Category: Devotions

Isaiah 28
We need a new world because the old one is a fading flower, drunk, boastful over nothing and therefore judged.
V16: See, behold … Oh that people will see this Advent!
Jesus.
A foundation stone. He is the author, the anchor, the stability of our life. What is built on Him will last.
A tested stone. In every way possible He was tried, tempted, tested and He came out totally obedient.
A precious cornerstone. The building is built according to the cornerstone. He provides the pattern for living. The values of life are on Him.
A sure foundation. He can be trusted. There need be no fear.
In 2007, a professional U.S. baseball player, Matt White, had an aunt who had been struggling financially for years. When her health started to decline, she was forced to sell her fifty acres of property to pay for health care. Matt travelled to Massachusettes and bought the land from his aunt for the appraised value of $50,000. While exploring the land to see about building a house, he discovered outcroppings of stone ledges. Matt contracted a geologist, who surveyed the land and informed him the stone was actually Goshen stone, this type of stone is useful for sidewalks, patios, and landscapes. At the time it sold for $100 a ton … and Matt White had about 24 million tons on the land. The appraised value on the surface was $50,000, but some experts estimated that the land was possibly worth up to $2 billion. During his first year of operation, White’s family-run business made $600,000.
On the surface there may appear to be little value attached to your life.
But it is what your life is sitting on that counts.
See, behold … Jesus!

Isaiah 27
The fortified city stands desolate, an abandoned settlement, forsaken like the wilderness, v10

This city represents the world system, the city of man. It is the hedonistic, humanistic society where every sphere of life is led by man’s will to be the king. God’s city is that of love, freedom and purpose. The fortified city is that of Godlessness, oppression and bankruptcy politically, economically and within the family.
Why would anyone want to put their hope or their expectation in such a fortified city?
This world system is failing and will continue to do so. It will be made desolate, abandoned, forsaken, there will be no favour shown them from the Lord. There is no confidence here.
Yet there is a dream. We can still hope. For God has promised with a new day sound, to gather up the perishing and the exiled to come to a new place, a new world, v12-13.
In the mess of the world system throughout history God has raised the prophet who cast such vision and belief.
When he won the presidency in 1994, Mandela emphasized reconciliation and nation building in his inaugural address:
“We know it well that none of us acting alone can achieve success,” he said. “We must therefore act together as a united people, for national reconciliation, for nation building, for the birth of a new world.”

Mandela not only changed South Africa in leading it to become an example of one of the world’s best democracies, he changed the world. More people are now free and have human rights and justice because of this imperfect but courageous man.

His dream is not yet fulfilled.

Nor is the message of Isaiah.

Let this season have a new sound to all we come in contact with: there is a new world that Jesus came to create.

May God continue to raise more Jesus followers with the bravery of Mandela to announce to a fallen world that may now look fortified, “the end has come, the kingdom is near”.

Isaiah 26

Moses doubted his call and leadership.
Gideon doubted he was the mighty warrior.
Jeremiah doubted he had anything prophetic to say.
David referred to himself as a flea on two occasions, a dead dog, a worm and not a man.
Timothy thought himself too shy to lead.

V3 You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.

We need to stop thinking negatively.
We need to live at peace with ourselves and our world.
It is only possible by fixing our minds on God.

At 73 years of age, John Wesley related in his journal (June 28, 1776) that he was far more able to preach than when 23-years-old; he travelled more than 4,000 miles a year (giving him exercise and “change of air”), made a practice of getting up at four in the morning, was able to go to sleep immediately, in his entire life never lost a night’s sleep, experienced four illnesses that were used to invigorate him, and then he wrote about possessing what he called “evenness of temper”: “I feel and grieve; but, by the grace of God, I fret at nothing.”

Where is your mind right now?

Already the shops that have a quiet atmosphere throughout the year have begun to play songs.
The supermarkets have us singing ‘jingle bells’ when we are loading our trolley.
Choirs, carol singers, brass bands are about to hit our towns and cities.
Schools will be putting on concerts. Music will be everywhere.
However, the number one Christmas song of all-time will always be by that multitude of singers:
“Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace to men on whom his favour rests”.
A song that declares that God is great and that Peace has come to replace anxiety.

May you find PEACE this Advent time.
May you find HIM.

Isaiah 25
Surely this is our God …v9

In a somewhat identical meal from the days of the covenant meal on Mount Sinai marking the people’s move from death under Pharaoh to life under God, Isaiah sees on Mount Zion a last-days meal to commemorate God completely defeating death itself.
‘Death where is your sting’ would be the words of Apostle Paul who would know this passage of Isaiah very well.
Death is our ultimate enemy. It either comes without warning or it announces its arrival and slowly creeps towards us in an almost torturous way. Either way we have not managed to defeat it. The truth is for many of us death does leave a sting. It hurts those who are left behind. But this is why this chapter is so comforting. Isaiah is focusing not so much on death but on the end of mourning. The hurt that death brings for those still alive, the sting, the pain of numbed children, broken men, burdened and tired women, these are who God focuses on in this last days meal.
God in this last days battle which chapters 24-27 reveal pauses and with compassion stoops down to wipe away each tear of grief and brokenness. With joy, relief and expressions of worship the people say, “This is our God.”
Death can be a fierce enemy. It can destroy not just the body but relationships. It can be feared, it wants to be feared. Pretence will not stop the pain that it always brings.
But it does not have the last word.
Death is defeated, it is no longer an enemy, for life and hope comes. This is what Isaiah saw.
This is what Christ our Saviour brings.
He is our resurrection and life.
What Isaiah saw we now experience.
Isaiah’s last days are our present days.
Surely this is our God.

