Isaiah 55:6-9
6 Seek, inquire for, and require the Lord while He may be found [claiming Him by necessity and by right]; call upon Him while He is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the Lord, and He will have love, pity, and mercy for him, and to our God, for He will multiply to him His abundant pardon.
8 For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts. (AMP)
When I opened to this page, my attention fell to tomorrow's text, so I'm ahead of myself. This verse was one that had a huge impact on my dad about a year before he died. I included vs 6&7 just to include the context of seeking Him. Dad had become so convinced and convicted that today's church, including ours, had lost its way because we had become too focused on our own agenda including what we were going to do for God. I've never forgotten the long discussion we had one weekend when we came to Montgomery, AL to visit me while I was in school there and our conversation during the whole visit was dominated by these verses. That conversation changed me and my thinking about how we approach God and His ways and will. It also brought into focus one of satan's traps - planning, visioning, brainstorming, and "doing something for God."
I could write quite a lengthy treatise on my thoughts regarding these verses. Of more importance, it think, is the change God made in me because of that time in my Dad's life that he was burdened by their message. I'm thankful the friends and mentors God places in my life. I've found that sometimes these include those you would normally look to such as pastors, but more often it is people like my Dad who are struggling to work out their own faith that impact me in a measureable way. I pray that I can have a similar impact to those God has placed in my life.
1 comment:
I remember these thoughts of his on this as they were translated to me from you. Especially in regards to the building addition at the church. I believe you Dad had some great insight there. As I look back now on the church since we've gotten there, either we have brought some kind of evil in and it has worked diligently to destroy the church, or the church was blind to the will of God as it has steadily declined since that building work was performed.
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