Tuesday, March 10, 2020
“Look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth, and no one will even think about the old ones anymore. Be glad; rejoice forever in my creation! And look! I will create Jerusalem as a place of happiness. Her people will be a source of joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and delight in my people. And the sound of weeping and crying will be heard in it no more. “No longer will babies die when only a few days old. No longer will adults die before they have lived a full life. No longer will people be considered old at one hundred! Only the cursed will die that young! In those days people will live in the houses they build and eat the fruit of their own vineyards. Unlike the past, invaders will not take their houses and confiscate their vineyards. For my people will live as long as trees, and my chosen ones will have time to enjoy their hard-won gains. They will not work in vain, and their children will not be doomed to misfortune. For they are people blessed by the Lord, and their children, too, will be blessed. I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers! The wolf and the lamb will feed together. The lion will eat hay like a cow. But the snakes will eat dust. In those days no one will be hurt or destroyed on my holy mountain. I, the Lord, have spoken!” Isaiah 65:17-25
The theme of my ministry has always centered on The
Surrendered Life. By this I mean
the entryway into living in right relationship with God is predicated on Jesus’
words to his followers to deny self, take up the cross, and follow me. [1] Absent of that surrender there can be no
Christian, no salvation, no possibility of pleasing God, for obediently bowing
(surrendering) is the essence of worship.
Admittedly I spend most of my writing/preaching/counselling
ministry exploring the many ways we surrender to honor
God. But there are times when I’m caught
up short by one of the prophets earnestly painting the surreal picture of the
eschaton, God’s hand sweeping an end to the constraints of time, space, and the
veil that separates us from His holy presence. And, those are the special
moments that make surrender different than some agonizing
duty; it makes surrendering to Christ’s will the prelude to a wonderful dessert
after a hearty meal.
Isaiah’s depiction of God’s holy mountain and prayers answered
before they’re even a thought in our heads, vineyards, long life, and more, are
an oasis of rest amid the surrender. It
is the graduation day of life. It is the
fulfillment of everything for which God’s heart yearns, and our hearts were
created. It is the restoration of Eden,
and better! It is no longer just being
saved from sin’s penalty and power – it is the realization of the edge of
eternity, where even sin’s presence has been sent packing!
THAT is a holy
mountain!
For
You Today
You chew on
that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!
Go to VIDEO
For another post on Psalm 65 (and 87) see God's Much-Loved Hills
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