TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
Isaiah 57:15-59:21
Philippians 1:1-26
Psalm 71:1-24
Proverbs 24:9-10
Isaiah 57:15 — This is a great memory verse to add to your list. The plan for revival is what Isaiah saw in Isaiah 6, i.e. understanding Who God is and who we are.
Isaiah 58:5-7 — Does God prefer sackcloth and ashes or action? God wants us to loose the bands of wickedness, set free the oppressed, feed the hungry, clothe the needy. Is Isaiah teaching social justice? No, he’s teaching personal justice. We find that the more important religion is to a person, the more likely that person is to give. Is Isaiah talking about giving money to the panhandler? If you’re thinking about giving a couple bucks so that you feel better, then I think that’s what God is talking about in vs. 5. It’s “tokenism!” In vs. 7 God talks about a radical idea; “bring the poor that are cast out to thy house!” Wisconsin State Rep. Dale Kooyenga has been a passionate advocate for SafeFamilies, an interesting church-based alternative to foster care.
Isaiah 58:13 — Romans 14:6 answers the question of what day is the Sabbath for believers. Just like Jesus expanded adultery from the act to the thought in Matthew 5:28, Paul expanded the Sabbath to every day. Do we idolize our own pleasure, or do we delight ourselves in the LORD (Isaiah 58:14)? With the average working American spending just 2 minutes a day on religious activity, it’s hard to say we are fulfilling this call at all.
Isaiah 59:2 — Why aren’t my prayers answered? Because God does not hear us when we sin.
Isaiah 59:7 — Over one billion babies have been estimated to have been killed by abortion worldwide.
Philippians 1:9 — What was Paul’s thoughts towards the Philippians? Was he jumping into correcting their heresy like he did with the Galatians, or was he dealing with serious sin like he had to with the Corinthians? No, his prayer for the Philippians is that their “love may abound yet more and more.” Les Ollila shared how studying 1 Corinthians 13 changed his view of his life. If we do not have love, we have no reward.
Philippians 1:21 — For me to live is Christ, to die is gain!
Psalm 71:1 — In whom is your trust? This Psalm is the senior citizen prayer (Psalm 71:9, Psalm 71:18).
Proverbs 24:10 —
Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never-in nothing, great or small, large or petty – never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.
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