Isaiah 1 - Forgiveness of Sins

I think it's interesting, because God, the King of Kings, the LORD of LORDS, stepped out and says "Come now, and let us reason together." To a people that is wicked, to a people that has ignored the goodness of God. They have been bringing futile sacrifices to the altar, pretending they care, pretending they actually want to give unto the LORD, but the truth is their heart is showing, their heart is coming out and showing God that they don't care, that they are just giving out of the motives of things that have to be done to be a Jew.

And God says, forget it, I hate those feasts that you pretend to honor and love me, I hate the iniquity that you bring with your sacrifice to the altar. He says "when you spread your hands, I will hide My eyes from you." Because their hands were full of blood.

And this passage terrifies me as I read it because if God says this to Judah, what would He say to me? What would He say to me, who has made a mess of this life, who sins and sins and sins, and sins...and sins? So what would He say, what would He see when He looks at my life? When He sees my sacrifices? When He hears my prayers?? It terrifies me because I don't want God to stop hearing my prayers, I don't want God to hide His hears from me.

But when you read further, God isn't done, He isn't done with Judah, even though they've brought Him sorrow, even though they've brought futile sacrifices, and hearts full of blood faking their way through sacrifices. He says "Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean: put away that evil of your doings from My eyes. Cease to do evil." But God, we can't just cease to do evil, we are humans, we mess up, we fail, how can we cease to do evil, how can we put away that evil from Your eyes?

Keep reading "Learn to do good." ha ha ha. He knows...He knows we are imperfect, so He tells us to LEARN to do good. He doesn't expect perfection. LEARN to do good by seeking justice, by rebuking the oppressor, by defending the fatherless, by pleading for the widow.

And you know what gets me the most about this passage, is God has just told Judah how much He is just done with the nation, He's sick and tired of the futile sacrifices, the heartless sacrifices...but He says "Come, now, let us reason together."

AHA!! He's not through with them, He's not through with us...He's not DONE!!! Praise Jesus!!! Your sins might be as scarlet but oh let Me wash them and make them white as snow, they might be crimson, but oh let Me make them like wool. And if you are willing and you are obedient...oh you shall eat of the good of this land!!

We have a choice! We have a choice to honor God and He will change our sins and make them white as snow!!! And you know God tells Judah if they are obedient they'll eat the good of the land, but they have a choice...and the choice is if they are rebellious...well they'll just die by the sword! But God has given a choice!! He offers us forgiveness! He offers us redemption! He offers us new life!

The God Stamp

It's become interesting to me lately how many people approve of something they are doing by stamping it with God's name.

My friend and I were talking about this a week ago in regards to a situation she is facing currently. And I find it in several situations I am faced with. Several Christians all battling against one another saying one thing is right and ones not. And I find it interesting that on both sides of the argument God has spoken. God has spoken to the one side and said to do this, and yet God has spoken to the other side and said to do something else. And only one of the sides that has heard from God lines up with what the Bible say. Some argue and say that time is an important factor, some argue and say the Bible doesn't mean it anymore, it's different now, and still others argue that the Bible wasn't saying exactly that, it meant something different.

I guess I'm writing this because I'm frustrated with that God stamp. Even more so, annoyed because the truth is, "God" can speak anything...but is it the God of the Bible? The God of the universe?? Or is it the god of your mind?? The god of your well being?? the god of what you want?? And it's so hard to distinguish when you want something so bad, you pray and ask God and God says exactly what you want.

And I guess this would lead into the selfish ambitions part of things. Paul says in Galatians 5 that the acts of the sinful nature INCLUDE selfish ambition. But I think oftentimes we forget all about that part of the verse. We almost push it aside because there are far worse sins! Like sexual immorality...idolatry...witchcraft...all wayyyyy worse than selfish ambition. But what I find interesting is that's so not true! Paul lists selfish ambition right there in that verse, next to sexual immorality, debauchery, idolatry, witchcraft and all those other "horrible sins".

Do you think it is possible that out of our selfish ambition we might in fact let God say something He isn't saying?? Do you think it's possible that we put a God stamp on things that God hasn't said because we want to believe it's true, we want to believe it's right, we want to make it okay for us, because we want it so bad??

I just wonder how long people will continue to put the God stamp on things, because I know right now it's starting to frustrate me, it's starting to annoy me...how awful, how obscure, how jaded we have become from who God really is. It saddens me soo deeply.

Homestretch

Well it's been about a year since I wrote in here last...okay maybe not that long but it feels like forever. haha.

