Today's Reading October 16

Good morning to all.
This morning we turn our attention to the book of Isaiah, chapters 59, 60, and 61. Have you realized yet why this book is so frequently quoted in the New Testament? The Lord used him mightily.
There is so much here that I have great difficulty pulling out only a little bit to emphasize for the day. This, from chapter 59:

Chapter 59

1 Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:
2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
3 For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.
4 None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.
5 They hatch cockatrice' eggs, and weave the spider's web: he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper.
6 Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works: their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands.
7 Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths.
Rom 3:15,16 Prov 1:16
8 The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace.
Rom 3:17,18

That's a great warning, to those who are careless to spill innocent blood. I class abortionists, and those who support them, enable them, make excuses for them, fund them, under the same rubric. They will have a lot to answer for.

Or this, from chapter 60:

Chapter 60

1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.
Eph 5:14
2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.
3 And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

you may recognize that.
But I like this one, and evidently Jesus did as well. Hmm. Wonder if He had anything to do with it being written down in the first place. You think, maybe?

Chapter 61

1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
Luke 4:18
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
Luke 4:19
3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
4 And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.

now go read all of it.

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This evening's reading passage is 1st Thessalonians Chapter 4.
As is the case in many of his letters, Paul is mixing good theology with good advice that flows out of that theology in the area of 'How Now Shall We Live?' (there's a book by that name, incidentally). And so, he tells us - not like the heathens, but holy. And then he gets into the why, one of the great statements of our faith in all of the Bible. Short, but very powerful. It has been a great comfort to me in many a dark day.

Chapter 4

1 Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.
2 For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.
3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:
4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;
5 Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:
6 That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.
7 For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.
8 He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.
9 But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.
10 And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more;
11 And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;
12 That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.
13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Deut 30:4 Matt 24:31
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

And that is the hope and sure knowledge that we have. That this life, this world, is not all that there is, that there is life beyond the grave, that the Lord has His eyes on us through it all, and that there will be joy beyond today's sorrows. When all is dim and dark, when hope seems gone and there is no more joy, or light, or happiness, take heart. God is in control, and we will see Him soon. I love Job's words, '' I know that my Redeemer liveth''. And He does.