Write From My
Heart
September 9,
2020
Stand Firm
Isaiah 7:9
(NIV)
If you do not
stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.
The book of Isaiah is a book of
prophecy and judgement directed to the people of Judah. But as always, we find
much that is applicable to us today. Isaiah’s primary message was to convince
the people that salvation comes through repentance and hope in the coming of
the Messiah. The Messiah, Jesus Christ, did indeed come and give his life so
that we too might repent and receive the gift of salvation because of his
sacrifice. This is the very foundation of Christian faith. It is on this
foundation that we stand.
But Isaiah is quick to warn the
people of failure to stand firm, and we would be wise to heed these warnings
today.
Isaiah 5:20-21
(NIV)
Woe to those
who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for
darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes
and clever in their own sight.
Isaiah 30:1 and
9 (NIV)
Woe to the
obstinate children, declares the LORD, to those who carry out plans that are
not mine, forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit, heaping sin upon sin. These
are rebellious people, deceitful children, children unwilling to listen to the
LORD’s instruction.
Do you see a few similarities with
some of the things taking place in our Nation today? No, I don’t want to fill
you with doom and gloom—although a taste of that might be healthy now and then.
What is it they say about a good healthy dose of reality? Unfortunately, we
understand that many will not heed any warnings, they will go stubbornly on in
their total disregard for what is right in an effort to gratify self. Isaiah
also addressed this fact.
Isaiah 26:9-10
(NIV)
My soul yearns
for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you. When your
judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness.
Though grace is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteousness; even in a
land of uprightness they go on doing evil and regard not the majesty of the
LORD.
So the bottom line is this…we have a
choice. It is a choice to stand firm in the foundation of faith in Christ or a
choice to not stand at all. The choice is yours to make.
Isaiah 26:3-4
(NIV)
You will keep
in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust
in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal.
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