Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who sit before you, for they are men who are a sign: behold, I will bring my servant the Branch. For behold, on the stone that I have set before Joshua, on a single stone with seven eyes, I will engrave its inscription, declares the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day. In that day, declares the LORD of hosts, every one of you will invite his neighbor to come under his vine and under his fig tree.”

Zechariah 3:1-10

Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who sit before you, for they are men who are a sign: behold, I will bring my servant the Branch. For behold, on the stone that I have set before Joshua, on a single stone with seven eyes, I will engrave its inscription, declares the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day. In that day, declares the LORD of hosts, every one of you will invite his neighbor to come under his vine and under his fig tree.” Zechariah 3:8-10

I continue my study of the last four books of the OT (complete: Zephaniah, Haggai; to complete: Zechariah, Malachi) - using the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary volume for this book.  For today, my focus is an unassisted review of Zechariah 3:8-10, which the commentary outlines as the sixth of six divisions for the text 3:1-10 (3:1, 3:2, 3:3, 3:4-5, 3:6-7, 3:8-10).  These verses of course offer a clear messianic prophecy - that God "will bring my servant the Branch."  Branch is then capitalized, indicating that this is a specific, named, and significant branch.  God's message will be engraved on a single stone with seven eyes, and this number in scripture is often referred to as perfection, rest, abundance - all attributes of Jesus.  This Branch will "remove the iniquity of this land" and God's people will - through the Great Commission - "invite his neighbor to come under his vine and under his fig tree." See also John 15 where Jesus is referred to as the True Vine.  Thank You God for sending Your Son to seek and save the lost!  

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who came to save me!  Thank You Jesus for my salvation!  I am not deserving of such a gift and the blessings that come with this gift.  My sin is great 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 continue to 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. 

And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.” And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the LORD was standing by.

 Zechariah 3:1-10

And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.” And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the LORD was standing by. Zechariah 3:4-5

I continue my study of the last four books of the OT (complete: Zephaniah, Haggai; to complete: Zechariah, Malachi) - using the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary volume for this book.  For today, my focus is a commentary-assisted review of Zechariah 3:4-5, which the commentary outlines as the fourth of six divisions for the text 3:1-10 (3:1, 3:2, 3:3, 3:4-5, 3:6-7, 3:8-10).  The commentary provides a theme for vv4-5 by providing the following title for this division: God Wants Us to Feel Guilty When We Are Guilty.  It then shares: "God wants us to feel guilty when we actually are guilty, because only then will we bring our guilt to Him and be forgiven. Apart from the convicting work of God, we are likely to keep deceiving ourselves and continuing in our sin, even as our sin destroys us."  The commentary continues by highlighting that it is Joshua's guilt that drives him into the arms of the Lord to seek forgiveness.  God that cleanses Joshua of his sin and then makes it clear by sharing with others that this has been done. The commentary further describes: "[t]here is no lingering doubt in our minds about where we stand with God."  The commentary also emphasizes that we should remain humble recognizing that until we face Jesus face to face on Judgement Day, we will continue to sin and should seek to go to Him for forgiveness (see also Romans 3:23, 1 John 1:8).

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion for me - giving me mercies that are new every morning and that never cease.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of these mercies and for Your forgiveness.  My sin is great 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.

And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.” And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the LORD was standing by.

 Zechariah 3:1-10

And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.” And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the LORD was standing by. Zechariah 3:4-5

I continue my study of the last four books of the OT (complete: Zephaniah, Haggai; to complete: Zechariah, Malachi) - using the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary volume for this book.  For today, my focus is an unassisted review of Zechariah 3:4-5, which the commentary outlines as the fourth of six divisions for the text 3:1-10 (3:1, 3:2, 3:3, 3:4-5, 3:6-7, 3:8-10).  Today's verses pivot from the previous two posts, which focused on how Satan seeks to either make us feel hopeless about our sin, or how Satan wants us to feel "accustomed" or "comfortable" with our sin so that continue in it.  Vv4-5 depict how God removes our iniquity from us - of course we must have a repentant heart and seek God's forgiveness.  When we have a repentant heart and ask Him for forgiveness, God removes our sin from us, and we are righteous in His eyes - also known as imputed righteousness.  Thank You Jesus for how You do this for us!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for taking on flesh and willingly giving up Your life so that I could have life now to the full and for eternity with You in Heaven.  I am not deserving of these blessings.  My sin is great 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 continue to 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.

Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments.

 Zechariah 3:1-10

Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. Zechariah 3:3

I continue my study of the last four books of the OT (complete: Zephaniah, Haggai; to complete: Zechariah, Malachi) - using the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary volume for this book.  For today, my focus is a commentary-assisted review of Zechariah 3:3, which the commentary outlines as the third of six divisions for the text 3:1-10 (3:1, 3:2, 3:3, 3:4-5, 3:6-7, 3:8-10). The commentary shares Satan Wants Us to Feel Innocent When We Are Guilty as the title for this single verse 3.  The commentary then shares two ways that Satan seeks to keep us from going to God for forgiveness when we sin.  The first way is to make us feel "hopeless," that God cannot and will not forgive us.  The second strategy God uses to keep us from going to Him for forgiveness is when we feel normal - that nothing is wrong with our sin - when we sin, so we continue in the sin.  This latter strategy is in play with v3.  The commentary then describes Joshua's condition in the Hebrew translation as being "filthy" in the strongest possible terms, including excrement.  The commentary shares that "Joshua is standing there, trying to serve the Lord, yet he is absolutely contaminated. The irony, though, is that Joshua seems to think he is acceptable. After all, he is “dressed,” showing that he considers himself to be prepared to serve and minister in the temple. He is standing before the Angel of the Lord, apparently believing that he is ready to do God’s work and to be in the Lord’s presence. He thinks he is fine. This is a portrait of how Satan will work when we are contaminated with sin. He will try to convince us that we are innocent, even when there is great guilt in our lives."  We are referred to 1 John 1:8 and 10 where John shares that we all sin and need a savior - all of humanity.  We are encouraged to practice the spiritual disciplines, particularly daily Bible study and prayer as a means for us to abide and remain in Him and Him in us. See also John 15:1-11. We need to stay close God for God to stay close to us.  The commentary wraps with "we open ourselves us to Satan’s deception. He wants us to feel innocent when we are guilty so that we deceive ourselves and continue in our sin."  Draw near to God!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God that helps me - by giving me faith, and by giving me mercies that are new every morning and never cease!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessings nor my salvation.  My sin is great 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.

But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God[.]

Hebrews 10

 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God[.] Hebrews 10:12

I resume my study of Hebrews, picking up with chapter 10. This morning my focus is Daniel 10:1-18 and I am assisted in my understanding by the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary Series for Hebrews.  The commentary outlines five divisions in this text:

I. Insufficient Sacrifices (10:1): The sacrifices required under the old covenant to satisfy God's wrath for sin needed to be done repeatedly and continually.  

II. A Sacrifice Sufficient to Take Away Sin (10:2-4): Because these sacrifices did not completely satisfy God's wrath but instead only delayed His wrath, they pointed to a need for a greater more perfect sacrifice that is sufficient to cleanse our consciousness of sin (and to bring about obedience).

III. A Sacrifice Sufficient to Supplant Old Testament Sacrifices (10:5-10): Christ died once for all of humanity, and His sacrifice abolished and did away with the Old Testament sacrifices.

IV. A Sacrifice Sufficient to Bring Perfection (10:11-14): Christ's sacrifice not only abolished the Old Testament sacrifices, it also brings about sanctification and perfection for those who believe.

V. A Sacrifice Sufficient to Bring Forgiveness (10:15-18): Christ's sacrifice - by giving us a new heart - also cleanses believers' consciousnesses of sin (and bringing about obedience).

Thank You Jesus for Your sacrifice - for me!

