Isaiah 55: Pt. 7- Come that you may know God

For me, this week has been a really incredible week of learning and soaking in the grace of God. Today I want to conclude my little mini-series by summing up everything I've been finding in this deeply rich passage.

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;
⁷let 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.
⁸For 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,
¹¹so 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."

To conclude this series, let's look at this one more time, verse by verse, in just a sentence or two each verse.

Vs. 1: God is calling us to come to him!

Vs. 2: If we come, we must come bare before him, so that he can be sufficient for us.

Vs. 3: When we come, we can listen. If we listen and hear, then we will live.

Vs. 4: When we listen, we should become leaders and witnesses.

Vs. 5: When we witness, the nations will come.

Vs. 6: When the nations come, they will seek God, and we must show them how.

Vs. 7: If they seek God, they will leave their wicked ways and God will have compassion on them.

Vs. 8: In his compassion, God is so different from us.

Vs. 9: God's ways are not our ways: he is so much greater and higher!

Vs. 10: In his greatness, God speaks his word, and it stays and takes root.

Vs. 11: Not only does God's word take root, it also succeeds in whatever it does.

Vs. 12: As God's word succeeds, joy and peace will result among the nations-- even the mountains will worship him!

Vs. 13: This joy and peace will be everlasting, and God's reign will be forever.

Isn't this just remarkable? What a mighty God we serve!

Isaiah 55: Pt. 6- Worship that joy may abound

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."

Wow, wow, wow. That's all I can say. God promises us in this passage that his kingdom is coming at his word, and since his word shall always succeed, we get to enjoy all the glories described in the passage above. Being a child of God is very special.

Vs. 12:  Joy is a very complex subject that involves so many different things. Essentially, though, every facet of joy can be enraptured in the reality that true joy is from the heart, of God, and is a part of every aspect of life. Peace works in exactly the same way. When God says that we, his children, will go out in joy and be led forth in peace, he means that our entire lives henceforth that moment will be joyful and filled with peace. What a picture this is! Because of the fall, all societies have been lacking somehow in both of these departments. God promises to bring both to us! The picture he gives us is glorious, too. Imagine the Himalayas, Alps, Rocky Mountains, Andes, and all the other mountain ranges across the earth breaking into song. Add to that the redwoods, palms, evergreens, aspens, and cherry trees clapping to the beat! This is incredible stuff!

Vs. 13: Remember that thorn you got stuck in your foot when you were little? It hurt, didn't it? Well, God also promises that all such things will be gone. This is probably also a symbol for evil, which will be gone when the Lord comes back and reigns forever. How amazing is that? To replace this evil, good will arise instead. The good, God says, will make God's name great, and everyone from then on shall worship him forever. So if we worship him now, one day we will join the legions of those who have gone before us in the faith, and we'll be blessed with this everlasting joy, peace, and reign of God.

Like I said earlier, wow. That's about all there is to say.

Tomorrow, I'll conclude this little series with an overview of the whole passage: Come that you may know God.

Joyfully praising him,

Meridian

Isaiah 55: Pt. 5- Listen that you may succeed

Listening. One of the hardest things to do, but one of the greatest and most beneficial skills one can learn. Try it sometime. :)

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;
⁷let 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.
⁸For 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,
¹¹so 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."

Vs. 10: Rain and snow. Beautiful weather conditions, but sometimes they give us problems. Driving along a road in the midst of a whiteout blizzard can actually kill us. Likewise, standing in the middle of a torrent of rain for an extended period of time can make the human body very sick. On the other hand, these conditions can be a blessing. At Christmastime, when everything is rather bleak and dry, that little bit of snow adds moisture and beauty to the surroundings. In a hot, dry summer, a good rain is welcomed most thoroughly. God's spoken word is like these conditions. His words can be dangerous, and can cause our lives to be lived on the edge. Yet, despite the extremities, his words can be welcome, and add beauty to our broken world. In fact, his words don't just add beauty: they are the essence of beauty. God's words are not sent down from heaven only to be pulled back up again. He loves us, keeps his word, and wants his word to take root in the hearts of all his creation: especially his chosen people.

Vs. 11: God is all-powerful. When he says he is going to do something, he does it. With his words he shows us who he is and how we are to respond to that. Ultimately, God reminds us in this passage that his word will succeed at whatever it sets out to do. When I was titling this post, I thought through this success factor, and its relation to listening. When I formed the title, I was concerned that it might sound like some sort of health and wealth prosperity gospel. Then I realized that this is the truth: we must listen in order to succeed. For isn't it true that "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me?" At the same time, the opposite is equally true. Essentially, we cannot do all things without Christ who strengthens us. Listening to, and obeying God, are the key to true success. This is because Biblical success is not defined by how much money you make, how famous you are, or even how good of a family life you lead. Success, in God's Book (literally!), is defined by God's success, and how closely you are following to his mission. Considering that the Bible is the ultimate authority, it might be wise to take this seriously. If, at the end of your life, you can say that though you certainly have not had a perfect, sinless, life, you have, by the grace of God sought at every moment to please him in every way, and to follow him in perfect obedience to the best of your human ability, then you have been successful, because we have seen a purpose bigger than ourselves, and as big as the God who created the entire universe. No one, of course, is perfect, but we can do our best as God gives us grace to live humbly with him every day. In the end, then, to listen is to succeed.

