Does My Life Help Others Believe,Follow, and Grow in Christ?

       In my morning Bible reading, I found my eyes upon the 24th chapter of Isaiah, and after reviewing my highlights, I realized the strong message that emerged.  If you are not familiar with this passage, even the heading added by the editors is revealing, “Judgment on the Whole World.”  It doesn’t make for light reading.     Here are the passages that consumed my mind as I studied God’s Word. 

Passage

Verse
Isaiah 24:1
Behold, the Lord will empty the earth and make it desolate, and he will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants.
Isaiah 24:3
The earth shall be utterly empty and utterly plundered; for the Lord has spoken this word.
Isaiah 24:6
Therefore, a curse devours the earth, and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt; therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are scorched, and few men are left.
Isaiah 24:18
He who flees at the sound of the terror shall fall into the pit, and he who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the snare.  For the windows of heaven are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble.
Isaiah 24:21
On that day, the Lord will punish the host of heaven, in heaven, and the kings of the earth, on the earth.
Isaiah 24:23
Then the moon will be confounded and the sun ashamed, for the Lord of hosts reigns on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and his glory will be before his elders.

    



These passages were followed on the heels of Hebrews 12.  My highlights revealed how the Holy Spirit guided my understanding of today's reading.  As the world's fate is determined, am I living in a way pleasing to the LORD?  

Passage

Verse
Hebrews 12:1-2
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:11
For the moment, all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Hebrews 12:25
See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven.
Hebrews 12:28-29
Therefore, let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire.


     A friend shared her own homily reflecting on these same passages.  Her conclusion:  “Does my life help others believe, follow and grow in Christ?”  Ultimately that is what matters most.  As we walk with the LORD, each of us must take a look at whether we are living as God instructed, and by doing so, we offer light in the darkness.  Hebrews 12:14 says, “Strive for peace with everyone, and for holiness without which no one will see the LORD.”  If our hearts are not breaking for the lost, we fail to see our calling.  It is not to judge but proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.
     
      
    

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Lessons Learned - Handling Disappointment

      I watched the Middle School Ministry video that was prepared for my youngest daughter as I sat beside her this morning.   We discussed what the passage found in 1 John 2 meant for her.   I cherished watching my daughter take a greater interest in her Bible theses past two weeks as we’ve been shut inside while many things in our world are difficult to understand right now.  My daughter’s youth minister talked about how we observe what we read in the Bible and how that helps us draw a personal application from the passage.   He indicated that as he was reviewing this passage, his mind wandered.   He found himself skimming over the surface and not finding anything to take away from it.   Then he decided to read it again, pausing, looking at specific words, and trying to get the message inside his heart.   We all can attest to experiences like this when reading the Bible.   As he began to look into the meaning of certain wo...
Read more

The Prayer - Faith Link

  Luke 18:1–8 (ESV) - The Parable of the Persistent Widow And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart .   He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man.   And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’   For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man,   yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’ ”   And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says.    And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?   I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”      Before you read this article, take a moment ...
Read more

Tell Me A Story

Image
When I was a child, I took piano lessons from the age of eight until I was about twelve years old.  I was required to practice the piano about thirty minutes a day.  So after school, I would race my brother to the piano bench.  Whoever's butt hit the bench first got to go first.  I know that neither of us was overly excited about our practice time.  We were eager to check the task off our 'to-do' list', I'm sad to say.  Today I would love to have a piano.  One day I can remember racing my brother to the bench, and as we arrived at the same time, we hit the seat so hard that one of the legs broke off the bench.  That was not a very good day.  Both of us feared the words coming from our mother's lips, "wait until your father gets home."  Well, that wasn't the story that I intended to tell, but the memory came back so vividly that I knew I needed to share it.  Here's where I was going...I remember having a little beginner piano ...
Read more