Created to Worship

Isaiah 5:25 - ...For all this His anger is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still.

I'm reading Isaiah. While I don't presume to understand all of the detail, there is an underlying theme. Isaiah prophesied to the people of Israel who had turned their backs on God, determined to live apart from Him. Despite words of warning, as is often said, they remained a stiff-necked people (God's own words). Enemies would overthrow them, there would be seasons of poor crops or destruction but they would not seek God. It was as if they shook their fists at Him. 

But God wasn't done with them...and He still isn't. Despite what we will probably see someday, Israel will bounce back. She is God's. His people reside there, still in a stiff-necked condition. In Isaiah a remnant is mentioned. There will be a small number who need God's warnings and once again look to Him. 

Isaiah prophesies a Child to be born of a virgin whose name would be Immanuel, God with us. This Child will bring peace to the people of this nation. He will form an everlasting government. We hear this all at Christmas. 

Despite these words, Israel continues, even to this day, to rebel against God. God poured out His wrath upon them in hopes they would look to Him once again. For all this His anger was not turned away... His love for His people, His nation never fails. His wrath is only for their good, like a father punishing a bad child, to hope they will stop being disrespectful and rebellious toward Him. They no longer worshipped Him. 

All this runs parallel to His love for us. Stiff-necked people. The Son prophesied. The Son who came. A remnant of believers. Each of us rebels against God. The words, For all this His anger is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still, are repeated five times in Isaiah. These words were not just for Israel but for us too. His hand is outstretched for all. This is a God of love. He sees our disobedience but will forgive in a heartbeat if we take that hand that we might no longer be separated from Him, like Israel. There will be a day when there will be a remnant even among today's people, those who have decided God's ways are greater than their own, those who truly humble themselves before God.

There is such a misconception that everyone will go to heaven because they, compared to others, are good people. But God says there is none righteous apart from Him. Just knowing of Him is not enough. No church can do the saving. It's coming alongside Him alone, daily, seeking Him. It's asking for His provision, His wisdom, His guidance instead of trusting in our own or someone else's. It's submitting our hearts to Him and knowing that we are nothing in this world without Him, who, after all, created us. It's getting to know Him so intimately we understand what the truth of His Word conveys. That only comes when we seek Him. Then we realize how lost this world really is without Him. I pray for God to give me an even greater heart for the lost.

We were not created to just live lives on this earth to glorify ourselves. We were created to worship God. I looked for scriptures that tell us we were made to worship Him. Nothing says that exact thing, but many words encompassing the idea. Here's just one example: ...“Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.” (‭Revelation‬ ‭14‬:‭7‬) If we believe, truly believe, truly take stock in the fact He has created us and there is no one greater, why wouldn't we...why shouldn't we? Oh, I so know unless one 
has an encounter like no other with this Child, the Son of God, who came to take away the sins of the world, my words are meaningless. I pray His Spirit would reveal this to those who don't know. The truth is, we are to worship Him.

“And now...what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul...(‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭10‬:‭12‬). Money, bling, house, job, family...none of that comes before Him. But if we seek Him first, other things are added to us...not always in the material things. If we could understand this more fully... Only until we give of ourselves to Him... Worship Him...

Psalm 29:1-2,10-11 - Give unto the LORD, O you mighty ones, give unto the LORD glory and strength. Give unto the LORD the glory due to His name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. The LORD sat enthroned at the Flood, and the LORD sits as King forever. The LORD will give strength to His people; the LORD will bless His people with peace. 

Desire and Delight

Zephaniah 3:17 - The LORD your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet your with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.

Lord God, You are the God of all creation. You spoke and all things were created. Who can even comprehend this. Awesome is Your name. It brings an excitement and reverent fear from this heart. All glory belongs to You.

Today I only want to praise Your name. I want to sing praises to the glory of the one who created me.

I desire Your presence all about me this day...and all days. My Savior, first love, provider, redeemer, sustainer in all things.

To You be all glory. It is You I worship. It is You whose name I whisper throughout the day. It is You I put my trust in in this world that is spiraling downward in its immorality, wrong thinking, violence and absence of You. I thank You that I know truth.

You, my God, are to be cherished above all. Nothing is more important, more costly, more precious than my Savior.

You know our innermost thoughts and You knew them before time began. Who can understand? With this knowledge why wouldn't I call You my everything? It is only You who can provide what man cannot. Only You provide the perfect peace. Only You provide the one way, the narrow way, to salvation. You make me complete.