Tomorrow: Worship that joy may abound.

Seeking to listen to Him,

Meridian

Isaiah 55: Pt. 4- Know, that you may worship

Isn't God's goodness just remarkable? Today I want to continue to explore this remarkable passage from Isaiah. You might be wondering why I am  posting the entire passage every day. Quite honestly, I find it amazingly refreshing to read the entire thing every day. But, of course, that is completely up to you as to whether or not you would like to do the same. :)

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."

Vs. 8:  God is an amazing God who has created the whole universe, and holds every detail of it right within his hand. His thoughts are not our thoughts. He is so much greater than us, and we ought to be in awe of that fact. In the same way, God reminds us that his ways are not our ways. God is our superior in every respect: that he accepts and loves us as his children is completely unfathomable! Wow!

Vs. 9: God continues to remind us of his power. A God who loves us so greatly, and who controls so much, should be the focus of all our attention: he is truly worthy! Not just that, but we are unworthy of his love. The deeper we get to know him, the more we'll love him. The more we love him, the more we'll worship. I don't know about you, but I want to be a worshiper! I want to love God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength, and use every moment of every day to please him. Now, of course, I am human and simply cannot live up to that standard. But I can certainly try. This is much of the topic of St. Augustine's Confessions, in which he realizes his own sin, and God's greatness, and suddenly he wants to please him at every moment of every day. When we read through works like this one, we should be inspired to do the same, because what a mighty God we serve! If we know how great he is, we should be moved to worship him in total devotion.

Tomorrow: Listen that you may succeed

Serving him in awe,

Meridian

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

Isaiah 55: Pt. 2- Lead that the nations might follow

Yesterday was day two of my search through this passage. As I was reflecting on it, I realized that I honestly cannot share this rich chapter in just a few posts. Instead, I am going to talk about this the whole week long. It is very deep and glorious! Once again, I hope it will feed you as it does me. 

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."

Again, aren't these words astoundingly beautiful? Every time I read them, they give me chills. God loves us so much! He wants us to pass this love on as well.

Vs. 4: A good witness is a person who sees an event and testifies accurately and convincingly to it. God has called us to be his witnesses throughout the earth. We are called to be leaders. The Bible does not ask its people to be followers in this world. Are we called to be followers of Christ, and to take our respective places in society and the familial order? Yes, of course! But we are still leaders in the life-changing movement called Christianity. We are to be commanders in this movement! Step up and lead!

Vs. 5: When we are being true, God-driven leaders, people will tend to follow. Because of this fact, there will be certain times when whole nations will follow the example of the disciples of Jesus Christ. It says so right here in Scripture! Nations that we don't even know are going to be following us, and eventually be following Christ. What a beautiful picture! This, the passage says, is all due to God's work.

So, what are these verses telling us? First, we must be good witnesses by being leaders, within the context of following Christ. Second, when we do this, people are going to follow. We serve an awesome God, and people want to know him. If you are willing to take the step of faith in being a witnessing leader for the sake of the cross, be prepared. It may not always be what you think it will be, but this journey is going to be an amazing one!

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

Following Him wholeheartedly,

Meridian

Isaiah 55: Pt. 1- Listen that you may drink deeply

Hello all!

In this four-part series, I want to take a look at one of my favorite Scriptural passages: Isaiah 55. In this passage, God, after showing his wrath, reveals his love to his people. Today I want to examine verses 1-3. Properly titled, "The Compassion of the Lord," it gives a beautiful, rich, and inspiring word to live by. I hope that this passage will bless you as much as it has blessed me. All Scripture quotations are ESV, courtesy of www.biblegateway.com

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."

Verse 1: These words are beautiful, refreshing, and utterly inspiring. Sometimes, in our daily rushed American lives, we become thirsty. We are workaholics, people who are so consumed with what we are doing that we can easily forget to pause and simply listen to what God has to say to us. At other times, we want to come, but are so lacking and impoverished for God and grace in life that we shrink away, viewing God as too great, or pricey for us to be able to grasp onto him. Yet, as we think these things, turning to Scripture shows us that we are exactly the kind of people he wants to come to him. He tells us here in this passage that we are welcome before him, even without money. In fact, he wants us to come without anything, and to be freely given the bread of Life.

Verse 2: What if we try to purchase bread with what we do have? God tells us (his People) in this passage that it is a waste to try to do this, because all we can purchase is stuff. There is nothing wrong with having stuff, but God doesn't want that to be our priority. If we earnestly seek him, we will find our satisfaction in him and nothing else will matter. God ought to be everything to us, because he will provide for us all we will ever need. Period.

Verse 3: What does it mean to "earnestly seek God?" This passage provides a glimpse of what it entails. First, we must listen. Have you ever tried to have a conversation with someone where you did all the talking? It probably didn't work very well, and it also couldn't have been very fun. We must "incline our ears" and listen to God! When we listen, we then must come naked before him, open to receive his grace. Only then can we live. We must lose our lives to gain them. Then, and then only, can we begin to truly understand the love and grace of God. This is the Gospel at its most fundamental level. Isn't it beautiful?

I love this passage so much. I hope you will join me as this week I will be meditating every day on this passage, and seeking to understand God's love and grace just a bit deeper.

Next time: Isaiah 55: Pt. 2- Lead that the nations might follow

Till then,
Resting in His Grace.

Meridian