Thursday, January 22, 2009

Isaiah 3-4; Mark 1:23-45

As the Lord describes in detail what judgment will hold for the people of Israel we see the righteous will be protected. They will hurt as their kinsmen and rulers face the consequences of their actions. It shows how just God really is. 3:10 "Tell the righteous it will be well with them,for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds. 11 Woe to the wicked! Disaster is upon them! They will be paid back for what their hands have done." The leaders are the ones God will hold accountable as they have lead His people into idle worship and mistreated the poor. The women were possessed with self-indulging practices and were more caught up in being alluring than in worship. There will always be much pain when God ceases to listen to the prayers of the people.

In chapter 4 God promises restoration. He will always have a plan for bringing us back to Him after needed correction. He promises the Branch of the Lord. Some say this refers to Jesus and some say to the restoration of Judah after captivity. Both were in God's plan and both could apply. The cleansing and setting apart a holy people for Him are in the plan. His shelter of protection is part of restoration and will be there.

In Mark 1 we see the Lord drawing men to Him through the work and power of the Holy Spirit. He cast out unclean spirits and willingly healed the sick that He encountered. Then we see Him getting alone and praying. This was an important part of His life. It was His strength and food from the father. This is just as important for us today in order to get spiritual nourishment from the father. He rose from there to do ministry and spread the good news. He kept compassion and was willing to serve. Prayer our service effective. Without it were relying on our own strength. We will get tired, frustrated and want to quit. That is our human side taking over. God will give us the strength to carry out the assignment and the blessing will come along with the victory He has in mind for our life.

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