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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.
“I revealed myself to those who did
not ask for Me; I was found by those who did not seek Me. To a nation that did
not call on My name, I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’”
Isaiah 65:1
This ends today’s reading from God's holy
word. Thanks be to God.
It’s been a great journey.
Last August, I started to write from the Book of Isaiah and
nearly a year later, I am ready to come down the homestretch and finish with a
seventeen part series titled “The Lord Speaks,” drawn from the last two chapters of
the book. As the series title indicates, this book named after one of Israel’s
most prominent prophets, ends with the Lord having the last say on a variety of
topics. Today, in part 1, we find the Lord reminding us that He is always
revealing Himself to creation, even when His creation is necessarily looking
for Him. Look at today’s scripture verse, the opening words to Isaiah 65:
“I revealed myself to those who did not ask for Me; I was found by
those who did not seek Me. To a nation that did not call on My name, I said,
‘Here am I, here am I.’” Isaiah 65:1
Note here that in the Old Testament period of this book, it
was believed that only the Israelites, also referred to as the Jews, were
entitled to a special, exclusive relationship with God and thus gain His
salvation. Anyone who was not a Jew and outside of the Jewish inner society
circle was considered a Gentile, one unclean and unworthy of receiving anything
from God. God solely favored the Israelites and one else. They were considered
His people and He their God.
This is why this single verse from Isaiah 65 had to raise a
few Israelite eyebrows because when the Lord speaks here, He’s not speaking
about them but rather the Gentiles, the non-Jews who were considered outsiders
with God and without hope.
As we find prophesied, God would reveal Himself to the
Gentiles, even though they did not ask for Him, seek Him, or call on His name.
God didn’t need an invitation to reveal His glory to anyone and there was a day
ahead where He would swing open the gates of eternity for all to have the
chance to dwell with Him forever through His Son Jesus, the coming Savior. One’s
religious social status, whether Jew or Gentile, had no bearing on finding
salvation. All one had to do was profess Jesus as their Lord and Savior and
believe that He was resurrected from the dead. The Apostle Paul would say as
much and use these words from Isaiah too:
What does it say?
“The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the
message concerning faith that we proclaim: If you declare with your
mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the
dead, you will be saved.
For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified,
and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who
believes in Him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between
Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on
him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Romans 10:8-13
The good news from the Old Testament was that salvation was
coming to all people out of love from the Lord who was, is, and is the Lord of
all. The Gentiles were certainly not considered God’s people at the time nor
were they seeking God but they would one day have as much right to the kingdom
of heaven as their Jewish counterparts.
But how can we see this speaking to us today, some two to
three thousand years later?
Well, I think it’s simple for although salvation has been
offered to all people since Jesus’ death and subsequent resurrection, there
still are so many people who are not asking for Him or seeking Him. Yet,
although they fail to call on the name of Jesus, He is still revealing Himself
to Him each and every day with the hope that they will have a change of heart,
receiving and accepting His salvation offer.
That’s where Christians all around the world come into play
today, Christians called by Jesus to make disciples, baptize them, and teach
them to obey all He has commanded (Matthew 28:18-20). These workers in life’s
harvest field are to reap a bounty of souls, helping others to hear the good
news of salvation through Jesus, and through their work, revealing Jesus to
those who still have not come to Him, those who were just as lacking in their
knowledge and faith in God and His Son as the Gentiles of the Old Testament
days.
Friends, the Lord speaks to us today and has a simple message,
reminding us that He is forever revealing Himself to everyone, making Himself
known and offering eternal life to anyone who would call on His name.
If you’re not a Christian, today is the day you can change
your life forever. All you need to do is confess and repent of your sins and accept
Jesus as your personal Savior, knowing that He died to pay the price for your
sins to save you. From that point on, as a Christian, you are then to strive to
live as Jesus did in all that you do.
If you’re a Christian, then you are to be partnering with Jesus
in carrying out His Great Commission and bringing the message of eternal life
through Him to all you meet. In other words, you are to be aggressively helping
others to have the same eternal hope that you have in Christ.
There is no greater gift you can give anyone than that.
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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