Isaiah 55: Pt. 3- Seek that God will be found

On day four of my journey through this passage, and just gaining from it so much! Today I want to illustrate the importance of seeking God, and the benefits therein.

Isaiah 55

The Compassion of the LORD

 ¹ "Come, everyone who thirsts,
   come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
    come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
   without money and without price.
² Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
   and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
   and delight yourselves in rich food.
³Incline your ear, and come to me;
    hear, that your soul may live;
and I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
    my steadfast, sure love for David.
⁴ Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples,
    a leader and commander for the peoples.
⁵ Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know,
   and a nation that did not know you shall run to you,
because of the LORD your God, and of the Holy One of Israel,
    for he has glorified you.  
⁶ "Seek the LORD while he may be found;
   call upon him while he is near;
⁷ let the wicked forsake his way,
   and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him,
   and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
⁸ For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
   neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.
⁹ For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
   so are my ways higher than your ways
   and my thoughts than your thoughts.
 ¹⁰ "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
   and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
    giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
¹¹ so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
   it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
   and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
 ¹² "For you shall go out in joy
   and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
   shall break forth into singing,
   and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
¹³ Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
   instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall make a name for the LORD,
   an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off."

Doesn't this just move you every time? I know it does that to me. Another notable aspect in here is how God calls us to seek him.

Vs. 6: Have you ever gone to a store, seen that perfect item, and then decided to wait? Of course, when you decided you were going to go ahead and get it, it was gone. Seeking God is not at all like shopping for the perfect fit, but it does relate. God, though eternal, will not always be available. You have been given your life at this moment in time so that you can seek God right now, and have him forever. The moment you leave this earth, though, that chance is gone. And it's not a chance worth taking! God assures eternal punishment of sins in hell for those who do not put their trust in him. But to everyone who does surrender all to him, he promises eternal rewards and joy with him in heaven forever. So, while you are able to grasp God right now, it would be a choice worth making. He is near, and he loves you. Jesus his Son was sent to die for your sins- and then on the third day he rose again so that we might be glorified with him in heaven! What greater God can you serve? He does not promise an easy, or even sinless life, on this earth. Think of heaven, though. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? It is far better to seek God now, and enjoy life with him forever.

Vs. 7: The question you may be asking if you have not already made this commitment is the question of how all this works. This verse answers the question. We are all wicked, evil, bad, however you want to describe it. Even if we did mostly good things, we still all do bad things. And a good judge, I hope we can all agree, would never say that someone who needs to be punished for a crime should get away because of all the good things he's done. It just doesn't work that way. God must punish sin. This is why he sent his sinless Son to die- because any sinful man (yes, that is all of us) would not be able to atone for sin. Only God can do that. So we first must turn to him, and then he will remove all that through the blood of his Son. What an amazing gift! Then God will draw you close to him and he will forgive and love you, seeing you as holy and as his own child.

This is the gospel at its most fundamental level: Take it, and live!

Tomorrow: Know, that you may worship

Living by his Grace,

Meridian