Messiah: Calling Those Not a People

“Indeed I have given Him as a witness to the people, A leader and commander for the people. Surely you shall call a nation you do not know, And nations who do not know you shall run to you. Because of the Lord your God, And the Holy One of Israel, For He has glorified you.” (Isaiah 55:4-5, NJKV). “Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king, then?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.’ “ (John 18:37, NKJV).

Isaiah chapter 55 stands as one of the great evangelistic chapters of the Old Testament. The invitation is sounded in the first verse: “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!” Then the Lord promises to renew His covenant with the people, and that will be done by sending a mighty Leader who will be known by all nations, not just the nation of Israel. This Messianic prophecy, set within the context of a plea to ‘hear Me that your soul may live” (v. 3), at a time when the prophet was giving needed encouragement to his exiled and persecuted people, amazingly came the prophecy that the Holy One of Israel would come and would be known by all nations. For the Jews who were exclusive concerning matters of national pride, this prophecy was indeed radical. And then when Jesus stood trial before Pilate He was asked, “Are you a king, then?” (John 18:37). Jesus responded unhesitatingly, “For this cause I was born…that I should bear witness to the truth.” And the truth is that He is for all people—those not even recognized as a people by the Jews—by every nation, tribe and people—every individual—who will acknowledge Him as Lord and Messiah.

Today is third Sunday in Advent Season. All around the world people meet, in cathedrals and stately church sanctuaries, in store-front stores and tents, in home-churches and one-room country church houses, under shade trees and by the seashore. They raise voices in praise to Jesus, the New-born King! Does it not thrill you that in the 2,000 years since His birth, His name and position have come to be known in all the world, “to people who were not before a people” but upon whom the light of His redeeming love shines? But Jesus admonished that we should be watchful, even in these times: “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:12-14, NIV). Jesus came to us, a “people afar off.” He is our Messiah and Lord. Let us keep faithful watch, abide in Him, until His blessed Second Coming. And we have a job to do: we are to be among those faithfully spreading the Word of His grace until the whole world knows!

c Ethtlene Dyer Jones; Sunday, December 12, 2010

Walk in Wisdom

“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:15-17, NKJV) [Read Ephesians 5:15-21].

Walking in wisdom always requires seeking God as guide. And how can a person do that? First, avidly and sincerely study the Word of God, for it is, as the Psalmist declares, “a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105). From the Word of God, written and preserved for our edification and wisdom, the issues of life are covered. Add to Bible study prayer. “Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him when He is near” (Isaiah 55:6). Jesus promised that if we “ask…seek…knock” (Matthew 7:7) we will receive of the Lord. It is imperative that we “walk in the wisdom of the Lord” at this time, for “the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16). We have only to listen to a newscasts or read the daily paper to know, indeed, that we live in very troublous and evil times, with fraud, murder, subterfuge, wars, every evil the mind can conceive afoot in our society. We could become very depressed, give up and say, “Why try?” But the God-seeking heart knows that above all human deviations God is in control. And in wisdom we seek to walk in His way and in His will. And moreover, He will grant us the strength to walk in His way.

The cited passage for today tells us “not to be drunk with wine which leads to debauchery,” (Ephesians 5:18). Sobriety and abstinence from drugs and alcohol are necessary for wisdom to be operative. We need all the “brain-power” we can muster to be on guard against evil and to do good. And an excellent way to approach each day is to invite the Lord into all that you do. Begin by praise, “singing and making music in your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19). Furthermore, “give thanks to God the Father in everything” (v. 20). Now, that is a hard one to do. Personally, I have had to struggle with giving thanks for my husband’s condition of Alzheimer’s. How can “bad things happen to good people?” But there are so many things for which to give thanks: his care, provision for it, his comfort and meeting his needs as much as possible. Thanks is so much better than pity or regret. “Be very careful, then, how you live, --not as unwise but as wise—making the most of every opportunity (Eph. 5:15). God is in control. Therefore, walk in the wisdom of God. And ‘be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ’ (Eph. 5:21). These are required in the circumspect walk. May we think on these things and sincerely seek to follow the paths of wisdom.

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Blessings of Following God

(Theme: Selections from Psalms—Faith Set to Music)

“Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in His ways. You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours” –Psalm 128:1-2 (NIV. Read Psalm 128).

This wisdom psalm, Pilgrim psalm or psalm of ascent is a companion psalm to all the ones designated as “A Psalm of Ascent.” (These are 120-134. Yesterday’s devotional explained how they were used much as we today sing or read “calls to worship” in our churches.) In addition, it is another of the wisdom psalms, probing the mysteries of life and pointing out ways God deals practically with mankind.

Television preaching has brought us the era of “prosperity gospel.” Many proclaimers make wealth and plenty seem easy and readily available. This is not always literally the case. Note what precedes prosperity: labor, hard work.

And even then, sometimes, economic stability does not ensue. Not every couple has the children promised in Psalm 128:3-4. Barren couples who would make excellent, loving parents do not always have children born to them. Is that because they do not fear the Lord and this blessing is withheld? Not necessarily. We cannot always understand the ways of the Lord, “for His ways are higher than our ways” (Isaiah 55:9). As Paul wrote concerning the Christian sojourn on earth: “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: Now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.” As the old gospel hymn declares, “We’ll understand it better by and by.”

A formal prayer is given in verses 5 and 6 of this Pilgrim Psalm. The disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray and what we call the Lord’s Prayer resulted (see Matthew 6:9-13). The prayer found in Psalm 128:5-6 is an example of how the Israelites at the temple should pray, asking for blessings upon the nation and upon individual worshipers. Note its beauty and simplicity, its sincerity and inclusiveness: “May the Lord bless you from Zion all the days of your life; may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem, and may you live to see your children’s children. Peace be upon Israel.” We can sincerely pray this prayer today. As we often hear, “And all the people said ‘Amen’.”

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Friday, May 28, 2010