ISAIAH 29: 13-16...
13+++Then the Lord said,
“Because this people draw near with their words
And honor Me with their lip service,
But they remove their hearts far from Me,
And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote,
14+++Therefore behold, I will once again deal marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous;
And the wisdom of their wise men will perish,
And the discernment of their discerning men will be concealed.”
15+++Woe to those who deeply hide their plans from the LORD,
And whose deeds are done in a dark place,
And they say, “Who sees us?” or “Who knows us?”
16+++You turn things around!
Shall the potter be considered as equal with the clay,
That what is made would say to its maker, “He did not make me”;
Or what is formed say to him who formed it, “He has no understanding”?
The security of sinners in sinful ways, is cause for lamentation and wonder. The learned men, through prejudice, said that the Divine prophecies were obscure; and the poor urged their want of learning. The Bible is a sealed book to every man, learned or unlearned, till he begins to study it with a simple heart and a teachable spirit, that he may thence learn the truth and the will of God. To worship God, is to approach him. And if the heart be full of his love and fear, out of the abundance of it the mouth will speak; but there are many whose religion is lip-labour only. When they pretend to be speaking to God, they are thinking of a thousand foolish things. They worship the God of Israel according to their own devices. Numbers are only formal in worship. And their religion is only to comply with custom, and to serve their own interest. But the wanderings of mind, and defects in devotion, which are the believer's burden, are very different from the withdrawing of the heart from God, so severely blamed. And those who make religion no more than a pretense, to serve a turn, deceive themselves. And as those that quarrel with God, so those that think to conceal themselves from him, in effect charge him with folly. But all their perverse conduct shall be entirely done away.
ISAIAH 42: 18-25...
18+++Listen, you deaf ones;
look, you blind ones, that you may see!
19+++Who is blind but My servant,
or deaf like the messenger I am sending?
Who is blind like My covenant partner,
or blind like the servant of the LORD?
20+++Though seeing many things, you do not keep watch.
Though your ears are open, you do not hear.”
21+++The LORD was pleased, for the sake of His righteousness,
to magnify His law and make it glorious.
22+++But this is a people plundered and looted,
all trapped in caves or imprisoned in dungeons.
They have become plunder with no one to rescue them,
and loot with no one to say, “Send them back!”
23+++Who among you will pay attention to this?
Who will listen and obey hereafter?
24+++Who gave Jacob up for spoil,
and Israel to the plunderers?
Was it not the LORD,
against whom we have sinned?
They were unwilling to walk in His ways,
and they would not obey His law.
25+++So He poured out on them His furious anger
and the fierceness of battle.
It enveloped them in flames,
but they did not understand;
it consumed them,
but they did not take it to heart.
Observe the call given to this people, and the character given of them. Multitudes are ruined for want of observing that which they cannot but see; they perish, not through ignorance, but carelessness. The Lord is well-pleased in the making known his own righteousness. For their sins they were spoiled of all their possessions. This fully came to pass in the destruction of the Jewish nation. There is no resisting, nor escaping God's anger. See the mischief sin makes; it provokes God to anger. And those not humbled by lesser judgments, must expect greater. Alas! how many professed Christians are blind as the benighted heathen! While the Lord is well-pleased in saving sinners through the righteousness of Christ he will also glorify his justice, by punishing all proud despisers. Seeing God has poured out his wrath on his once-favoured people, because of their sins, let us fear, lest a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of us should be found to come short of it.
Now we are experiencing dire days, filled with the unknown, such as plagues, pestilence, famine, drought, natural disasters, and other signs of HIS anger flares, and intends to CAUSE us to SEE HIM, and HEAR HIM; albeit most are content to be blind to HIM, and drown out HIS voice, or that of those speaking for HIM...
ANY time is a good time for TURNING TO THE LORD, but sometimes it takes a harsh stance to WAKE UP the masses; especially when they KNOW, as they HAVE BEEN TOLD WHAT HE REQUIRES of them! Rituals are empty, and reflect only human perception, and custom, which does NOT please HIM, nor speak of the heart, therefore, what HE expects of us is to walk HUMBLY WITH HIM, LOVE and PRACTICE JUSTICE, and KINDNESS (MERCY); in other words, we REVERE HIM, and HIS WILL, and we HONOUR HIM in ALL of our ways, ALL of our days, BY BEING, and DOING GOOD, IN SPIRIT, and TRUTH (MICAH 6: 8: JOHN 4: 23-24)!!!
PRIDE IS the downfall of humanity, and that which separate us from THE LORD *GOD*, but so is misinformation, or lack of knowledge, and/or rejection of instruction. Since way back in the beginning, Prophets, or other messengers OF THE LORD, have been rejected, or disbelieved, or they were teaching according to human will, and ways, which began a sort of tradition of keeping TRUTH tamped down, or enhanced, THAT the people might be more appeased, because most do NOT want to hear, or see it, and it takes a strong, steadfast person OF *GOD* to disregard the pleas of the masses to make it more acceptable to their itching ears, and selfish hearts! And as time passed, the BITS, and PIECES of TRUTH have been formed into sermons of accommodation, THUS we have WRONG MINDED WORSHIP, and ideals, for which there IS consequence, indeed!!!
It is NEVER TOO LATE to make things right with THE LORD *GOD*; we HAVE an intercessor, CHRIST JESUS! We DON'T know when our days will end, especially with all the threats surrounding us, therefore I URGE whomever might TO TURN TO HIM, THAT it WILL be well with your soul! We have existed in this age, outwardly; this time is teaching us to exist inwardly, or more involved in what is important to existence!!!
The world WON'T get any better IF we just let it be the way it is now, and the only way for improving it IS CHANGE, BEGINNING with EACH of us, while EMBRACING *GOD*, LOVE, and TRUTH, and existing as in HEAVEN!!!
LWINSOR © 2020
BIBLICAL, and/or other references marked BOLDLY IN COLOURS
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