June 27, 2025

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“‘As they go forth, they will see the corpses of those who have rebelled against Me; for their worm will never die, their fire will never be quenched, and they will be a horror to all humankind.‘ says the LORD.”

(Isaiah 66.24)

TODAY’S REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD TO US:

There is still hope. As Isaiah closes this prophetic revelation of what is yet to come, there is still hope. There is hope that some are yet willing to let go of the world and grasp on to the kingdom. The dire circumstances of the world will not mute the voices of the witnesses who say “God has done a great thing. God is doing a great thing. God is going to do a great thing.” I cannot help but hear Jesus’ speaking to His disciples, “Sincerely, honestly and truly I tell you, ‘Whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing. They will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father.‘” (John 14.12) Why would Jesus’ departure back to Heaven be the lynchpin for the disciples to experience great success? Isn’t the obvious answer found in one of King Solomon’s proverbs: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding“? (Proverbs 3.5) It is so easy to get caught up in the rhetoric that we forget the “spirit of the word.” I listened this morning to a news broadcast concerning the state of this nation. Once again, the words speak of the government’s duty and responsibility to resolve the issues that are facing the citizens of this country (and by default, those who are in this country but not citizens of it. We cannot protect ourselves without giving some consideration for those who are “strangers in a strange land.”) Of course, what was being said in the midst of the verbiage was a dependency on the programs and ruling authorities. I will call that “external factors.” While it is important to provide for food, shelter, health and security, such considerations do not meet the more fundamental and basic need of humankind. What is that need? Is it not the spiritual need? David sang of how God provided for his needs as a shepherd does for his flock. He spoke of the tangibles: food, water, security and health. Having those items and needs met brought about a sense of peace for the journey. Yes, David knew there was a goal in mind for the shepherd and the sheep. It was to be able to dwell as one in the Father’s House. Make no mistake, David saw himself as the shepherd being shepherded as a sheep of God’s flock. He was the “shepherd” king but a lamb of God. A similar title was given by John the Baptizer to Jesus when he declared, “Behold, the Lamb of God; it is He who will take away the sins of the world.” (John 1.29) While we certainly need to address the physical necessities of life (the externals), they become insufficient without meeting the mental and spiritual welfare of a person and people (the internals.) Going back to the U.S. Senator being interviewed and her comment about “meeting the [external] needs of the people back home,” I had to parenthetically shake my head because what is most needed to “Make America Great Again” has to do with the spirit of each person and the people as a whole. I could make a huge list of how those spiritual inefficiencies are visible, such as: disunity, disharmony, avarice, greed, egoism, entitlement, bigotry and racism, the pursuit of and love of money and power, and, hatred and that sense of self-love above all others which shows itself in a distorted servant mentality (to be served instead of to serve.) The government cannot fix those issues in all reality because the government, or anyone else, cannot legislate morality.

How does this apply to the closing of Isaiah’s written work? There in verse 24 we read, “As they go forth….” God to Isaiah and Isaiah to the people (not just those of Jewish descent) that they will go out and bear witness as servants and priests. They would declare the truth that what was done, is being done and will be done is the work of the Lord Himself by whatever means it takes to accomplish His will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. God to Isaiah and Isaiah to the people were not speaking of “the end times,” as Jesus did to the disciples saying “…till the close of the Age [that is, the Age of the Church].” God to Isaiah and Isaiah to the people were speaking of that season of reconciliation, redemption and reconstruction. God was speaking of the work of getting the people back on track. The building could be built and programs for food, clothing and shelter could be arranged. However, without a sense of purpose beyond themselves for one another and for God, they were just going through the motions of living but not truly being alive. The call to discipleship is not that. Discipleship is about “dying to self and living for Christ.” (Galatians 2.20 would be one of those scripture references.) Jesus modelled the same by “dying to self and living for God.” This is why He told the disciples that they would be doing greater things than He had done after He ascended to sit again at the right hand of His Heavenly Father. Perhaps it was that He didn’t have so far to go because He was without sin. The disciples, and the generations of disciples to follow, certainly had to cover a lot more physical, mental, psychological, emotional, social and spiritual ground. But they could do it because of Immanuel, God with them, and the gospel of Jesus Christ. Let me clarify that when I speak of “the gospel of Jesus Christ,” I am not speaking merely of the written word found in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John or the epistles which are included in the New Testament. I am speaking of the “living word” which arises out of the relationship with Jesus Christ and by Him with God our Father. God knew it would take more than “just a word” to save humanity from itself and their great enemy, Satan the cast out and fallen Lucifer. It would take a right relationship with God and one another to have a true grasp on the truth. This is why Jesus gave “a new commandment.” It was not to be in place of the Ten Commandments or the Shema (the two great commands which are the foundational truths behind the Ten Commandments. No, it was a clarification that none of those could happen without understanding the truth that we must “love one another.” The evidence that the world does not “love one another” well at all is all around us. But in the midst of it, as God is in the midst of us, we, as mighty ones of God, must walk out the gospel “in spirit and in truth.” We become the salt and light for those who are hungering and thirsting for the truth without knowing that is what their true issue is. Mighty ones of God, Isaiah was given that word for us in this current season of life. We are “walking it out” now, or should be. Are you? Are we?

TODAY’S PRAYER IN RESPONSE TO GOD’S WORD:

Father, in these days we are finding the need to believe even more than ever before. We all have known trouble, some in greater ways than others, but You are offering us the assurance that we will not be consumed by it forever. Regardless of the “time” we are in and the “time” we have been given, we ask for Your Holy Spirit which Jesus asked You to share with us, to lead and guide and direct us in the paths we should go. Teach us what we still need to learn. Empower us to put that learning into action. Bless our actions not as a works righteousness but as righteous works leading others to call Jesus Lord in faith, hope and love. AMEN.