The Prophet uttered a powerful line when he said, “I (the Lord) will look favorably on this kind of person: one who is humble, submissive in spirit, and trembles at my word.” [Is. 66:2]

Parents are wise to cultivate within their children a supreme respect for God’s Word. Pastors are wise to teach and model a reverence for God’s Word. Many ask the congregation to rise to their feet when the scriptural text for the sermon is read. After all, heaven and earth will pass away, but God’s Word will endure forever.

The greatest way to honor God’s Word is to live in it … reading and studying it on a daily basis. It’s our daily bread.

READ/LISTEN: Is. 64-66

Christ Jesus gave His mission to us. Isaiah 61 provides a catalog of the ministries Christ commissions us with. One of them is transforming ashes into beauty.

Through the eyes of the Love of Christ, we can see the hope for a life that has been destroyed. In fact, the compassionate Christian looks rather for those who need Christ’s transformation. Fellowship with other like-minded believers is great, but the big thrills come when a lost one finds salvation.

The recent fires in California have shown the ashes left behind from devastation. Yet, those whose lives were spared are joyed to just be alive.

“What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul?” [Mark 8:36]

READ/LISTEN: Is. 61-63

The eye is the window to the soul. God made us and He gave us instructions on how to navigate life successfully. He even instructed us on how to aim our eyes so we could guard what came into our soul that might destroy us.

The tassels on the hem of the priest’s garment were to be a focus for the eyes. [Num. 15:39] As the priest steadied his eyes on the tassels, he kept his eyes from lusting for what else he might see.

Job made a  covenant with his eyes to not look lustfully upon a woman. [Job 31:1] David said he would not set any wicked thing in front of his eyes. [Ps. 101:3]

Hebrews instructed the NT Christian about the ultimate solution …  to fix their focus on Christ. [Heb. 12:2]

READ/LISTEN: Is. 56-58

Isaiah declared that the Messiah had no deceit in His mouth.

The conversations of many contain a self-serving flavor. Every word is derived from their deep desire to gain an advantage for themselves. They are generally after money, personal advancement, or sensual gratification. [1 John 2:16]

Christ’s motives were clear. He said what He meant and meant what He said. Above all, He always told the truth.

Truth can be presented with kindness when it is communicated from a heart of love. I always think of the Virtuous Woman of Proverbs 31. The law of kindness is in her tongue.

READ/LISTEN: Is. 53-55

For nearly 15 years now, I have been awakened each night to spend time in devotions and reading. I just wake up and know, “It’s time.” If I had to sleep through an entire night, I doubt that I could do it.

In the middle of the night (anywhere from midnight to 3 a.m.) its so peaceful. There are very few distractions or jobs that need to be done. The main job is spending time with the Lord. It’s certainly not a matter of self-discipline. It just happens.

I guess the Lord’s voice is the one that calls me. I know He’s always ready to speak.

The other voice I know is that of my wife. I can sometimes hear her say, “Honey.” I jump up and go see if she’s ok. She will say, “Are you ready to come back to bed?” I want to be there for her.

I want to be there for the Lord.

READ/LISTEN: Is. 50-52

God says, “Those that hope in Me will not be disappointed.”

Hope is an element of strength and security that carries a person from the challenges of today to the promises of tomorrow. Without hope we are miserable. With it we can endure hardship and sustain loss.

In Paul’s letter to Titus, he refers to the “Blessed Hope” as being the return and appearance of Christ Jesus when He comes back for His Bride, the Church. As we pray and read God’s Word on a daily basis, our life and attitude are permeated with this hope. It sustains us and gives life to those around us.

We are HOPE-FULL.

READ/LISTEN: Is. 48,49

On a brass instrument, a tone is played by buzzing the lips into a mouthpiece creating a vibration that resonates through the horn and sends soundwaves into the air. As long as the player buzzes his lips, the tone is sustained. A similar process occurs when a violinist draws her bow across that string of her instrument creating a tone. Likewise, the tone is sustained while the vibration continues.

How does God make a tone through our lives? As long as our heart “vibrates,” we continue to live. We are sustained.

Obviously there is more to it than that. The point is, God is our Sustainer. We must keep ourselves in His Hand. We must allow His Buzz to keep a tone resonating from our lives. As Jesus said, “Apart from Me you can do NOTHING.”

READ/LISTEN: Is. 45-47

Jesus made it clear that it is easy to reap destruction from life when you choose to live as most others do. He likened the dangerous route to a wide, easy to access road, one that had many travelers. It appeared to be the path of least resistance, and very easy to follow. Sadly, He said it led to hell and destruction.

Conversely, He said that the path to the best life, the one He was encouraging, had a narrow entrance. It’s gate was more difficult to go through, but it led to the best destination. In another teaching, He described Himself as the door to this life. He said, “No man comes to the Father (and the Kingdom of Heaven) except by Me.”

Jesus seems to be the critical factor in people’s lives. If they love Him and live according to His teachings, they have chosen an unpopular way of life, a narrow walk. They don’t go where most go and live as most live. The good news is that they will avoid the destruction to come.

READ/LISTEN:  Matt. 5-7

God has given to man the ability to communicate. We have eyes to see, ears to hear, and a mind to develop a message and present it. We have legs to travel and hands to craft. We have the tools necessary to present the Gospel to our generation.

We use these gifts to make a living, to have recreation and to facilitate our hobbies and interests. How self-centered we become using all that God has given for our own purposes.

Prayer: “Lord, we repent from using the marvelous gifts You have given for our own pleasure and subsistence. We turn our hearts toward Your purposes: to tell the Good News of the Gospel; to serve our fellow man with acts of kindness; to praise and glorify You, giving You the glory due to Your Holy Name; to pray for the sick and see them recover; to be faithful to raise our offspring to also be witnesses for You. Lord, we can’t do these things in our own strength. Fill us with Your grace and Your Spirit to empower us to be Your Witnesses to the uttermost parts of the earth.”

READ/LISTEN: Is. 43,44

Isaiah 40 is considered the center of the Bible, a pivot point that joins the old with the new. It is so starkly different from the previous 39 chapters of Isaiah that many believe it was written by a different author. Regardless, it’s God’s Word. He’s the Ultimate Author.

George Frideric Handel’s libretto (text) for his oratorio, Messiah, took much of Is. 40 because it is so rich in prophecy about the coming Savior. Since 1742 when Messiah was first performed, multiplied thousands each year sing the Word of God at Christmas and Easter when performing Handel’s famous composition.

As he was writing the musical score, he had rented a small chamber to isolate himself to finish the work. He had hired a person to bring him meals so he could devote his efforts to the composition. On one occasion, this person entered the room and found George with his head down on the manuscript, weeping at the vision of God he had just seen. There are tear stains to this day on that piece of music … the Hallelujah Chorus!

READ/LISTEN: Is. 40-42