Atelier (Isaiah 64.8)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “atelier.”  I have never really been very good at art.  I think I took a couple of classes when I was in college, but really just wanted to do my best to get through.  It’s not that I did not like it, or did not try.  I just was genuinely bad at it.  I really wish that I was able to paint, draw, or sculpt something really cool.  Maybe someday I will muster up enough courage to test those artistic skills.  This reminds me of God’s role as the master sculptor of our lives.

“But as for you, O LORD, you are our Father; and we are clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hands.” ~Is. 64:8

My question is: are you allowing God to shape your life?  It sounds like a pretty simple question, but I think the answer is a bit more complicated.  What a great analogy this is.  Sometimes I wonder if I trust God enough to shape and mold me, or if I fight him to be the potter of my own life.  My prayer is that you give God control of your life.  Whether your thoughts, actions, or desires of your heart, let them be pointed towards God and allow him to shape you into everything he knows you can be. We are the clay, He is the potter, and this life is his atelier with which to work.

Praying for you,

Brolly (Isaiah 55:1-12)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “brolly.”  The symbolism and word usage in the Old Testament is second to none.  I would put the literary excellence of our Bible of to any other work out there.  As we see in today’s passage, we can be sure of God’s fulfillment in the elements, including rain and snow.  As I go outside and see the rain today and keep from getting wet because of the brolly I carry, I am comforted that God’s use of all of the elements make possible everything good that is at our fingertips.

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater…” ~Is 55:10

My question is: are you praying for God’s will in your life?  Just as we see the good part of nature in today’s passage, we also see that resisting God is not necessarily what we want to be doing.  God is the one who makes everything that is good flourish and gives us what we need.  We must also know though that staying within God’s will is our best bet to be happy and secure.  My prayer is that you think God for the little things, as I am doing with the rain today.  May God bless you and allow you to grow and flourish where you are.

Praying for you,

MO

Niveous (Isaiah 1.1-20)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “niveous.”  There are some verses in the Bible that most of us can probably recall, even if we do not exactly know the Scripture reference.  Although the book of Isaiah is pretty tough to read during parts or sections, I love the symbolism and the way that God uses his words to penetrate our hearts.

“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like woo.” ~Is 1:18

My question is: what are the parts of your life that you need to give over to Jesus this year?  It’s pretty clear here in the Old Testament, as it is throughout the entire Bible, that we must look to God as the one to cleanse us from sin.  My prayer is that you remember that the awesome power that God possesses allows us to thrive even in spite of all of the bad stuff that in our lives.  Even though we all have dark places, God can restore us to the niveous and blameless state of the heart that he longs for each of us to possess.

Praying for you,

MO

Mysophobia (Isaiah 64:1-10)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is "mysophobia.”  We see some pretty strong language from Isaiah in today’s prassage.  We have to realize that at this time in history, God had done some pretty miraculous things for the people of Israel.  However, they looked right past all of the great things that the Lord is doing and attributed the blessings that they had received to their own righteousness.  For this, God set a pretty hard rebuke on them.  In fact, we can see by his language in this passage, that Isaiah grouped himself with these simple people.

“For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.” ~Isaiah 64:6

My question is: where do you look to find justification in righteousness?  I learned early on in my Christian journey that my own acts and deeds were not going to be good enough to get me through this life and to heaven.  That was the essence of accepting Jesus into my life.  No matter how good I thought I could be, it would never be adequate to pay for the innumerable sins that plagued my life both before and during my time as a Christian.  My prayer is that you heed the words of Isaiah this morning, and that you think God for the blessings he has the stowed upon you, because of his righteousness.  We must live somewhat of a mysohpobia, or fear of filth.  We need to stay away from that which makes our soul unclean.  Nothing that we have done warrants the blessings of God, and we should always remember that it is by his grace and mercy that we continue to have favor in his sight.  Live in the truth of that righteousness today!

Praying for you,

MO