Tag: pride

Nations as well as Individuals Can Seek Forgiveness

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There is a wonderful promise in 2 Chronicles 7:14 that was made to Solomon and the people of Israel when the temple was dedicated in Jerusalem. This ancient promise holds a principle that is just as true today for the people of God as it was then.

“if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

Promise: God promises to hear, forgive and heal me as an individual as well as collectively as nation if we will turn away from sin and pray.

This promise states the actions God needs to see from us. They are repentance of heart and deeds if we are to see a change in the way things are going. God was telling the Israelites that when things go wrong in the nation take a look and see what you are doing that is against my ways. Later the Israelites fell into idolatry and did not repent. They were chastised by God and take into captivity in Babylon but not before they had multiple chances to repent.

How can that apply to us today? God wants us to take a serious look at our actions. Are our ways wicked? Mark 7:21-23 gives us a list of unacceptable behaviors “For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” The 10 Commandments in Exodus 20 list those essential things God desires in our behavior. I also like Micah 6:8 “He has told you, O man, what is good;  and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness,  and to walk humbly with your God?” All of us do some of these actions and when we see that the are getting the upper hand in our lives we need to stop and repent by humbling ourselves before God and asking His forgiveness. He promises us that He will hear and forgive us.

This applies to the individual as well as the nation. Have you thought of sins our nation has or is committing? We as a people of God need to repent and ask God’s forgiveness for the sins our our nation so that our land may be healed. This is on a big scale but yet follows the same godly principle of confession and repentance. God wants us to humble ourselves, let go of our pridefulness, our claims to be right, our arrogance and our selfishness. When we do, God promises to forgive and heal us as individuals and our land.

What we know from this verse: God is accessible and hears our prayers, God desires a people that are humble and seeking Him, God does not tolerate evil, sin, God is forgiving, God will restore those who seek Him.

Lenten Reflections: Am I approaching God with humility desiring His ways in my life instead of my own selfish ways? Am I faithful in praying for our nation?

I find great comfort in this promise in that God has given us a way to return to walking with Him. Repentance means to literally turn in the opposite direction away from the sin. When we confront our sin, we need to repent and turn to a new way. God promises forgiveness and restoration if we do. We are not lost in our sinfulness. Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can receive forgiveness when I repent and so can my family or nation. That is true hope when living in a sin filled world.

Linda

Related verses: 1 John 5:14, 1 John 1:9, Colossians 1:13-14, Joel 2:25, Luke 24:47.

God Preserves

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Today’s promise comes from Psalm 31:23-24. It holds both promises and a warning- a cautionary note from God.

Love the Lord, all you his saints!
    The Lord preserves the faithful
    but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride.
24 Be strong, and let your heart take courage,
    all you who wait for the Lord!

Promise: God promises to preserve those who faithfully follow Him and chastise those who act pridefully.

The world present us with constantly changing circumstances. The life of one who follows Jesus requires strength and courage; it is not for the fainthearted! God promises that He will be preserve us as we wait upon Him and strive to follow His ways. He promises to look out for those who belong to Him and even calls us saints! This does not mean we will not have challenges or heartbreaks, but that we will be preserved. The best verse I can think of for this is John 10:27-29 “ My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” We are protected through our faith in Christ. No one, nothing, can take us away from God once we are His. Once committed to Jesus, we cannot lose our salvation as no one can snatch us out of the Father’s hand! He preserves us and our salvation is safe. Our eternal life is secure!! Another verse that helps us see this is Ephesians 1:13 “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,” We are sealed though the power of the Holy Spirit.

God’s caution about being prideful is shown through multiple examples in the Bible. 2 Chronicles 26 tells us about King Uzziah who became prideful before God, 2 Chronicles 32 tells us about Hezekiah’s prideful actions that almost cut his life short until he repented. Daniel 4 tells of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon who admired all he had built  “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” 31 While the words were still in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you,” He then lost his kingdom and spent 7 years roaming the woods like an animal until he repented. Only then was he restored to health and power. Proverbs 16:18 puts it this way, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.’

What we can know from these verses: God is worthy of my love and praise, God is committed to preserving me for eternity, God hates pride/arrogance, God supports those who wait upon Him with courage and strength.

Lenten Reflection: Do I truly believe that you belong to Jesus? If in doubt, pray and ask God for assurance of His promise that you are sealed and preserved for all eternity. Do you suffer bouts of pride or arrogance? Be quick to repent and acknowledge God as your Father and provider.

Knowing the Lord loves you and has your back for all eternity is a great comfort in this hectic and often evil world. Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can live with assurance of God’s faithfulness and His safeguarding of my salvation.

Linda

Related Verses: Psalm 145:3, John 10:27-29, Ephesians 1:13, Proverbs 16:18, 1 John 2:16-17, Psalm 97:10, Romans 1:7.

Actions Have Consequences

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The last lesson from this interlude portion of Isaiah comes from Isaiah 39. Here is the story:

Soon after this, Merodach-baladan son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent Hezekiah his best wishes and a gift. He had heard that Hezekiah had been very sick and that he had recovered. 2 Hezekiah was delighted with the Babylonian envoys and showed them everything in his treasure-houses—the silver, the gold, the spices, and the aromatic oils. He also took them to see his armory and showed them everything in his royal treasuries! There was nothing in his palace or kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them.

