Day 8…Isaiah 1:21-31

"Once like pure silver, you have become like worthless slag. Once so pure, you are now like watered-down wine.” (Isaiah 1:22)

Notes from the devotional:

• Jesus in Nazareth performed his first miracle – turning water into wine… transformed the ordinary and mundane into something extraordinary and delightful.
• Centuries earlier, the Israelites had done the opposite – morally and spiritually they were no longer what they used to be – they had become morally and spiritually corrupt
• It wasn’t a sudden change – it was gradual and insipid… there had been a slow erosion of standards, a growing carelessness about details, and a gradual blurring of distinguishing characteristics:
• murderers were not dealt with summarily
• thieves attained social standing
• bribery was excused
• caring for the needy ran a poor second to paying attention to the greedy
• it started at the top and worked its way down until the whole culture was polluted and diluted
• (my first impression…SOUND FAMILIAR?!)
• God was outraged and took action to deal with the corruption… the purpose was to restore his people’s purity…”I will turn against you. I will melt you down and skim off your slag. I will remove your impurities. Afterward I will give you good judges and wise counselors like the ones you used to have.” (Isaiah 1:25-26a)
• The same goes for the individual… when God sees the erosion of standards, spiritual carelessness, and poor moral discipline, God deals firmly with us to cleanse and restore…judgment is born out of love, not anger
• His intention is to redeem the repentant – those who turn away from sin and turn to him with new trust

My notes:

• Wow. If this isn’t a sad commentary on today’s world, I don’t know what is!
• Remember that God disciplines us due to our disobedience, but that it is done out of love and a desire for a relationship with us – not out of vindictive anger
• I think the moral of the story here is to STAY TRUE TO YOUR FAITH and do not let the world start you down a slippery slope
• I have a neighbor (who professes to be a Christian), when asked why he was choosing to vote for Obama and how he could support someone who supports so many things opposed to his morals (such as late term abortion and so forth), merely said “…I don’t think it was that big of a deal…” – case in point.
• I make a commitment to not let any political correctness or any “isms” stand in the way of my faith and decisions… not secular humanism, not moral relativism, not liberalism, not conservatism
• Lord thank you for your providing us with a standard. Forgive us when we allow the world to distract us and detract us from your Truth. Have mercy on our weaknesses, Lord. Thank you for your Word which gives us an unadulterated view of your heart for us and instruction for us.

Personal challenge:

• In what areas of your life can you see how the world has diluted your faith and morals?
• Ask God to help you note these weaknesses in your life and find ways turn turn away from the world’s teachings and rely more on his Word to guide your path.

~~from The One Year Book of Devotions for Men (Stuart Briscoe, 2000)~~