I AM THE LORD WHO (PART 10)

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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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

I AM THE LORD WHO (PART 9)

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

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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 peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea.”

Isaiah 48:18

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

I am the Lord who brings peace to whoever pays attention and obeys My commands.

This is what we learned in Part 8 of this series titled, “I Am The Lord Who”, examining and listening to proclamations made by God as to who He is and how He relates to us as we live this thing called life.

You may recall from yesterday’s devotion that we only find true peace when we are completely compliant with all the Lord has told us to do. His word tells us as much and His word is absolute truth. But there is one other very important thing we gain from our steadfast obedience to God’s guidance. For when we consistently and persistently follow the will and way of the Lord, we will be living the right way, or in saying it another way, living in righteousness. We turn to the second part of verse 18 of Isaiah 48 to find this truth declared:

This is what the Lord says—your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:

“If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea.”  Isaiah 48:18

The Lord said it and everything the Lord says is true. If we wholeheartedly allow Him to lead and guide us through His directions found in His holy word and the leading of His Holy Spirit, then we will live in righteousness. The Lord would not guide us any other way for all His ways are right and good.

So what happens when we choose to not pay attention to the commandments of the Lord?

Well, the answer is pretty simple because we will do everything counter to the Lord’s righteousness. If He leads us to live right, then living apart from Him will only lead us to sin and wickedness and evil. Lord knows, there’s more than a little of that in our world today. Maybe it’s as close as your community or home or even within your personal life. Live away from the Lord and you will reside in the domain of Satan, the enemy, a place where you will find his ways, the ways of the world beckoning for your attention. There are more than a few enticements out there that look mighty attractive. That’s why they call them temptations because the enemy plays on your inner most desires and passions.

The Lord says, “Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Me.” Satan says, “Enjoy yourself and go after the things you want and desire. Forget the rules, live for the moment and drink life up as it won’t last forever.”

One way lifts you up and leads to righteousness, the other brings you down into sinfulness. There is no middle ground.

So the question is: Which way are you choosing in life, righteousness or sinfulness?

The answer depends on whether you have fully decided to fully submit to all the Lord commands you to do.

For the Lord assures us that “I am the Lord who brings righteousness to those who pay attention to and are obedient to My commands.”

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

I AM THE LORD WHO (PART 8)

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

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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 peace would have been like a river.”

Isaiah 48:18a

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Peace.

There may be no greater thing we might yearn for today and I say this on a lot of levels.

Look at our world situation.

Terrorism and the evil it manifests seem to be emerging in epidemic fashion. And although at times, these wicked, murderous acts are targeted against a certain person or group (to include mass executions of Christians), the innocent too often become victimized.

Wars have raged for nearly my entire lifetime in one region of the world or another as nation battles against nation with destruction and death center stage. And unfortunately, there is usually no positive outcome or closure.

I could go on about the horrors of adult and child sex trafficking, human slavery, or child soldiering but I think the point is made. We live in a world where peace is hard to find sometimes. But it isn’t just a global issue.

Within the last six months, there have been uprisings of violence and devastation here within the United States as a result of massive protests. Entire neighborhoods and even cities have been burned, looted, and laid to waste in these events that are anything but peaceful. People, often not connected to the actual events being protested, have been injured or killed and in the case of business owners, their dreams and livelihoods have literally been sent up in smoke or stolen away by thieves and looters.

Within relationships, sexual assaults and domestic violence seem to dominate the headlines as people are violated and scarred for life by those who lack a proper regard for human dignity and respect. And before we think this is an issue only impacting adults, we need to keep in mind that innocent children are also victimized way too often by these heinous acts.

This devotion would be volumes long if I continued much more and it would take away from the real point the Lord wants to make today. For if peace is to come to our world, to our communities, and to our homes, then we need to turn our attention fully to the One who is the Prince of peace, the One who speaks to us about Himself and how we are to relate to Him within our scripture passage from Isaiah 48:

This is what the Lord says—your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:

“If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river.”  Isaiah 48:18a

Did you hear what the Lord is saying to us this day?

“I am the Lord who brings you peace but only when you pay attention to My commands.”

That’s it, right? It’s really as simple as that.

If we commit ourselves to be obedient to Lord’s commands, we will be taken to a place where peace with reign supreme because we will be in the place He wants for us to be, a place where we are abiding and dwelling in His righteousness. Our conflict issues in the world, in our communities, and in our homes will find resolution in and through the Lord.

The challenge is getting people to realize this and commit to Him. It’s a problem that seems overwhelming for any one person and it is. But we can do our part and make a contribution to the Lord’s desire for a world filled with peace. We can take the step toward fully surrendering our will for His will in our lives and in doing so, allowing His peace to be ours as well.

If enough of us do this, then we have a movement. And when we have a movement of people choosing peace over violence, we see the direction of our surroundings change, altered for the better, not only because peace is now present but also because people are choosing obedience to the Lord’s word and will over the ways of the world.

Won’t you join me today in praying for peace and the turning of human hearts toward following the commands of the Lord because that’s what’s going to bring us the peace we long for.

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

I AM THE LORD WHO (PART 7)

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

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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:

“I am the Lord your God, who directs you in the way you should go.”

Isaiah 48:17b

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Which way should I go?

How many times do we wonder this in life?

I’m not talking about driving around and wondering which street to take to get where you’re going. Rather, I mean all the times in life where we have decisions to make where we could go one way or another, or possibly have to select one way out of many possibilities. In those instances, how can we know we are making the right decision?

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a foolproof method for always making the right choices, every time? Wouldn’t you be interested if there was?

Well I am writing today to tell you that one exists, one I have put into practice and can attest to, one that is straight from the word of God. Look at these awesome words as we continue this series, “I Am The Lord Who”, where the Lord tells us truths about Him and what He does for us:

This is what the Lord says, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:

“I am the Lord your God, who directs you in the way you should go.”  Isaiah 48:17b

Easy, right?

All we need to do is turn to the Lord when we’re in a place where direction is needed and He will show us the way to go. And since we know that the Lord is perfectly righteous, then we can be assures that all guidance He gives us is perfectly right. We will never make a wrong turn when the Lord is guiding our journey through life.

Of course, this isn’t the only place where the word of God gives us instruction regarding the way we should go. Look at these words of Jesus:

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:13-14

Only the narrow road leads us to the kind of life pleasing to the Lord in the here and now as well as the everlasting life with God the Father and Jesus, His Son and our Savior, when this life ends. Sadly, the word tells us that few will find this way. The world’s ways and the enticement they bring are simply too much for people to resist and so they opt to travel the broad road, a road paved with sinfulness and disobedience as people live in accordance with the ways of the world and counter to the commands and expectations of God. This road only leads to destruction and as God’s word tells us, many are on it.

Friends, the only way we know we are going the right way is to follow in the footsteps of the only one who has walked that narrow road perfectly, the One named Jesus who says these words to us today:

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6

We will only walk the narrow road and find our way to life forever with the Father when we choose to unconditionally follow the way of Jesus His Son, desiring His truth and His life in our own. Through Him and the gift of the Holy Spirit sent to abide with us, the Lord God Almighty makes good on His promise to always direct us in the way we should go.

Knowing all this, go easy on yourself and place your hope and trust in these words. It should be one of the easiest decisions you will ever make.

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