You are my heart's desire. You give me the desires of my heart, O God, so that I might share this with others near to me. Let Your love spill out from me to those nearest, Lord God.

I thank You that You have placed an excitement in my heart for You and that there is nothing I see or hear that I don't see through  the eyes You have opened in my spirit. It's like an opening of clarity of what truth is. You are forever in my thoughts and I see nothing in the same light as before knowing You, like those frontlets on the foreheads of the priests in the Old Testament.

You have put the enemy under Your feet, therefore in You I am protected, as a bird under the wings of its mother. Thank You for that personal protection.

Lord God, You delight in me. You sing over me. For all I know You dance before me! My heart does these for You today. I lift up my heart. I lift up my voice. I lift up my hands. All a sign of worship to my King. I praise You. I worship You. I adore You, my Lord. Let my worship be as delightful to You.

You are my strength and my shield. You are my righteousness and my truth. Your Word is a lamp into my feet and a light to my path. You are my peace. I delight in You for all that You provide.

Let Your manna be my sustenance this day. Let Your words be my strength and my hope, for they are the words of life to any soul who longs for You. Let the words from my lips and the meditation of my heart be solely devoted to You.

There is that old song that just came to mind that reminds me of You:

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.
You make me happy when skies are grey.
You'll never know (Lord) how much I love You.
Please don't take my sunshine away.

Lord, I know that You are my Sonshine and you will not take that away from me...as long as I remain faithful to You.

Thank You, Lord, for Your covenant promises to those who seek You, who long for Your return, who look to Your Word for inspiration, truth, encouragement, rebuke and signs of the time.

Deuteronomy 7:9 - Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations.

Bible in a Nutshell

John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

I found this one day and stored it away to share. How one verse of scripture can be explained by many others. This is the one scripture that says it all. My comments are in red. If it seems like too much scripture, let me just add that scripture will always speak for itself. They are God's words and more powerful than my own. (I have to say that I did not include all of the scriptures suggested because some were repetitive.)

Bible In A Nutshell by Naveen Balakrishnan

John 3:16-3:16!

1.      God’s GRACE (v. 16a) - For God so loved the world ...

Deuteronomy 7:8 - ...but because the LORD loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage...

Besides the bondage of addictions, it is the bondage of wrong thinking, ignorance as it were of the truth of God's word. This ignorance can be an innocent type of ignorance...until you have been exposed to the truth.

Jeremiah 31:3 - The LORD has appeared of old to me, saying: "Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.

He draws us. We do not find Him. Anyone who has received Christ will understand this. 

Malachi 1:2 - "I have loved you," says the LORD. 

He loved us first. Can you honestly say you have told the Lord you love Him?

Romans 5:8 - But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

1John 4:9-10, 19 - In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. We love Him because He first loved us.

While we were yet sinners...He loved us. Think about those people who you find difficult to be around or those who are known criminals or murderers. God loves even them. 

2.      God’s GIFT (v. 16b) - that He gave His only Begotten Son 

Isaiah 9:6 - For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

John 1:14 - And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.  

2 Corinthians 9:15 - Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! 

He gave His only Son. He sacrificed Him so the world could be saved. And Jesus allowed Himself to be sacrificed...greater love...Jesus tells us: I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

3.      God’s GOSPEL (v. 16c) - that whosoever believeth in Him 

Joel 2:32 - And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. 

John 3:36 - He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.

Acts 16:30-31 - And he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household."

Galatians 2:16 - knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified. 

2Corinthians 4:3-4 - But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

Believing in Christ is more than saying you know who He is; it's having the faith of a mustard seed, the openness of a child, to know that you know in your heart that He has called you and responding in an act of faith. The act of faith is done in your heart first and then confessed publicly. It is not by your good deeds or works in this world, being a good person, donating money to worthy causes or belonging to a church; Jesus did the work...you just need to receive what He has done in your heart. He will guide your heart after that. 

4.      God’s GLORY (v. 16d) - should not perish but have everlasting life 

1John 5:11-12 - ...God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

John 10:27-28 - My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.

Romans 5:21 - so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

John 17:3 - And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

Oh, the glory of God, that we should have everlasting life! We obviously will not see that until we die and we can only hope that today we are in right relationship with Him to receive this everlasting life. This life is given to us through Jesus; it is a gift; we cannot buy it or work for it. It all depends on whether we have chosen to receive Christ, live for Him, know His will for our lives and be obedient to His will. Then our good works are relevant because the works are done through God's power in us and for Him as our Heavenly Father.

Romans 8:32 - He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?