365 Devotionals: Hope For God’s People

But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. James 1:22 AMP

The Seeds of Promise Devotional Series

What He Has Prepared

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AUG.	Book	Read From	Read To	Devotional
13^th	Isaiah	Chapter 64	Chapter 66	What He Has Prepared

Memory Verses: For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him. Isaiah 64:4 | But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand. Isaiah 64:8 | And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there. Isaiah 65:9 | They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them. And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. Isaiah 65:23-24 | As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem. Isaiah 66:13 | For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain. Isaiah 66:22

The Bible says that although we could not be counted worthy of God’s gift of eternal life before Christ gave himself as a total sacrifice for our sins, He has made a place for us to live with Him for all eternity. There are some people who are morally good, who do not feel that “unworthiness” that Christianity speaks of in reference to all persons’ need for salvation.

“For we all have sinned and come short of the glory of God;” Romans 3:23 KJV

Isaiah 64:6 lets us know that “…our righteousnesses are as filthy rags…” We need to understand that morality is not salvation. For no matter how well we live in a moral condition, we must be able to enter heaven at the door. There is only one door: Jesus.

“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:12 KJV

Those of us who have received salvation must then not esteem ourselves too highly, such that we may not find occasion to share this good news of Christ.

“Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day.” Isaiah 65:5 KJV

We should always be mindful our pre-Christ condition, to remain aware of how far He has brought us into the marvelous light. If we remember and reverence God for His mighty work, we are more apt to have compassion for others as they make their way to God. Our calling as Christians is not to condemn the world in the sense that we become ineffective in our witness. Christ himself condemns the world – and offers a way to be reconciled to God, that we receive not the condemnation reserved for those who deny Him.

“1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:1-2 KJV

Christ has given all a choice. He has not left us in the dark concerning the pros and cons of doing His will.

“15 See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; 16 In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it. 17 But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; 18 I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it. 19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: 20 That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.” Deuteronomy 30:15-20 KJV

If we accept God’s offer of life, we open our coiffers to receive the promises of blessings that God has in store for us. Even while we are blessed of Him, we need to remain humble. Humility does not mean that we are of an low estate to God: quite the contrary. Being humble before God is to recognize His holiness, his unconditional love toward us and that He takes full responsibility for our care, like a true father. In fact, God desires that we approach Him a humble heart, realizing that He is the maker and Lord of all.

“1 Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? 2 For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.” Isaiah 66:2 KJV

The spirit of the loving father comes forth in all that God does and says toward us when we serve Him with gladness and sincerity. He gives us His divine protection, gifts of the spirit, and he even braggs about us like a proud father! Most of all, when we are weak, He is strong. Therefore, he is our faithful provider, showing unto us the protectiveness and tenderness of a loving parent.

“Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name’s sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.” Isaiah 66:5 KJV

“As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem.” Isaiah 66:13 KJV

The verses of Isaiah 64 – 66 contain many elusions to God’s promises of blessings to those who do His will. They also contain plainly stated warnings of consequences for rejecting Him and His people. When we read such passages, we should not cringe with fear in the household of faith. We should have a genuine joy that we are not subject to the curse. Sometimes in the meekness of our hearts, we would like to skip over the parts of the Bible that speak of hard punishments. Naturally, we want to have an image of God that is glowing like the christmas holiday.

The one true God who shall judge the quick and the dead is no less the loving father when we see His wrath upon the disobedient. This is why we must endeavor the read the whole story. When we have bits and pieces of the Bible, it is more difficult to understand the full nature of God. As a good father, He is teaching us to choose the good things of holiness. Unless we are aware of consequences of disobedience, we may not apprecieate the blessings of faithfulness. Chastisement is not for humiliation. It is for correction. If God did not love us, he would not bother to teach us right from wrong.

“5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: 6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. 9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. 11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” Hebrews 12:5-11 KJV

Realize that God would rather we read His Word and learn from the mistakes of others, than to commit sin and earn it’s wages.

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23 KJV

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