Monday, July 07, 2014,
7:00 a.m. – the Lord Jesus put the song in mind, “Oh, To Be Like Thee.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Isaiah 42:1-9 (NIV).
My Servant
“Here
is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen one in whom I delight;
I
will put my Spirit on him,
and he will bring justice to the nations.
He
will not shout or cry out,
or raise his voice in the streets.
A
bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff
out.
In
faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
he will not falter or be discouraged
till
he establishes justice on earth.
In his teaching the islands will put their
hope.”
The Lord’s servant is Jesus Christ our Lord, and yet we,
too, are his servants, as we carry within us the body of Christ in the person
of the Holy Spirit. Daily we are being conformed to and transformed into his
likeness by the Spirit of God within us as we surrender our wills to his will. We
are commanded of God to be holy as he is holy. Holy means: set apart from
(different; unlike) the world and set apart to God and to his service. Amen!
And, we have been given the Spirit of God, as well, to counsel, teach,
instruct, encourage, and to direct our steps, and to empower us for the work of
the ministry to which God has called us.
Jesus Christ was faithful in all that he did. He did not
falter (waver or fluctuate) nor did he give in to discouragement. He remained
committed to the task to which he had been sent to earth, which was to die on
the cross for our sins. And, he will strengthen us and will help us to remain
faithful, too, to his calling upon our lives, so that we do not waver in our
commitments nor give in to a spirit of discouragement to where we give up, back
down or run away when the going gets tough, and it will.
The word of God says that he who began a good work in us
will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ (Phil. 1:6). It is
not about us and our abilities or even our strength to keep going on, but his strength
is made perfect in our weakness. We just need to put our absolute faith and
trust in him for all things and keep on keeping on in doing what he has called
us to do until he takes us home.
Called You
This
is what God the Lord says—
the
Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out,
who spreads out the earth with all that
springs from it,
who gives breath to its people,
and life to those who walk on it:
“I,
the Lord, have called you in righteousness;
I will take hold of your hand.
I
will keep you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people
and a light for the Gentiles,
to
open eyes that are blind,
to free captives from prison
and to release from the dungeon those who
sit in darkness.
Again, the servant here is Jesus Christ (Cf. Is. 61). And,
yet, much of this is also the calling of all of Christ’s followers. Jesus
Christ called Paul (then Saul) to do much the same as what is stated here (See
Ac. 26:16-18), but is this unique only to Jesus and to Paul? Are we not all
called to be his witnesses? Are not all his disciples called to go and to make
disciples of Christ of people of all nations, baptizing them, and teaching them
to obey all that Christ has commanded us? (See Ac. 1:8; Matt. 28:18-20) Are we
not all called to let our lights shine before men, and to snatch people from
the fires of hell, to lead out those who have eyes but are blind, and to turn
sinners from the error of their way so that they can be saved? Are we here on
this earth only to live for ourselves and the sinful pleasures of our own
hearts? No!
We have been given a wonderful gift – the gift of salvation.
Why do so many keep it to themselves and not share it with others? Why are we
not passionately burdened for lost souls and calling out to God daily in prayer
for their salvation? So many are blinded by sin and rebellion against God; so
many are duped, manipulated and deceived by master manipulators who twist the
truth for selfish gain, and so they are believing and following the lie. Who
will tell them the truth if we do not? We need to answer the call of God, with
Isaiah, to go, and then to say, “Here am I! Send me!” Why do we persist in
living our lives primarily for ourselves and our pleasures with little regard
for God and for what he wants? One day he is coming back. When we stand before
him, what excuse will we give for not sharing the gospel?
The essence of the gospel is this: People are blinded by
sin. They are without God and without hope. They are bound for hell and eternal
separation from God. Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins so that we
might be delivered from our blindness and our slavery to sin, and so we might
walk freely in his righteousness and holiness, as well as escape the fires of
hell and have the hope of eternal life with him in glory. We accept his plan of
salvation into our lives by faith. This faith is also a gift from God, but one
we must apply to our lives. We do so by surrendering our lives to God, allowing
the Spirit of God to turn us away from our lives of sin to the light of Christ’s
truth (his word) so that we may now live by it instead. We willingly die with
Christ to the sins which once enslaved us and we choose to now live for God in
the power and working of his Spirit within us. This is God’s grace!
New Things
“I
am the Lord; that is my name!
I will not yield my glory to another
or my praise to idols.
See,
the former things have taken place,
and new things I declare;
before
they spring into being
I announce them to you.”
The “new things” being declared and announced here are Jesus
Christ and his ministry of salvation in our lives. Yet, what he was telling
them here was not just for their future, but it was for their present. They
were to believe in the promise that was to come. We believe in the promise who
has already come and who will one day return. They were and we are all saved by
faith in the promise, Jesus Christ. And, both their lives and our lives are to
reflect that faith. It means we forsake our idols, we forget the former ways of
living for sin and self, and we follow the new way of holiness; the way of the
cross – all in the power and working of the Spirit within us who is
transforming us into the image (likeness) of Christ “with ever-increasing
glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (See 2 Co. 3:18).
Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer / Thomas O. Chisholm / W. J.
Kirkpatrick
Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s
treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.
Oh, to be like Thee! full of
compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the
fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.
O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.
O to be like Thee! Lord, I am coming
Now to receive anointing divine;
All that I am and have I am bringing,
Lord, from this moment all shall be
Thine.
O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy
love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.
Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like
Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy
fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.
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