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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.
Therefore this is what the
Sovereign Lord says:
“My servants will eat, but you will
go hungry; My servants will drink, but you will go thirsty; My servants will
rejoice, but you will be put to shame. My servants will sing out of the joy of
their hearts, but you will cry out from anguish of heart and wail in brokenness
of spirit. You will leave your name for My chosen ones to use in their curses; the
Sovereign Lord will put you to death, but to His servants He will give another
name.”
Isaiah 65:13-15
This ends today’s reading from God's holy
word. Thanks be to God.
In yesterday’s devotion, we saw where being a servant of
the Lord brings His blessings, blessings that are far more valuable than
anything we might gain by being self centered. Those blessings included:
- Providing food to eat.
- Providing drink.
- Bringing one to a place of rejoicing.
- Placing songs of joy with a person’s heart.
- Giving a person a new name, a name that speaks to them
being blessed.
We know these things will come to the Lord’s servants
because He said so Himself. But what will come to those who choose to chase
after their own desires and serve the world’s ways?
The Lord speaks to this matter as well and gives us answers
to the question in today’s scripture passage as we continue to look at Isaiah
65. Look again at these words here:
Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“My servants will eat, but you will go hungry; My servants will drink, but
you will go thirsty; My servants will rejoice, but you will be put to shame. My
servants will sing out of the joy of their hearts, but you will cry out from
anguish of heart and wail in brokenness of spirit. You will leave your name for
My chosen ones to use in their curses; the Sovereign Lord will put you to
death, but to His servants He will give another name.” Isaiah
65:13-15
At first glance when looking at these verses, one could say
that the consequences for not serving the Lord are almost as compelling a
reason to serve Him as the benefits that one gains.
What can one expect if they reject the Lord’s call to serve
Him and others?
1. They can
expect to go hungry and thirsty.
The Lord is not going to go out of His way to give someone
basic needs when they can’t even lift a finger to be obedient to His calling.
We can’t expect the Lord to continue to give to us when we don’t want to give
back in return.
2. They can
expect to be put to shame.
Turning from the Lord and the needs of others is nothing
short of shameful behavior and so the Lord promises that those who shun Him
will not find themselves exalted in any way but shamed.
3. They can
expect to cry out in anguish and brokenness of spirit.
Perhaps there is no more terrifying place to be in life
than separated from the Lord. And yet so many people choose to do so and so it’s
little wonder to me why so many people live anguished and in despair, their
spirits broken most of the time because they lack the Holy Spirit to encourage and
strengthen them.
4. They can
expect their names will be cursed, not blessed.
I don’t know about you but I never want to be in a place
where my name will be associated with a curse instead of a blessing. Nothing
good comes to the cursed in the Bible and nothing good will come to those who
are cursed today.
5. They can
expect to be put to death.
You can choose to serve yourself but in doing so, you will
also face the reality that you cannot possibly save yourself, especially when
opposing the Lord God Almighty. Those who devote themselves to Him and trust in
Jesus as Savior will live now and forever. Those who reject Him will face utter
destruction and annihilation.
And so the message from the Lord is clear as He speaks to
us today:
Serve Me and others or else.
There are no other choices. It’s a simple matter of life
versus death.
Which are you choosing?
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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