Isaiah 12
Surely this is our God …v9

In a somewhat identical meal from the days of the covenant meal on Mount Sinai marking the people’s move from death under Pharaoh to life under God, Isaiah sees on Mount Zion a last-days meal to commemorate God completely defeating death itself.
‘Death where is your sting’ would be the words of Apostle Paul who would know this passage of Isaiah very well.
Death is our ultimate enemy. It either comes without warning or it announces its arrival and slowly creeps towards us in an almost torturous way. Either way we have not managed to defeat it. The truth is for many of us death does leave a sting. It hurts those who are left behind. But this is why this chapter is so comforting. Isaiah is focusing not so much on death but on the end of mourning. The hurt that death brings for those still alive, the sting, the pain of numbed children, broken men, burdened and tired women, these are who God focuses on in this last days meal.
God in this last days battle which chapters 24-27 reveal pauses and with compassion stoops down to wipe away each tear of grief and brokenness. With joy, relief and expressions of worship the people say, “This is our God.”
Death can be a fierce enemy. It can destroy not just the body but relationships. It can be feared, it wants to be feared. Pretence will not stop the pain that it always brings.
But it does not have the last word.
Death is defeated, it is no longer an enemy, for life and hope comes. This is what Isaiah saw.
This is what Christ our Saviour brings.
He is our resurrection and life.
What Isaiah saw we now experience.
Isaiah’s last days are our present days.
Surely this is our God.

Isaiah 24
This chapter through till 27 focuses on the judgment of God. Most people don’t want to focus on judgment. Except those who live with injustice or who are bullied, violated, who come under the hands of the wicked, who face desertion and rejection, these actually celebrate the judgment of God. They have longed for it and prayed for it for too long.
Isaiah prophesies what he does not know, “the Lord is going to lay waste the earth.”
For those who have it all this is terrible news.
But for the poor and the outcast He will come to lay waste, to devastate, to ruin and to scatter. He will deal with the enemy.
It matters not your status, high or low, He will come and there will be no escape. No matter how powerful or obnoxious people can be, this is their fate.
It may look like that man or woman has got away with it, they haven’t, judgment is coming.
Are you ready?
With tsunamis, earthquakes, and financial concerns dominating headline news, National Geographic initiated a survey about what Americans’ think about a potential “Doomsday scenario. Here are some of the key findings:
More than 62 percent of Americans think the world will experience a major catastrophe in the next 20 years.
The four most likely disaster scenarios include (in order) a significant earthquake, a significant hurricane, a terrorist attack, a financial collapse.
71 percent envision a major disaster in their lifetime as an “act of God, not man.”
85 percent said they are not ready for a devastating event; 25 percent claim they’ve done absolutely nothing to prepare for a major disaster. (Meghan Gleason, Nat Geo TV Blogs, “The Results Are In: Is It the End of the World as We Know It? Survey Says!”)
Are you ready?

Isaiah 23
v15-16 At that time Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years, the span of a king’s life. But at the end of these seventy years, it will happen to Tyre as in the song of the prostitute:“Take up a harp, walk through the city, you forgotten prostitute; play the harp well, sing many a song, so that you will be remembered.”

After 70 years a forgotten prostitute will sing to be remembered. She will sing the old songs of how pretty she used to be.
Do we sing out at times to be remembered?
Sing about our past achievements?
Harp on about the old times?
Do not say, “Why were the former days better than these?” You do not move ahead by constantly looking in a rear view mirror. The past is a rudder to guide you, not an anchor to drag you. We must learn from the past but not live in the past. Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe.
The past can be great or not, but it’s not to be lived in.
A new day!

Isaiah 22
V15 “Go say to this steward, to Shebna …”

The nation was in rebellion and selfishly living their life away from God and Shebna who held high office was responsible.
When Queen Victoria was a child, she didn’t know she was in line for the throne of England. Her instructors, trying to prepare her for the future, were frustrated because they couldn’t motivate her. She just didn’t take her studies seriously. Finally, her teachers decided to tell her that one day she would become the queen of England. Upon hearing this, Victoria quietly said, “Then I will be good.” The realization that she had inherited this high calling gave her a sense of responsibility that profoundly affected her conduct from then on.
Who do we have under us? Who are we responsible for? Are we good shepherds?
Are we responsible for work colleagues, our children, our pupils, or Sunday school children, the elderly, the youth in our church etc ?
God wants us to treat them fairly, righteously and as God would treat them.

Isaiah 21
Day after day … I stand on the watchtower; every night I stay at my post, v8

President John F. Kennedy in a speech that he was never able to deliver due to his assassination, wrote these words:
“We in this country, in this generation, are by destiny rather than choice the watchmen on the walls of world freedom. We ask therefore, that we may be worthy of our power and responsibility, that we may exercise our strength with wisdom and restraint, and that we may achieve in our time and for all time the ancient vision of peace on earth, goodwill toward men.”

Today, listen, watch, be alert. An opportunity is coming your way to prevent hurt coming to someone, to show the light of God and brighten someone’s day, to hear from Him who is watching you.
Be vigilant.

Isaiah 20

It would be quite difficult to forget that 3 year period if you were a friend of Isaiah!
In the most dramatic and disturbing of prophetic signs God speaks to those who boast in the strength of man to show the foolishness of their way.
He gives and takes away.
He builds and tears down.
He clothes and strips bare.
God is.
They were not even putting their trust in what God had given man.
Augustine said, “Even the good merits and qualities which people may display toward one another are gifts from God. Every good quality comes from His grace. God’s mercy is the ground of salvation. Therefore, let no man boast. Out of faith spring hope and love. We hope only in God — not in men and not in ourselves.” (“The History of Doctrines”, Reinhold Seeberg, p. 366)
What do we boast in? What do we hope in?
Only God is the sure thing to boast in
With Him you will never be ashamed.