Your people shall all be righteous; they shall possess the land forever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I might be glorified. The least one shall become a clan, and the smallest one a mighty nation; I am the Lord; in its time I will hasten it.

Isaiah 58-60

Your people shall all be righteous; they shall possess the land forever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I might be glorified. The least one shall become a clan, and the smallest one a mighty nation; I am the Lord; in its time I will hasten it. Isaiah 60:21-22

I continue my deep dive of Isaiah, based on the Precept Upon Precept study series.  My study of Isaiah moves on to day 5 (of 5) of week 21, which looks at Isaiah 58-60.  Day 5 encourages us to review Isaiah 58-60, to deepen our understanding, and to extract final applications from these chapters as we prepare to move on to the end of Isaiah. 

Looking back at my posts for these chapters:

• Isaiah 58 focuses on fasting and how God seeks for us to do so wholeheartedly, not hypocritically, or as double-minded - see also Day 1 and 2 posts.
• Isaiah 59 focuses on how God promises a Redeemer for Israel, of course this is Jesus and through Jesus we have the Holy Spirit, who arms us to battle against sin - see Day 2 and 3 posts
• Isaiah 60 focuses on glory for Israel and the coming redeemer is a light in the darkness of the present age - see Day 4 post
  

This post from Chuck Swindoll helps illuminate a key application from Isaiah (including 58-60), and one that convicts me this morning - an excerpt: "In addition to its gospel message, the book of Isaiah clearly articulates the sins of God’s people—dealing with others unjustly which resulted in their offering hypocritical sacrifices to God. Do you see anything in your own life that might fall under Isaiah’s critique of injustice—treating family, colleagues, or even strangers with unkindness or even disdain? Isaiah’s message is also a call for believers to come back to purity in our love for God and for our neighbors (Luke 10:26–28)."

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who pursued me and saved me - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You saved me.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me, and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Proverbs 1:8-7

Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:8

As part of my D-Group's study of Proverbs using the Knowing the Bible study series for this book, I continue with an examination of Proverbs, moving to week 3, which focuses on Proverbs 1:8-7.  Today, I covered the final two questions of the study, looking at Proverbs 6 and 7.  Today's study also included a review of the commentary associated with Proverbs 1:8-7, and the commentary (is it always is) is broken down into: (a) Gospel Glimpses (how wisdom, and ultimately salvation is a gift from God; how we should look at discipline from God as His way of sharpening us and purifying us for His glory; how we should pursue steadfast love and faithfulness to God and others-modeled after Jesus); (b) Whole Bible Connections (contrasting light from darkness; warnings about adultery and the seriousness of this sin; and how "double-mindedness" or lack of full devotion to God is to be avoided as any opening for Satan will be used for our peril; (c) Theological Soundings (how God may ultimately hand us over to our sin-and our destruction-if we persist in it and do not seek to repent, follow God and stay near to Him; a reminder that wisdom and salvation are both gifts from God-not from our own doing). 

It is the double-mindedness James writes about that I seek to avoid - in particular this morning as I am prone to be distracted.  I am prayerful that I can avoid the double-mindedness that may take me away from God's commandments. 

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an incredible God who loves me and who is full of grace and mercy for me - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such grace and mercy.  My sin is great - including double-mindedness - and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.