Another year of life...

New opportunities, new responsibilities, and new privileges.

There will be uncertainties, but one thing is certain.

My life will be a success to the proportion that I allow the love of God to shine through my heart...

The controversy ended...

Isaiah 65

The end is come. Justice is served.

The righteous will eat, but the wicked will be hungry. The righteous will have water to drink, but the wicked will be thirsty.

Why? Because when God called, the righteous answered, but the wicked did not answer. When God laid out a requirement, the righteous obeyed, but the wicked did not listen – instead, they went their own way and did that which was displeasing to God.

And as a result, when the servants of the Lord sing with fervent joy, the captives of Satan will howl with vexation of spirit.

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The reward of the righteous will be more wonderful than our wildest imaginations. But I wanted to point out something that I thought of recently. We’re told essentially that we can’t hurt ourselves in heaven. Now, if you couldn’t hurt yourself, no matter what you did… Imagine the things we would attempt if we knew we wouldn’t get injured. Exploring the rainforests without fear of biting insects and dangerous animals… Going into outer space without having to worry about muscle deterioration… Swimming and splashing down huge waterfalls without hurting yourself on the rocks… And my imagination takes off from there…

In other words… It’s worth all the trouble it takes to get there. If it took giving everything I have on this earth – I would do it.

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And meanwhile, what has happened to the wicked? They have been utterly destroyed. Isaiah uses the word, “consumed.” They are gone… never to live again. Their memory will live on through eternal ages. The universe will never be the same. Yet in a way, it will be better. For now, God’s justice has been vindicated. Satan’s original claim has been proven false. No one will ever challenge God’s supreme authority again. Sin will not rise a second time. And the awesome love of God has been demonstrated before the entire universe.

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And though there is another chapter of Isaiah, that I could write about, this post concludes my series of posts on Isaiah. I've learned a lot from reading through Isaiah. It was definitely worth the time. And more than ever before, the reality of the Great Controversy has burned into my heart. I've been challenged to reconsider my personal priorities, and evaluate what's really important... And maybe, just maybe, someone who read one of these posts was challenged to do the same... I hope so...

Isaiah 47

The result of oppression? Utter humiliation…

Babylon trusted in herself. She dwelt carelessly, for what did she have to fear? Nothing… who would dare to challenge her greatness? She was, and none else beside her. And as such, she felt at liberty to make others conform to her wishes.

But wickedness cannot stand forever. Judgment was sure to come. And to the extent of her boasting, Babylon received humiliation. Utter shame, humiliation, and embarrassment…

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Now, they that wait upon the Lord… They truly have nothing to fear. But it’s not because they have any strength in themselves. They rely upon One who has all things under His control. They forget themselves, and surrender themselves absolutely to their Best Friend.

What is the result? Eternal life and joy…

One "small" choice

Isaiah 39

Imagine yourself as the king of a prosperous nation. You’ve just gotten over a dread disease, and you’re guaranteed 15 more years of life. God temporarily suspended the laws of the universe, just to give you a sign.

Then some messengers come from a foreign king. They bring greetings from the king. The king has heard about your sickness, and your miraculous recovery. He’s quite impressed. In fact, he’s so impressed that he has sent his servants with a present for you!

What do you do?

Do you thank them for the present, and lodge them for the night, then kindly send them back?  Or do you give them a full tour of your palace?

Hezekiah decided to give them the tour. He showed them everything, from his silver and gold to his collection of exotic spices to his military warehouse. Nothing was hidden from them.

It was a poor choice. And Isaiah the prophet told him so. But the damage was already done. Years later, the Babylonians would come and take over that palace. They would take everything of value, and all the occupants would become prisoners.

One small choice. All the king’s successors – and his subjects – would suffer because of one small choice.

I wonder what would have happened if Hezekiah had sent those messengers back with a report of how God had raised him from his deathbed. Those messengers could have borne the light of Heaven back to their master. King Merodachbaladan might have learned of the power of the God of Israel. It could have been the dawn of a new day for the Babylonians. Yet because of Hezekiah’s pride, none of this happened.

One “small” choice. Does it really matter?

You decide.

Nothing to fear!

Isaiah 12

“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; He also is become my salvation.”

When God is my salvation, there’s nothing to fear. Absolutely nothing. Why? The most powerful being in the universe is taking care of me.

Now that’s an awesome thought!

We can’t comprehend God’s plan for us. There are times when everything around us is dark, and we can’t see what’s ahead. But He’s promised to hold my hand every step of the way… and what’s more, He’s already walked the path Himself. He knows how to get me to the destination safely. And He is always true to His Word.

Touched by a coal

Isaiah 6

Touched by a coal from the altar before God’s throne… A man of unclean lips, purged, so that he might speak the words of the Almighty.

When God asked, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Isaiah answered readily, “Here am I; send me.”

What a heavy message was given him! But he delivered it faithfully.

Oh, the wonderful compassion of God, to provide this vision of encouragement to a prophet whose words would be rejected by his listeners, and who would eventually meet a cruel death, because he faithfully preached the message that was given him! Isaiah certainly would have remembered this vision for the rest of his life. He was a changed man… touched by a coal from the altar.

Live by the instruments!

Now is the time to learn of Christ. We have opportunity now to study the Bible, to go to church freely, and to choose which day we worship on. It will not always be that way. And how will we stand when our freedoms are taken away? There’s a sure way to tell…

Right now we’re flying under clear skies. But a great storm, such as never has been before, is directly in our flight path – we cannot escape it or go around it. The only sure way to navigate through that storm safely is to learn to trust our instruments now, under clear skies. The instruments (the Bible, the Holy Spirit, Spirit of Prophecy, God’s revealed will, etc.) will never let us down if we use them correctly. But sometimes we seem to think that we can fly on our own during clear skies, and we’ll turn to the instruments if a storm or clouds arise. This is dangerous! If we don’t trust the instruments now, how will we trust them in a storm? We can’t just turn to the instruments in a crisis; we must live by the instruments.

“It is in probationary time, the time in which we are living, that we should calmly contemplate the terms of salvation, and live according to the conditions laid down in the word of God. We should educate and train ourselves, hour by hour and day by day, by careful discipline, to perform every duty. We should become acquainted with God and with Jesus Christ whom he has sent. In every trial it is our privilege to draw upon him who has said, "Let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me; and he shall make peace with me." The Lord says he is more willing to give us the Holy Spirit than parents are to give bread to their children. Then let us have the oil of grace in our vessels with our lamps, that we may not be found among those who are represented as foolish virgins, who were not prepared to go forth to meet the bridegroom.”

(RH September 17, 1895)

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Is there anything more important?