IDOK Devotion for Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Applause
Now comes the hard part. Deciding which Scripture to share and develop with you in the amount of time I have before taking inventory of the freezer, going to the store and ironing clothes, etc. etc.
More and more I am convinced this personalizing Scripture is the way to freedom in Christ.
Isaiah 53:(NKJV)
5 But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
We have read this Scripture so many times maybe we are too familiar with it – familiar but not intimate. It is intimacy we want. I have not watched the movie, The Passion, in a way long time. I need to do that again to bring fresh again in my soul His wounds, His bruises, His stripes for me. And as important as they are and it is of upmost importance, something else has caught my attention this morning: And by His stripes I am healed. I made this note to myself: He is my Healer. That means every thing that is broken or sick about me, He is my Healer. He came to fix my brokenness. He came to fix every sin sick thing about me. That was/is my focus this morning as I read that verse. Maybe you would like to focus on it too. Maybe you could be encouraged too that whatever is broken about you; whatever is sick within you – He came to fix it! Not maybe He did, but for sure He did! You can depend on Him to heal You. I am depending on Him to heal me – every broken part, every sin sick part!
Isaiah 54:10 (NKJV)
10 For the mountains shall depart
And the hills be removed,
But My kindness shall not depart from you,
Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,”
Says the LORD, who has mercy on you.
However shaken the terrain in my world gets, He will not depart from me. He will continue to be KIND to me. He has made peace with me – put me at peace with Him and that is not going to change, not even if mountains and hills around me are blasted level. Now! That will preach!
Let me give you one more verse. I could spend so much time on this and would love to, but your time to read and my time to write is limited.
Isaiah 48:18 (NKJV)
18 Oh, that you had heeded My commandments!
Then your peace would have been like a river,
And your righteousness like the waves of the sea.
I confess Beth (Moore) got me started on this (well, all of them this morning). Peace like a river. How is a river? It promotes life around it, gives transportation, runs freely over and around boulders, rocks, and mud banks; has a source of beginning and has a destination. Oh, yes I was about to forget – it has boundaries! Do you see it? The Peace we have from Christ Jesus promotes life in us and those around us. His peace in us reaches out to give others ‘transportation’ to Him. His peace in us gives us the power to go over or around obstacles in our path. His peace within us gives us FREEDOM to flow from when He saved us all the way to Heaven, our destination. And boundaries; the Peace of Christ active within us will keep us between the ‘banks’ of His Righteousness! And that is the safest place for us to be from now all the way to Heaven!
Okay. Your turn. Like the waves of the sea – His righteousness is like the waves of the sea. What are the waves of the sea like? May I get you started? Powerful! Beautiful! Here’s an interesting link: http://www.virtualnjshore.com/tbwaves.html
If you will, spend a little time comparing righteousness like the waves of the sea – I’d be delighted for you to share your insights with me. No obligation, of course.
DADDY GOD, You’ve blessed me so today! Thank You. You are AWESOME! Your Word is alive. It’s full of Your Power. You transform us with Your Word. With all the reverence I have, I just want to clap my hands and say Good Job, LORD! Good Job! You certainly deserve our applause! Thank You that You are teaching us to applaud You. And I pray that my applause won’t be confined to just sitting here before this screen with others who think pretty much the way I do but that I and them will get up from here and applaud You out there too where our rivers twist and turn and wind among people who need Your Life and need to know they can come to Peace with You; that they must come to Peace with You or they will never see Heaven. Make us uncomfortably aware of hell and that people are going there — so uncomfortable that we will be instruments of Peace in Your Hand to them. I am remembering that You are calling us to prayer; I don’t want to forget that, don’t let me. Don’t let me slack up on praying, make it so that churches will be Houses of Prayer. Make it so that our homes will be houses of prayer too. Real, effective prayer that moves mountains of doubt and unbelief in us and our families and friends and acquaintances – make it so, LORD.
We bring too every name spoken here; all of them, LORD, heal what’s broken, heal what’s sick we pray. Remember Israel, to keep Her safe. Remember America to forgive and bring to repentance. Expose lies all over this Nation and exalt Your Truth I pray. And now as we prepare to move from this screen, keep us mindful of You. Amen and Amen.
Kathie
