Monday Reflection \u2013 July 20, 2020
Rid Ourselves of Stubbornness<\/p>\n\n\n
Listen to me, you stubborn-hearted, you who are now far from my righteousness. I am bringing my righteousness near, it is not far away. Isaiah 46:12-13<\/p>\n\n\n
Admittedly, we become and behave fool-hearted and stubborn-hearted ever so often, especially when we give up the benefits and privileges of being children of God to pursue our own gods. Sometimes the gods we pursue are money, status, prestige, friends, families, our egos and ourselves. Yet, all these are to satisfy temporary desires and we soon discover that none of these gods of ours can offer true satisfaction.<\/p>\n\n\n
We find in Isaiah 46 Yahweh who is on the road to triumph, yet the greatest of the gods, the gods of Babylon, are in total disarray. There is the vivid description of the gods of Babylon being carried away into captivity. Babylon is creaking at the seams. These great idols did not leave in triumph, they were being borne by beasts, by mules and oxen, possibly in carts or on the backs of beasts of burden. They had previously been borne in triumph at festivals, but now they have become simply a heavy burden over the long miles, an uncomfortable burden that made the beasts very weary. The beasts stumbled, but these gods were such that they were unable to render any assistance. They are on the road to disgrace and their makers are confounded. God\u2019s triumph results in Babylon\u2019s disintegration, and the humiliation of their gods.<\/p>\n\n\n
Today\u2019s text provides some stark reminders:<\/p>\n\n\n
1. The false gods represented by dumb dead idols must be carried; but God carries his people. He carried us from before birth, and he promises to continue to carry us even to old age and gray hair (vss. 3-4). We must ask ourselves, do we have to carry our gods, or does God carry us?<\/p>\n\n\n
2. There is no god but God; he is God all by himself (vs. 9)<\/p>\n\n\n
3. God knows the end of every matter, every course, every circumstance, from the very beginning (vs. 10)<\/p>\n\n\n
4. God is not a passive observer of all that takes place. Rather, he is directing all things and his works and plans never fail (vs. 10)<\/p>\n\n\n
5. God always has a plan for deliverance of his people, even if he uses a pagan king like Cyrus (vs. 11)<\/p>\n\n\n
6. God\u2019s timing is always precise and wise (vs. 13)<\/p>\n\n\n
7. God is deliberate in his plan for our lives and deeply in love with us, that he has brought salvation and righteousness near to us, within our reach, so we have no excuse (vs. 12-13)<\/p>\n\n\n
The New Testament text affirms these reminders: For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly. Titus 2:11-12<\/p>\n\n\n
Let\u2019s be challenged by the reminders, rid ourselves of fool-heartedness and stubbornness, accept God\u2019s salvation and pursue a life that honours God.<\/p>\n\n\n
Jermaine Gibson<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Monday Reflection \u2013 July 20, 2020 Rid Ourselves of Stubbornness Listen to me, you stubborn-hearted, you who are now far from my righteousness. I am bringing my righteousness near, it is not far away. Isaiah 46:12-13 Admittedly,\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"template":"","watchword_topic":[13],"class_list":["post-271","watchword","type-watchword","status-publish","hentry","watchword_topic-christian-living"],"yoast_head":"\n