Isaiah 11

His words will bring everyone to awed attention.
    A mere breath from his lips will topple the wicked.
I love this reference.  It exudes POWER!

Isaiah 10

v3 What will you have to say on Judgment Day,
    when Doomsday arrives out of the blue?

I'll keep this one short. I'm not sure I'm using this verse appropriately, but thinking of Doomsday arriving as before I can strike my next keystroke--would I be ready?  I want to say yes and I am really trying to live my faith more than I have ever before but I'm not always as successful as I aspire to be.  But I should be, I don't want to get caught.

Isaiah 10

Today's reading made me think a little bit about the prophecy that is in the Old Testament.  A lot of it points toward the coming of Christ....and I get that.  But, the more I read thru Isaiah, the more I see that there's a lot of prophecy about Israel's situation, and their relation to other nations around them.  Which leads me to think about the idea of prophets in general terms.  If God chose to speak thru prophets back then, and because we are so far removed from that time, we can see that the predictions all came true....is God speaking thru people today?  If not, why not?  Makes me wonder if there are people that have that gift today.  Or is that type of communication available, but we aren't listening correctly.

just somethink to ponder.......

Isaiah 9

Those who were supposed to lead this people
    led them down blind alleys,
And those who followed the leaders
    ended up lost and confused.
That’s why the Master lost interest in the young men,
    had no feeling for their orphans and widows.
All of them were godless and evil,
this type of treatment by God could explain a lot of things that are happening in our society today.
If leadership is looking in the wrong direction, then the masses are led astray.  In the bible, there are periods of hundreds of years where God turns his back on his people, due to their lack of faith.  I sometimes wonder why we don't see God more today.............maybe that's the answer.

sheesh....a bit of a debbie downer today, huh?

Isaiah 8

¹² “Do not call conspiracy
    everything this people calls a conspiracy;
do not fear what they fear,
    and do not dread it.This one seems really appropriate lately.  In both the Sandy Hook mess, and the Boston Marathon bombing...somehow, on my facebook I'll see posts that are telling me that its fake.  This seems so crazy that there are people out there that really believe the government is out to get em...at any cost.  Even as much as the lives of kids/people.....nuts

¹⁹ When someone tells you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? ²⁰ Consult God’s instruction and the testimony of warning. If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.
In our American society.  People are so hungry to have someone tell them what there future is going to hold.  We are always busy looking ahead, to when everything will be great, and we will finally feel satisfied with ourselves.  And, because we are looking in the wrong places for that satisfaction, it never comes.  Sad really.  We should be ensuring that we are plugging into the creator of the universe......the giver of light.  Why does that seems so simple to write and rationalize, but so difficult to do consistently?
don't know.

have a good one!

Isaiah 7

9 If you don’t take your stand in faith,
    you won’t have a leg to stand on.”

There are obvious references to the coming Christ in this chapter, which is pretty cool.  I find it interesting that the subject of that prediction really isn't about Jesus at all.  Its about the state of Isreal, and how it relates to the current situation of being surrounded by multiple armies.  God is telling them not to worry.  By the time the Christ comes, those 2 armies won't even exist, and you will!

But, I like verse 9.  It reminds me of a country song.  "If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything."  It reminds me to live my life as if my faith is my most prized possession.  How would my life look if that was truly the case?  HHHHHHmmmmmmmmmmm....something to think about.

peace 

Isaiah 6

“Look. This coal has touched your lips.
    Gone your guilt,
    your sins wiped out.”
And then I heard the voice of the Master:
    “Whom shall I send?
    Who will go for us?”
I spoke up,
    “I’ll go.
    Send me!”

I love that image of God asking who will go for him........and me standing up to say, "send me"

that send chills down my spine.  Am I ready to step up to that challenge?  How many times have I had the chance to do it, and failed him?  It always sounds like some GRAND event.....but, I really think it can be a little thing.  When the conversation comes up at work, and people are laughing at how religion is clouding the vision of people when it comes to social issues.....do I step in with God's intention in my mouth?  I definitely try.  If you think about it, when that situation comes up, and I DON'T say anything, I'm really denying him.

hope you had a good trip.