Isaiah 51:1-23

Eternity is a very difficult concept for us to grasp.  We are so accustomed to counting down the hours of our work day, the months of the year and the years of our lives that it is hard for us to imagine a life in which time will not be in short supply.  Eternity is not a state of timelessness but it is a reality in which we will experience time without end.  When we consider the mathematics of this truth it seems blatantly obvious that the more or less one-hundred years we will live our earthly lives are of such small significance when compared with the hundreds of billions of years times hundreds of billions of years without end that will be our eternal life.  We must constantly remind ourselves of this truth because it is so easy for us to focus on this earth-bound life.  However, we can also find great comfort in the fact that God is still in control of our earthly lives and that they are important to Him.  He does not abandon His children on earth and just tell them to look to the future, but He promises to help them in their current circumstances as well.

THE RIGHTEOUS HAVE ETERNAL HOPE: Those who walk in righteousness and the fear of the Lord have wonderful promises from God.  We are encouraged to look to the Lord who has created us.  Israel was reminded to look to God’s gracious and powerful treatment of Abraham.  God has promised to give comfort, peace, prosperity and joy to those who trust Him, fear Him and follow His commands.  His Word must be the focus of our attention because it reminds us of His eternal promises and the hope He has given to all who trust Him.  He calls us to look at the heavens and the earth and recognize they are both passing away just like our bodies.  However God’s salvation is eternal.  This should bring great hope to all who love the Lord.  We have no need to fear men who are passing away but we should love righteousness and God’s salvation because they are eternal.  God has demonstrated Himself to be trustworthy throughout the history of the world, so we can certainly trust in His eternal care.  In Christ we have eternal hope.


THE RIGHTEOUS HAVE EARTHLY HELP: Our lives on this planet are real and they are important.  We must not look to the future promises of God in a way that would cause us to neglect our present responsibilities to the Lord and His Word.  God does care about the present and He does care for us in the present.  We are not left to fend for ourselves on earth while God prepares heaven for our future.  God is fully engaged in our current life situations.  He has consistently demonstrated His care for His children through His constant provision.  He gives comfort in our times of distress.  We need not fear men because God is in control of all that takes place on this planet.  He is in control of the storms of the sea but He also places His hand of protection over His children.  He may allow His children to experience discipline because of their disobedience to the point of great affliction and captivity.  God’s wrath on sin is very real, but His grace is also very real.  He will set His children free and turn His judgment on those who have mercilessly oppressed His children.  God will torment the tormentors and set His children free.  Our hope is not only pie in the sky in the sweet by and by; in Christ we have earthly help.  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2 Timothy 1:3-7

I thank God   whom I serve, as did my ancestors,   with a clear conscience, as I remember you   constantly in my prayers night and day.    As I remember your tears,   I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy.    I am reminded of   your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and   your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.    For this reason I remind you   to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us   a spirit not of fear but   of power and love and self-control. It is easy for us to forget many important things especially in the face of difficulty or danger.  Paul is in prison and Timothy is facing difficult times in ministry so there are important reminders that Paul wants to make sure that Timothy understands.  God has given us everything we need to face the difficulties He allows into our lives.  These blessings from God are always available to us as long as we remember the
Read more

2 Timothy 1:8-14

Therefore   do not be ashamed of   the testimony about our Lord, nor of   me his prisoner, but   share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,   who saved us and   called us to a holy calling,   not because of our works but because of   his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus   before the ages began, and which now has   been manifested through   the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus,   who abolished death and   brought life and   immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, which is why I suffer as I do. But   I am not ashamed, for   I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until   that day   what has been entrusted to me.  Follow   the pattern of   the sound words   that you have heard from me, in   the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.    By the Holy Spirit   who dwells within us, guard   the good deposit entrusted to you. There is nothing more important th
Read more

Isaiah 54:1-17

Hope is a wonderful blessing from God, without which we would be vulnerable to all kinds of destructive tendencies in our lives.  Today’s society is marked by depression, anger, fear, anxiety and self-righteousness, in large part, because of the sense of hopelessness that prevails in our culture.  Isaiah writes to a people who are about to be taken into captivity because of their sin.  God knows that they will feel rejected, threatened and hopeless so He reveals His future plans for the nation in order to give them hope in the midst of the coming trial.  Hope is the expectation of good based upon the promises of God.  Many times when our lives are marked by the sins mentioned above it is because we have forgotten or failed to focus upon the promises of God’s Word. THE PROMISE OF GOD: From the very first day that God revealed His plan for the nation of Israel, He promised numerous descendants.  God chose Abraham, not because he was more righteous than any of the other people of his
Read more