3 Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and asked him, “What did those men want? Where were they from?”

Hezekiah replied, “They came from the distant land of Babylon.”

4 “What did they see in your palace?” asked Isaiah.

“They saw everything,” Hezekiah replied. “I showed them everything I own—all my royal treasuries.”

5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Listen to this message from the Lord of Heaven’s Armies: 6 ‘The time is coming when everything in your palace—all the treasures stored up by your ancestors until now—will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left,’ says the Lord. 7 ‘Some of your very own sons will be taken away into exile. They will become eunuchs who will serve in the palace of Babylon’s king.’”

8 Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “This message you have given me from the Lord is good.” For the king was thinking, “At least there will be peace and security during my lifetime.”

As much as King Hezekiah sought to follow the Lord, he was still a man and a sinner. When he had recovered from his illness due to the Lord’s healing, he welcomed these men from Babylon and showed them around the palace. He let them see all the riches the Lord had provided. Why would he do this? Scripture does not name his sin but it looks like pride on Hezekiah’s part or maybe he was seeking the help from the Babylonians militarily. He wanted to ‘brag’ to the visitors how much he had, what he had gained and accomplished while king. He was showing off and the Lord sent Isaiah to call him up short and let him know there would be consequences for his actions. Whether it was from pride or seeking to rely on someone other than the Lord for their protection, it was sin in God’s eyes. Isaiah mentions by name the enemy that will capture, deport and take their possessions with them, Babylon. God was letting them know that judgement was coming in the future.

As a believer, we need to be mindful of the image we show to others. Self-examination is needed to not let our ‘self’ get too big and our pride become a problem. God desires that we are humble. Isaiah 66:2 “Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?” declares the Lord. “These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word.” Is a great reminder of the attitude that God desires in and from us.

I am also troubled by Hezekiah’s attitude towards God’s message as he called it good because it did not result in immediate consequences for himself but involved future consequences for his children and grandchildren. Shouldn’t we be concerned about our legacy to future generations? God is eternal and redemption is for all mankind, now and in the future until He returns. Psalm 89:1 “I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations.” Psalm 145:13 “Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does.” Moses spoke of our obligation to our children and grandchildren in Deuteronomy 6:4-8. This portion of scripture is know as the ‘Shema’ and was recited by Jewish believers as their confession of faith. It was recited daily by devout believers. It would have been known to Hezekiah.  Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” God has tasked each believer with the work of passing on our faith to the next generation.

May we be humble in spirit as Paul describes in Ephesian 4:2 ‘Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.“ and mindful of our witness to the next generation.

Linda

Don’t Let Old Woes be Your Downfall

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As we have seen, Chapters 1-39 have had a host of prophesies about the coming Messiah, Jesus and a serious list of grievance God had against His people Israel. They and the nations that surrounded them had committed a host of sins against God. Isaiah lists the grievances in the forms of Woe’s. Each of the woe’s are caused by their neglect of God’s ways and God Himself.

Here are a few examples of a few of the Woe’s pointed out by God through Isaiah:

Isaiah 10:1-2 Woe to those who make unjust laws,
    to those who issue oppressive decrees,
2 to deprive the poor of their rights
    and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people,
making widows their prey
    and robbing the fatherless. God is pointing out how they are making their lives miserable with unjust laws, oppressing people and not caring for the widows and orphans.

Isaiah 28:1 Woe to that wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s drunkards,
    to the fading flower, his glorious beauty,
set on the head of a fertile valley—
    to that city, the pride of those laid low by wine! God is telling them PRIDE is the root of their problems and their pride will lead them to destruction.

Isaiah 31:1 Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help,
    who rely on horses,
who trust in the multitude of their chariots
    and in the great strength of their horsemen,
but do not look to the Holy One of Israel,
    or seek help from the Lord. God is pointing out that they are foolishly putting their trust in others and in the materials of war instead of putting their trust in Him.

How are you treating others? Jesus tells us how we are to relate to God and others. Matthew 7:11-13 puts it this way, “ If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” Luke 10:27 “He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” James points us to God’s point about the widows and orphans in James 1:27  “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.“

What are you taking pride in? Proverbs has a lot to say about pride and its effects on our lives. 16:18 “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” 29:23 “Pride brings a person low, but the lowly in spirit gain honor.” Do you feel you are so self-sufficient that you can do it all yourself? Paul reminds us of how Jesus views self-sufficiency in 2 Corinthians 12:9 “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

Where are you placing your trust? Psalm 31:14 “But I trust in you, Lord; I say, “You are my God.” Psalm 68:2“Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.” Proverbs 3:5-6 says “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Romans 15:13 gives us the benefit of trusting in God, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.“

From age to age man’s nature does not change. Each person has to confront their own sin and be reconciled to God. God is always there waiting to receive us and be the answer to all our woes. Turn to Him and trust in Him for life.

Linda