Today as I was reading the Bible, I ran across one of my favorite verses and I just wanted to share my thoughts on it real briefly and I hope that you receive the kind of blessing that I have from it.
Isa. 1:18-20 “ Come now, and 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 be as wool.
19 If you are willing and obedient,
You shall eat the good of the land;
20 But if you refuse and rebel,
You shall be devoured by the sword”;
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
The reason I like this verse so much really has to do with the first part of verse 18 but all of it carries a very important message and thought.
"Come now and let us reason together says the Lord" What an awesome thought! The creator of the heavens and the earth is inviting us to come and reason with him. He doesn't say here that I am G-D and you are puny human so I demand that you do exactly as I say to you, though this would probably be a good idea, but no He actually wants to talk to you.Can you grasp that concept? How many of you have been raised with the idea that G-d was a harsh taskmaster that had no room for compassion and He was somebody that you could not approach or even question? I know I grew up that way, and yet right here in the beginning of Isaiah ,at a time when Israel is in deep trouble, G-D still says come let us reason together.
The best part is that reasoning with G-D was going to produce results that both He and you want; "Though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow, though they be red as crimson they shall be as wool." G-D knows that if you actually take the time to talk with Him and bring Him your cares and trials and yes your sins that you will confess them to Him and He will forgive you and make you pure to Him once again. This was His plea with Israel and it is the same with us. He knows that this is what we need and He tells us right here that He is willing to talk about it.
The last 2 verses carry both encouragement and a warning; "If you are willing and obedient you will eat the good of the land." If you are willing to what? Come and reason with Him! What will happen if you do that and are obedient to Him? Your sins will be forgiven, you will be made clean and you will enjoy good things. Simple and to the point.
The warning ,as well, is just as simple and to the point "But if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword."
The real beauty of all this is that the above warning doesn't have to happen to you just as it did not have to happen to Israel. They continued in their rebellion and they paid the price for it. But you don't have to suffer the same fate.
You have a problem? Take it to G-D , He WILL listen. You have sin in your life that needs to be cleansed? Take it to G-d, He will make you as white as snow.
G-D wants to talk to you. He wants to reason with you. He wants to forgive you.
We serve an amazing awesome G-D.
Shalom,
Ignacio
2 comments:
You have a wonderful way with words, its hard for me to stop reading them. It has been a long time since I have listened to them, prehaps too long. You have touched my heart, and it aches to have that closer conection with God. I have had my day of being "head Deconess" which meant what? I don't know... the way I see it it was just a title, not a feeling. Now, sadly, I just roll with the flow when it comes to religion, bacause like you it was never portraid as it should have been (fake believers, for lack of a better way of putting it) therefore, religion was tuned out or I was too upset to continue. I have not attended a church in 10+ yrs. But I never stopped thinking about God and the way he has worked in my life, He has done that soooooo much, over the past 5 yrs, I have started to let him lead my life and I listen to him. Life without abuse is a wonderful thing, Praise the Lord!
Thank you for putting so much back into prespective... Again, you have a wonderful way with words. Tracey
Ok, so this is the third time I have tried to post... lets see if it works this time. LOL
You have a wonderful way of words and you have so touched my heart. It has been 10+ yrs since I have been in a church except for the death of my mother (which was very sudden, another time)for her memorial service. I was, at one time, the "head deconess" of the SDA church of Concord, NH. And have pondered many times, what did that mean? It was a title, not a feeling that it was right or wrong, but just a title. My experience with religion sounds much like yours in that it was false and so lacking the love of God. I was abused by those who were "ok" with the church, because "they didn't see it." Well it made such a deep hole in my heart its taken many yrs to heal. Within the last 5 yrs I have started to let God back into my life. I prayed one day that he would give me the courage to walk away from a very abusive situation, and if you think that was easy, well it was harder the child birth...
He gave me that courage, almost the day I asked...
Then, without asking, He gave me the most wonderful man in the world (mine anyway) and the life that I know he feels I deserved. I have not stopped thanking him, everyday.
Your words touched me and I want to thank you for them. Its hard for me to stop reading and they have really made me think, thank you, Tracey
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