I was just thinking tonight as my brother and I rode the homestretch. We had gone for an hr long bike ride. Which is fine, but apparently my leg muscles and body muscles aren't so excited about this bike ride...especially with my spry 13 year old brother who has been biking a lot lately. Sooooo we're getting towards the end of our bike ride and I'm all excited...and it reminded me of this race I was in. It was a 5 km run and my friend and I were running it together...yes we ended up walking a lot of it, but at the end we were gonna lose together, but just as I saw the finish line I got this kick within me and suddenly I was gone, I couldn't help it. I knew the end was near and I had no choice but to obey my body and go into full speed.

It made me think of how we live our lives. Do we live with the homestretch in mind? knowing the finish line is somewhere out there, close, or far away? Or do we live with the mindset that the finish line isn't going to come so we don't need to be giving it our all?? I personally want to live my life as if the finish line was right in front of me, giving God my all, putting everything I am into life, rather than moping around in a pity party. I want to be going full strong, knowing I'm on the homestretch. Yep I might be on the homestretch for 50 years but I don't want to miss a minute of it with my stopping to gaze at the sin that looks so good and enticing, I don't want to wander off the trail and find some poison ivy and rub it all over me. I want to run that homestretch with endurance.

Now this is all not to say to ENJOY LIFE. Sure take a minute and smell the roses, look and see the grace painted across the sky, enjoy every second of life. What I'm getting at is, I don't want to live my life running off the path and playing in poison ivy, or playing with the bears cub or something. I want to stay on that path, running for my prized possession, Jesus, and I know I can do that and still enjoy the beautifulness of life. =)

Rest

Ahh...it's been so long since I've blogged. Slacking may be a good way of putting it, but I actually read this inspirational poem about writing when you had the inspiration to versus writing when you had no inspiration and forcing it. I haven't been inspired to write until the last few days. And so of course you have to let that inspiration cycle around in your head as you mull over it and chew it and think on it and then finally you are ready to write. At least that's how it works for me. =]

So I wanna talk about rest. Rest. Hmm...I've always loved resting. Ya know, Sunday after church propping your feet up on the foot stool, and just resting. Or after a long day at work, curling up on the couch with a good book and resting...or taking a bath and relaxing. Yep. I do like to rest. I think I was born to rest. Haha.

Lately however, God has been taking me on a new phase of rest. Resting in Him. Not just resting. But resting IN Him. And there is a huge difference between the two. My definition or version of rest is all I've wrote above. But resting in God, is something deeper, it's rest in your spirit, your mind. I mean seriously can you tell me that after a day of hardwork you go home and feel relaxed just sitting there? Often times I picture resting in front of the TV...cause then you're mind is turned off and you are just zoned into the TV, unless you are that stressed. But when you rest in God, it's like this whole new element. You can rest on the couch and not have the TV on as you just chill out there, resting in God.

The past month or so, my nights have taken an interesting turn of events, either they are full of bad dreams, OR it takes me forever to sleep and then I have bad dreams. A few nights ago, I was so close to getting up and doing something but I wanted to sleep because I knew I had to get up early the next morning, so I'd lay there and try, but my thoughts were so full and going all over the place and finally I came to a point where I was just like "God, help me!" And He said to me, "Rest My child, rest in Me." And so I laid there and just stopped thinking, I pictured myself curled up on His lap, and just rested in Him. Rested in His love, rested in knowing who He is in my life.

And that my friends, is what I do believe true rest is. Resting in His love. Even when life is chaotic, even when you can't sleep, remembering that you can just lay back and relax and rest in His love, because He won't ever stop loving us!!! It's so beautiful really!! =)

Religion vs. Relationship

"It's about relationship not religion."

I've heard this statement several times and said it several times as well, but my friend brought up the fact that religion is actually something different than what we think of as religion. I think of religion as going to church, sitting in a pew, listening to a pastor talk. I think of religion as being told that I must go to church or I am a heathen. I think of religion on all these terms and more. But it's interesting when we find out what God says about religion.

James 1:27, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

I find it interesting that God doesn't say that religion is going to church every Sunday and living in a rigid organized belief system. Religion is actually not what we have made it out to be. Religion, that is pure and unadulterated, faultless, is to look after orphans and widows in their distress. AND to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. There goes the theory that it's about relationship and not religion.

Now here's the thing, often times, there are people, and I've been guilty of this as well, that we will begin to do things because it's the "right" thing to do, it's the
"Christian" thing to do. And I find it interesting that the verse in James says, not just to look after widows and orphans but it actually says "keep oneself from being polluted by the world." What does it mean to keep yourself from being polluted by the world? It means to be living a life that is holy and righteous before God.

