Isaiah 12:1-2 ESV
You will say in that
day:
“I will give thanks to
you, O Lord,
for though you were angry with me,
your anger turned
away,
that you might comfort me.
“Behold, God is my
salvation;
I will trust, and will not be afraid;
for the Lord God is my
strength and my song,
and he has become my salvation.”
When God first created humankind, they were without sin.
But, then they sinned against God by disobeying his command to them. And, since
that time all humanity has been born into sin with sin natures. All have sinned
and have come up short of attaining God’s approval and his holiness.
So, God provided a way for us to be delivered out of our
slavery to sin and to be made righteous with God. He sent his only begotten Son
to the earth to be born as a baby, and to grow up to be a man, and to suffer
like we suffer, and to be tempted in like manner as we are also tempted, yet
without sin.
He sent Jesus Christ, God the Son, to the earth also to
preach repentance for the forgiveness of sins, to heal the sick and afflicted,
to comfort the sorrowful, to feed the hungry, to deliver people from demons, to
give sight to the blind, and to set the captive free from his bondage to sin.
And, he sent him to be our perfect Lamb blood sacrifice for
our sins so that we can die with Christ to sin and live with him to
righteousness, all in the power, working, and strength of his Spirit now living
within us. For, Jesus died that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him
who gave his life up for us (Rom. 6:1-23; 1 Pet. 2:24; 2 Co. 5:15, 21).
So, our salvation from sin is not merely forgiveness of
sins, an escape from hell, and the promise of heaven when we die. Our salvation
is deliverance from our sinful lifestyles. It is a transformation of our hearts
and minds away from living to sin to now walking (living) according to the
Spirit of God.
So, we give thanks to God for delivering us out of our
slavery to sin and for giving us new lives in Christ Jesus, empowered to live
for our Lord.
Isaiah 12:3-6 ESV
With joy you will draw
water from the wells of salvation. And you will say in that day:
“Give thanks to the
Lord,
call upon his name,
make known his deeds
among the peoples,
proclaim that his name is exalted.
“Sing praises to the
Lord, for he has done gloriously;
let this be made known in all the earth.
Shout, and sing for
joy, O inhabitant of Zion,
for great in your midst is the Holy One of
Israel.”
Also, our salvation is not a one-time event and then we are
good to go no matter what we do from that point forward. Our salvation is a
lifelong process of forsaking sin and living for the Lord. Daily we die to sin
and self, and daily we put on Christ and his righteousness. It is those of us
who are walking according to the Spirit, and no longer according to the flesh,
who have the hope of salvation from sin and heaven as our eternal home.
And, when Jesus sets us free from our addiction to sin, and
he gives us new lives in him to be lived to his righteousness, then we should
want to give praise to the Lord for what he has done in saving us, and for
giving us new meaning and purpose for life. And, we should want to tell others,
too, about his salvation, and about how they can be saved from their sins, too.
We should want to tell others all about God; about Jesus
Christ. And, it should bring joy to our hearts to share with others about the
greatness of God, and of all his godliness, holiness, purity, steadfastness,
faithfulness, love, tenderness and compassion towards us, too. And, we should
desire to give God all honor, respect, submission and obedience.
We should be filled to overflowing with gratitude to our
Lord for all that he has done for us in saving us from our sins, and for all
the many spiritual blessings that he pours into our lives on a regular basis.
For, he is perfect, and he is completely faithful in all that he does.
And, he always has our best interest in mind. His desire for
us is that we be conformed to his likeness and that we walk in holiness,
because this is what is best for us, and it is what will bring him praise,
honor and glory. So, we should sing his praises continually, and be ever
thankful to our Lord.
Have
Thine Own Way, Lord
Hymn
lyrics by Adelaide A. Pollard, 1907
Music
by George C. Stebbins, 1907
Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine
own way!
Thou art the potter, I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after Thy will,
While I am waiting, yielded and still.
Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine
own way!
Search me and try me, Master, today!
Whiter than snow, Lord, wash me just
now,
As in Thy presence humbly I bow.
Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine
own way!
Wounded and weary, help me I pray!
Power, all power, surely is Thine!
Touch me and heal me, Savior divine!
Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine
own way!
Hold o'er my being absolute sway.
Fill with Thy Spirit till all shall see
Christ only, always, living in me!
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