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My Prayer: Jesus, You are a great God and You are sufficient in all ways!  Thank You for Your sacrifice and how You save and sanctify!  I am not deserving of such love - amazing grace.  My sin is great 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.

Samuel said to the people, “Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil. Yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. And do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty. For the Lord will not forsake his people, for his great name's sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for himself.

1 Samuel 12

Samuel said to the people, “Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil. Yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. And do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty. For the Lord will not forsake his people, for his great name's sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for himself. 1 Samuel 12:20-22

As I have completed my study of Daniel, and before I jump back into my study of Hebrews, I pause this morning to listen to DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion which looks at 1 Samuel 12:20-22, an excerpt of text where the prophet Samuel delivers a farewell address to Israel.  Here John Piper gives great encouragement to believers who need to move beyond the shame of past grievous sins.  Having God speak through prophets to them was insufficient, so Israel (see 1 Samuel 8) demanded a king; and this of course, was just one of Israel's many sins!  Instead of shaming Israel, Samuel encourages and lifts them up by sharing how God abounds in love and grace for His chosen people, seeking for them to return to Him.  See also the parable of the lost sheep in Luke 15, as well as the parable of the prodigal son, also in Luke 15.  God of course knows we are broken and prone to sin, yet He provides a path for atonement and eternal life through His Son Jesus Christ - rejoice!

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My Prayer: God, You are SO good as You welcome sinners back into Your arms with love, grace and compassion - thank You for how You have done so for me already and how You will continue to do so for the rest of my life.  I am completely undeserving of such love, grace, and compassion.  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.

[H]ow much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

Hebrews 9

[H]ow much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Hebrews 9:14

This morning, my focus is DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion, where John Piper looks at how our conscience too often condemn us with shame, guilt, feelings of inadequacy that "make us feel unacceptable to God".  We then, in response, implement responses to compensate or "fill the hole" left by our conscience.  Yet Piper rightly points out that these responses are sometimes harmful, and nothing we can do - even works we deem "good" - in this world can do what ONLY Jesus can do.  Unbelievers, accept Jesus as Your Lord and Savior and have faith. As Piper puts it: "[t]urn to the only cleansing agent in the universe that can give you relief in life, and peace in death."

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion for me.  You cleanse me, make me one of Your elect, and You clothe me in righteousness - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessings...not by a long shot.  My sin is great and it continues.  Please cleanse me, forgive me, and help me turn from and overcome my sin and turn 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.  

[M]y steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

Isaiah 54-57

[M]y steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you. Isaiah 54:10

After a more than 3 month delay, where I focused on my study of Proverbs, I resume my  deep dive of Isaiah, based on the Precept Upon Precept study series.  My study of Isaiah begins with day 1 (of 5) of week 20, which looks at Isaiah 54-57.  Day 1 focuses on Isaiah 54 which, starting with chapter 49 through early chapter 56, based on my previous studies and other resources such as OverviewBible.com, points to Jesus as the promised Savior and Messiah for the Jews and all nations.  The words in chapter 54 provide great comfort and hope for the afflicted nation of Israel.  Of course, such a message is timeless and directed towards all believers, particularly those in need of hope and encouragement.  

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who is full of compassion and love for me - thank You Jesus!  Thank You for never leaving or forsaking me - I am not deserving of such a God.  My sin is great 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.

For your name's sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great.

Psalm 25

For your name's sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great. Psalm 25:11

I pause on both my studies of Isaiah and Proverbs to listen to DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion - which today focuses on how Jesus allows us to pray David's prayer from Psalm 25:11 with new confidence. John Piper starts the devotion by describing God's "righteousness...[and]...the infinite zeal and joy and pleasure that he has in what is supremely valuable, namely, his own perfection and worth. And if he were ever to act contrary to this eternal passion for his own perfections, he would be unrighteous — he would be an idolater." He then asks what all of us as believers should frequently ponder: "How shall such a righteous God ever set his affection on sinners like us who have scorned his perfections? But the wonder of the gospel is that in his divine righteousness lies also the very foundation of our salvation. The infinite regard that the Father has for the Son makes it possible for me, a wicked sinner, to be loved and accepted in the Son, because in his death he vindicated the worth and glory of his Father."  Piper then wraps the devotion by summarizing: "God is righteous. He does not sweep sin under the rug. If a sinner goes free, someone dies to vindicate the infinite worth of God’s glory that the sinner defamed. That is what Christ did."  Amen...of course!

