Skip to main content

Daily Devotion: Isaiah 62:1-4

By

Isaiah 62:1-4     "For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.  (2)  And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name.  (3)  Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.  (4)  Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married."

I include yesterday's verse to set the tone for my thoughts today.  We are instructed to speak boldly, highly, and often of the glory of the Lord and His Church. We aren't to do it in order to be seen; rather, we are to do it for the glory of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. But God tells us that when we let our testimony be heard, "the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness... thy glory... and will be called by a new name..." What is our righteousness and glory? Let me rephrase that question: WHO is our righteousness and glory? That's correct! His name is Jesus.

God tells us that when we exalt the blessed name of Jesus, we shall be "a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God." Notice this is all contingent on being in the "hand of the Lord and the hand of thy God." There is a beauty and a majestic greatness that is seen in God's people as we live the lives that God has called us to be. Peter tells us that we are "... a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light." Our "marching orders" have not changed from Isaiah to Peter. But as we do those things, we can experience the wonderful blessings of not feeling forsaken nor desolate. Instead, we are allowed to understand that we are "married" or joined to the very heart of our Lord as one.  I conclude today with a portion of Jesus' prayer, "And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:  (23)  I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me." (John 17:22-23)  These words confirm that we, the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, are the Bride of Christ.

Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Daily Devotion: Psalm 88:1-4

By
Psalm 88:1-4  A Song or Psalm for the sons of Korah, to the chief Musician upon Mahalath Leannoth, Maschil of Heman the Ezrahite. "O LORD God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee:  (2)  Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry;  (3)  For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave.  (4)  I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength" I've said this before and I will say it again (and probably more times before we get to the end of the Psalms) - I love the Psalms because I can surely identify with them. Most Psalms start in a low place and as the writer expresses his thoughts, the Lord begins to lift him up out of that dry place.  Though this entire Psalm is a fervent cry unto the Lord, the Psalmist tells us specifically in three verses that he cried daily unto the Lord. Just a few Psalms ago, we were reminded that God always hears our prayers. ...
Read more

Daily Devotion (Video): I Will Fear No Evil - Psalm 23:4

By
Read more

Daily Devotion: Knowing God By Bearing Fruit

By
Some will notice the title is not “Bearing fruit because we know God,” so to avoid getting sidetracked with that, we can start with the fact that we won’t bear any godly fruit unless our heart has been changed and the Holy Spirit dwells within us. Also, to avoid confusion, I’ll be using the terms “bearing fruit,” “good works” and “service” interchangeably.  I took this article’s title from Part 7, of John Piper’s “Look at the Book” session on Colossians 1:9-12. I greatly encourage you to view that short video to get his excellent exposition on this subject.  When I saw the title of the video earlier this year, I got kind of excited because that’s the direction my thinking has gone in the past several years. My thinking was founded Biblically with verses on good works like Matthew 5:16 – “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father, who is in heaven.” But I couldn’t expand it to expla...
Read more