Last night (Sunday) I read Isaiah 12 and thought about what Jesus is doing in our church right now…and then again this morning He took me to the same passage of Scripture and I wanted to share it with everyone in our church as well as some thoughts I had while reading it…
12 In that day you will say:
“I will praise you, Lord.
Although you were angry with me,
your anger has turned away
and you have comforted me.
2 Surely God is my salvation;
I will trust and not be afraid.
The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense;
he has become my salvation. ”
3 With joy you will draw water
from the wells of salvation.
4 In that day you will say:
“Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;
make known among the nations what he has done,
and proclaim that his name is exalted.
5 Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things;
let this be known to all the world.
6 Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion,
for great is the Holy One of Israel among you. ”
I LOVE MY CHURCH!!! We are called by the Scriptures to make known what He has done…we’ve not been called to CONCEAL the Gospel but to REVEAL the Gospel to those who do not know Christ…and I fully believe He has called our church to go all out to make sure as many people as possible know about Him!
Also, I spent some time yesterday looking at Hosea 11 and was reminded that our church is full of messy people (whom JESUS is NOT afraid of!) If you wrestle with your past, the fact that you once were closer to God than you are now I would strongly suggest you take a minute to read through what His Word says and know that He doesn’t want to push you away but is calling you HOME!
11 “When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and out of Egypt I called my son.
2 But the more they were called,
the more they went away from me.
They sacrificed to the Baals
and they burned incense to images.
3 It was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
taking them by the arms;
but they did not realize
it was I who healed them.
4 I led them with cords of human kindness,
with ties of love.
To them I was like one who lifts
a little child to the cheek,
and I bent down to feed them.
5 “Will they not return to Egypt
and will not Assyria rule over them
because they refuse to repent?
6 A sword will flash in their cities;
it will devour their false prophets
and put an end to their plans.
7 My people are determined to turn from me.
Even though they call me God Most High,
I will by no means exalt them.
8 “How can I give you up, Ephraim?
How can I hand you over, Israel?
How can I treat you like Admah?
How can I make you like Zeboyim?
My heart is changed within me;
all my compassion is aroused.
9 I will not carry out my fierce anger,
nor will I devastate Ephraim again.
For I am God, and not a man —
the Holy One among you.
I will not come against their cities.
10 They will follow the Lord;
he will roar like a lion.
When he roars,
his children will come trembling from the west.
11 They will come from Egypt,
trembling like sparrows,
from Assyria, fluttering like doves.
I will settle them in their homes,”
declares the Lord.
I LOVE MY CHURCH!