In between the lines, for us to more fully appreciate what God did for us, we must also acknowledge that we all sin, and we all need a Savior - Jesus Christ is that Savior.  From time to time, it is important that we reflect on this and God's amazing grace for us.  It is also important for us to be confident and assured that God forgives:

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16

Comment and discuss this post. 

My Prayer: Heavenly Father, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of amazing grace, compassion, and love me.  Thank You Jesus!  Yet I know that I am undeserving - my sin is great 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.

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.

Psalm 51

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Psalm 51:1

As I continue my vacation in Maine, I maintain a pause on my studies of both Isaiah and Proverbs, and tonight and throughout my vacation I will use DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotionals - today's focuses on how David claimed hold to God's forgiveness and mercy, yet he was unaware that in His line there would be a path for Him to be "justified" and forgiven for sins through Jesus Christ. Key to understanding of this text in Psalms 51 is that David is seeking God's forgiveness after a colossal sin - adultery with Bathsheba (and subsequently conspiracy to murder her husband).  2 Samuel 12 chronicles how God sent Nathan to David to hold David accountable for this sin.  We all have these moments when we cry to God in the midst of shame and guilt - we have an incredible God who forgives sins. 

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My Prayer: Jesus, thank You for Your incredible mercies and how they are new every morning - I am not deserving of such mercies.  My sin is great and it continues...every day.  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.

He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40-41

He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:29-31

I continue my deep dive of Isaiah, based on the Precept Upon Precept study series. Today, I move on Lesson 15, Day 2, which looks at Isaiah 40. My commentary provides the following divisions for this chapter:

1. The proclaimed glory of God comforts sinners with forgiveness (v1-11)
2. The immeasurable glory of God dwarfs the cosmos and the nations (v12-26)
3. The limitless glory of God strengthens the weary (v27-31)
   

As previously indicated in the past couple of posts, chapter 40 marks a transition as the commentary states that God yearns that his crushed people, humbled and broken under his judgements, will see that atonement for their sin is God's final purpose....Now at last Judah is assured that full atonement is provided for all her sins."

The commentary shares the following applications for Isaiah 40:

1. trust in Christ
2. expect the need for daily strengthening of our faith
3. pray confidently and humbly
4. appreciate our own fragility and mortality
5. set our hope on the grace to be given to us when Jesus Christ returns

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion for me - daily!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such love, grace and compassion.  My sin is great and it continues daily.  Please forgive me Jesus!  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.

Then the Lord will create over the whole site of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, and smoke and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory there will be a canopy. There will be a booth for shade by day from the heat, and for a refuge and a shelter from the storm and rain.

Isaiah 3-4

Then the Lord will create over the whole site of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, and smoke and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory there will be a canopy. There will be a booth for shade by day from the heat, and for a refuge and a shelter from the storm and rain. Isaiah 4:5-6

I continue my deep dive of Isaiah, based on the Precept Upon Precept study series.  On day 7 of my study, where I proceed with Isaiah 3-4, the key takeaway comes from Isaiah 4 where God promises a remnant of Israel will survive his judgement. God promises that this remnant will not only survive, but also experience cleansing from their sins (see post yesterday), and how God will be with the remnant, protecting them.  We all need a Savior who will do these things - Jesus is this Savior. 

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an incredible God who loves me, who cleanses my sin, gives me life - to the full and for eternity - and protects me...all incredible blessings.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such a God.  I sin...daily...worry, etc.  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.