Tag Archives: Isaiah

Lent Day 23

March 12

Be Glad and Rejoice

Isaiah 65:17-21

For I am about to create new heavens
and a new earth;
the former things shall not be remembered
or come to mind.
But be glad and rejoice for ever
in what I am creating;
for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy,
and its people as a delight.
I will rejoice in Jerusalem,
and delight in my people;
no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it,
or the cry of distress.
No more shall there be in it
an infant that lives but a few days,
or an old person who does not live out a lifetime;
for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth,
and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed.
They shall build houses and inhabit them;
they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.


Prayer Thought

Lord, we want to bathe in the newness that you create by the touch of your hand.


Letting go of our suffering is the hardest work we will ever do. It is also the most fruitful. To heal means to meet ourselves in a new way — in the newness of each moment where all is possible and nothing is limited to the old.

—–Stephen Levine

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Filed under Lenten Reflections 2018

Surrender to God

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.

The prophecies in Isaiah seem to be fulfilled in this man Jesus, whose actions live out the prophet’s promise. God is here, and God’s presence among us is manifested in healing. This is a wonderful vision. And we may feel very comfortable in looking forward to this. Who wouldn’t? Everybody wants to say; “I’m a good person,” . What a super possibility—a world where things would really be good. Imagine a world with only good. That is God’s world and He invites us to consider the possibility.”

This is how Mr. Wesley puts it::
“The most dry and barren places shall be made moist and fruitful; which is principally meant of the plentiful effusion of God’s grace upon such persons and nations, as had been wholly destitute of it.”

John Wesley

  • Do you daily turn your troubles over to the Lord?
  • Do you ask God to help you prosper?
  • How often do you bring your troubles to the Lord?

As you worship consider how much different your life could be if you surrendered your all to God.

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Filed under Death, Devotional, Isaiah, John Wesley

The Family Tree

from http://home.earthlink.net/~sanchadeayala/...

A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord

Isaiah 11:1-3
 We are all curious about our family heritage. Many of us take time to go to family reunions. Still others log on to research sites to find out if there is an exciting person in their background. Isaiah traces the roots of Jesus back to show His connection with King David. It is that strong heritage of freedom that Jesus proclaims for the people.

We share in that victory and heritage because we are children of the king.

  • Meditate on your spiritual heritage and thank God for your experience.
  • What is something you are most grateful for in your heritage?

Let us delight on these things as we worship Him.

Monica Boudreaux

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Draw Near to God

 

God the Father 04

God the Father

He also said, ‘The nearer a man draws to God, the more he sees himself as a sinner. It was when Isaiah the prophet saw God, that he declared himself “a man of unclean lips”’ (Isaiah 6:5)

——Abba Mateo of the Desert

As I ponder these words from the desert, I am symbolically called to the stand in front of a mirror. A mirror is a reminder, sometimes a shocking one, of how we truly look. The older we get the more we are surprised at what the passing of years has done to our faces, but we must accept the true self we see in the mirror or we can become very sick and dysfunctional beings. The Abba reminds us that we must take a “God look” at ourselves to understand our true nature. As we draw closer to God and do more intense soul work we become enlightened and realistic about our place in this world. Like Isaiah of old, our ministry only begins when we see and acknowledge our uncleanness.

The sweet Christian journey gets only sweeter when we know that we are a sinner among sinners, and not a judge sent to make things right. As people who have faced our true selves, we can reach out to our family, friends, and neighbors with the true heart of God. We no longer sit in judgment, but stand beside and walk with those in need. May we all draw near to God?

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Filed under Ascetics, Christian Journey, Christian Living, Commitment, Desert Fathers

Taking Sin Seriously

He also said, ‘The nearer a man draws to God, the more he sees himself as a sinner. It was when Isaiah the prophet saw God, that he declared himself “a man of unclean lips.” ’ (Isaiah 6:5)

 ——-Abba Mateos of the Desert

 These are great words coming from the wise monk. We should take to heart the notion that closeness to God gives us a greater awareness of our inability to live the life of perfection. With this awareness we open ourselves to the abundance of grace that God sends our way, and to a better understanding of our neighbor. In the acceptance of our own sin, forgiveness of others becomes more natural. As long as we hold on to our own pride and power, we will never fully experience the presence of God.

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Filed under Ascetics, Commitment, Contemplation, Desert Fathers, Fear, Isaiah, Sin

The Discipline of Waiting – December 6

Scripture      Isaiah 40: 28-31

God seems to bless those who wait.  Waiting is a timeless discipline with eternal rewards.  The scripture has many stories of those who waited and learned.

Noah waited for years as he built a boat on dry land and learned the lesson of deliverance.  Jonah waited three days in the belly of the fish and learned the lesson of obedience.  The prophets waited for centuries to see the Messiah and learned the lesson of faith.  Joseph waited in prison and learned the lesson of forgiveness.  Zacharias waited to speak and learned the lesson of humility.  Anna and Simeon waited a lifetime to see the Savior and learned the lesson of perseverance.

Waiting during the season of Advent can serve as a discipline to teach us many spiritual truths.  While waiting we can develop patience and true obedience.  We can glimpse the hugeness of God’s love and grace and learn to recognize holiness when we encounter it.  Waiting nurtures our compassion and opens our eyes to see others in need.  It opens our hearts to service and fosters a freedom to give and encourage others.  As we pause and wait for God, we have time to assess our priorities, discover happiness where we are and develop an appreciation for what we have.

Advent is a time to deal with our fears, our anger, our disappointments, and learn to both give and receive forgiveness.  It is a time to internalize the cleansing joy of repentance and to know the peace of taking last place.  While we wait, we can use the unknown time to realize that living with mystery builds faith, and suffering and sacrifice reveal God to us.  While waiting we acquire a dependence on God, we gain hope, and we become sure that while we wait we are never alone.

Monica Boudreaux

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Filed under Advent, Advent Devotional