I think maybe this verse reads like that because, God knows our selfish tendencies. Sometimes as humans, we want the glory for doing something. We want to feel good about ourselves so we begin to do things for our own glory rather than for God's glory. We begin to take care of the widows and orphans out of selfish desires. I really do think that when we have a pure relationship with God, as we continue to seek His ways, that out of that our love and compassion for others will grow and we will begin to desire to do things for others not because we ourselves have something to offer but rather because God has given us something to offer others, and we want to share the pure love that God has for us. We learn we can love the way He loves because of His grace. Because He pours into us His love, we can go love the world more effectively than trying to love out of our own human love, that isn't as good as His love by any means, I don't think we can even compare it with His love.

I think that religion and relationship were meant to work hand in hand. Through our relationship with God, we can walk in true religion, the religion that God accepts.

Faith

I find myself wondering exactly what is faith as I sit here, on this last day of 2008. I know faith is the assurance of things hoped, the evidence of things unseen. But what must I put my faith in? I know I need to put my faith in Christ and trust in all He is. But do I just stop at putting my faith in Christ? No. I believe there is another step.

As a Christian, I need to place my faith in who God has called me. I have been called an overcomer (1 John 2:14), I have been called more than a conqueror (Romans 8:37), I have been called a daughter of God (John 1:12), I have been called many things by my God. But do I walk in these things? Do I walk as though I am a child of the Most High King? Do I walk as if I am an overcomer? Do I walk as if I am more than a conqueror? Is my head bowed down to the ground as I walk in defeat because I am not having faith in the words God has spoken to me?

I have been challenged to walk in faith. Not just faith in Christ, but faith in what He has called me. My circumstances may look like I am defeated. I may look like I have lost every battle. But that is not who I am. I may not look like a daughter of God. I may not look like all these things, nor may I be able to see them, but I was called More than a Conqueror, Overcomer, Friend of God, Lover of God, Daughter of God, and sooo many more names. I believe that as I have that faith to walk in the names in which He has called me, that I will have daily victory. I believe that I will begin to walk in the authority that God has given to me. I believe that instead of walking in defeat, I will walk in freedom and walk in who God has called me.

I challenge you today to begin walking in faith that who God has called you is who you are. Begin to walk in that faith and experience the freedom of living in who you are, instead of trying to live up to the world's standards. And as you walk in that faith of who God has called you, I believe you will begin to experience daily victories as God shows you who He is, and reveals to you mysteries and the secrets of His heart.

Breath of Heaven

'tis the season of Christmas! And what fun it is! Christmas music and Christmas decorations and all such. And of course remembering our Saviour's birth.

I have this Christmas song that is one of my favourites and has been for a few years now. However I could never ever remember the name of it. However I FINALLY found it. And hopefully I won't forget the name of it again. *smiles* Breath of Heaven is the name of it. And my friends, as much as it is "Mary's song" it speaks to my heart on so many levels. Let me explain.

I am waiting in a silent prayer
I am frightened by the load I bear
In a world as cold as stone,
Must I walk this path alone?
Be with me now
Be with me now

How often do we go through life, frightened by the load we bear, waiting silently crying out to God?? And how often is it that God speaks a word into our heart, and we know we are to do something but that load is scary, it's strange, unfamiliar, and it seems impossible?? And what is our response to that scary load? Is it 'Be with me now, God' or is it 'forget it I can't do this'???

Do you wonder as you watch my face
If a wiser one one should have had my place
But I offer all I am
For the mercy of your plan
Help me be strong
Help me be
Help me

When I was at the airport yesterday, I listened to this song and God spoke to me about this particular verse. Years ago God spoke some things into my heart, and I remember always thinking "That's impossible, but if it's what You want from me, Lord, I'll do it." As time passed, and as I grew older, I kinda let go of those dreams. But I've come back to them and realized that I do want to follow God's plans. Yet at the same time I find myself asking God "Why me? I'm not wise. I have nothing much to offer. I'm not strong." And in that God has been showing me, that it's in His strength that we will do these things, and that I am the one He has chosen for these plans. You see so often we decide we are done with His plans that seem to be impossible to us. But if Mary had decided that she wasn't going to follow God's plans for her life, if Mary had just decided she wouldn't do it, where would we be today? God has plans for our lives and it's in HIS strength that we can do it and we never know what it will do for the future of others, we don't know who we will impact.

Breath of heaven
Hold me together
Be forever near me
Breath of heaven
Breath of heaven
Light up my darkness
Pour over me your holiness
For you are holy

I don't have much to say about the chorus. But I wanted to post it because I really like the lyrics.