to the pull of the world’s temptations that
appeal to our deepest selfish desires. We willingly turn away from the Lord’s expectations
and the call to full surrender and selfless service to Him in exchange for ways
that only drag us into wickedness and evil, into places where we are candidates
for the Lord’s judgment instead of His favor.
This is
the warning shot fired across our proverbial bows today as we wrap up this
series titled, I Am The Lord Who, reminded by Him that He is a Lord of great
judgment, a judgment that will be passed onto those who blatantly disregard and
disrespect Him as well as their kin. Look at these words of caution from the
Book of Isaiah in the 48th chapter:
This is what the Lord says—your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
“If only you had paid attention to My commands, your descendants would have been like the sand, your children like its numberless grains; their name would never be blotted out nor destroyed from before Me.” Isaiah 48:18a, 19
The Israelite people had not heeded
the warnings sent by the Lord through prophets such as Isaiah. They had deliberately
disobeyed His commands, particularly in worshipping and revering idols and
false gods, an act strictly forbidden by God’s commandments (Exodus 20). Their
desire for phony entities led to God sending judgment in the way of the
Assyrians who assaulted and wiped out the northern kingdom of Israel and the
Babylonians who attacked and destroyed Judah and the holy city of Jerusalem,
dragging the Israelite people into an exile that would last seventy years,
enough time for the sinful generation to die off and never see the land God
promised their ancestors again.
If only they had paid attention to
the Lord’s commands. The story would have had a much different script.
But alas, the Israelites were too
busy doing what they wanted to do and it cost them as well as their offspring.
You see, our choice of sin over righteousness usually impacts more people than
just ourselves. The scriptures are full of assurances that the Lord will hold
generations accountable for the wickedness of present day violators of His
word, will, and way. In the case of the Israelites and our passage for today,
if the people of Israel had complied with the Lord’s commands, their
descendants would not have faced being blotted out and destroyed.
Friends, do you hear the Lord
speaking to our hearts in power fashion this day? Do you see the massive danger
that comes to not only you but those dear to you in your family when you opt
for sin over the Lord’s ways?
In the end translation, it’s not
about us even though we like to make life like it is sometimes. Rather, it’s
all about the Lord who gave us everything and only expects that we show our
gratitude and respect through committed reverence and fulfillment of His
commands and directives.
Peace, righteousness, and
preservation will result and we should all desire these things far more than
consequences.
Amen.
In
Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com
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