Isaiah 53 Nothing…for me…

He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
(He had nothing)

He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
(He was thought of as nothing)

He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
(He did nothing to retaliate)

He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.
(even though He did no wrong)

Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
(All for me who can give nothing back…I really don’t understand…)

…1 Tim 1:15-16…
Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.

Isa 53:10 The Lord’s will to prosper in YOUR hand.

Isa 53:10
Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer, and though the Lord makes His life a guilt offering, He will see His offspring and prolong His days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in His hand.

Is that our goal? Wait, shouldn’t that be the goal of Christianity? For the Lord’s will to be done in our hands, to prosper, to succeed, in our hands? Is that what you want? I hope you say yes to that question…

But now you gotta look at the context of Isa 53. In order for Jesus to prosper the Lord’s will through His hands, He had to a) be despised by men, rejected, familiar with suffering (to be familiar with it, you have to go through it a lot), be thought of having no value, and obedient to what Isaiah says, “to crush Him.”

The question lies on us. Are we willing to be crushed, suffer, be despised, rejected, familiar with suffering, have no value….for the sake of prospering the Lord’s will through your hands?

“For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on Him, but to suffer for Him.”
-Paul (Phil 1:29)

2 Corinthians 5:13 Insanity?

I was looking through my old notes in 2 Cor 5 when i noticed I wrote something in pencil. It was really hard to read, but it was long. I decided to rewrite it in pen and what I saw a gem of conviction. It’s crazy how I ended up writing this and never had too much thought about it. The notes are so good that I’ll just write it straight from it (with a little additions and clarifications).

2 Cor 5:13
If we are out of out mind (insane), it is for the sake of God; if we are in the right mind, it is for you.

People call Paul mad or insane. Acts 26:24, he was called insane for Christ, doing His will, even in the midst of crap (2 Cor 4:7-12) and always referencing his mind on Christ and God (Acts 26:22). In reality, if you live a life that’s not insane, are you really with Christ? Think about it, you’re in a relationship with a guy whose sole purpose was to serve, never thinking of Himself (Phil 2:6-8). If you had an inkling of Christ, wouldn’t your life seem “insane” to those outside of Him? Would a “sane” person give up all he has to follow Christ (Matt 16:24)? Would a “sane” person give up making his life work for the sake Christ and others (Matt 16:25)? That’s insane…but that’s who Christ is and that’s what He wants. This is why (1 Cor 1:18-21) it’s foolish to the world…  Are you, in the eyes of the “sane,” insane in what you do for the sake of Christ? If not…there might be something wrong with your faith…….

Ouch..

Job: Is heaven enough?

I’ve been really inspired by “You Hold Me Now” by Hillsong from their new cd Faith+Hope+Love album (free advertisement, maybe I can get something from them..haha…just joke)

In the song, it talks about heaven (rev 21) and I got to thinking, is heaven enough for me?

Look at the story of Job for a moment. This is a man blessed by God for his righteousness. He was wealthy and everything and Satan comes in and says, “Dude, the only reason why he loves you so much is because of the gifts you give him. Get rid of them and I’ll show you that he’ll curse you.” Job, in one day, loses his livestock, his servants, his wealth and his children. The next day, he loses his health and his wife tells him to “curse God and die!” However, Job perseveres without the gifts that were given to him.

Is this how we’re willing to live? I was thinking to myself, “everything given to me besides salvation is a gift that God doesn’t need to give me (well, this goes along side with the salvation, but you know what I mean, hopefully…). The family, the car, the friends, the church, the electronics I have, the life I have…..everything is a gift from God. With this in mind, what if God took it all away? Would I still be as responsive to who He is with my life?

How about this, is heaven enough for you? The salvation you gain here is for the life we will live with Christ after we depart. Is that enough for us? I was referenced to Matt 6:33 where God will give us what the pagans run after if we seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. What do you hear non-christians saying when they talk about after death? “Oh, I’ll be in heaven.” “Oh I know he’s in heaven.” etc…. You see, even they think of heaven and want it. What if God tells you that everything you do will be rewarded to you in heaven, not on earth…would you still follow?

Look at the example of Christ. Phil 2:6-8. He humbled Himself, making Himself nothing, becoming a servant….for what? To be killed….on a cross…His reward? Heaven…

Overall, are you willing to work for the Lord with everything you had EVEN if God gives you nothing on Earth?

no internet…

i have updates but not an internet source (other than this, but not enough time for that)…will do when i get them.