6/24/13:

TFTD: “ For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning(or repentance) and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” But you were unwilling,… Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.” Isaiah 30:15,18

What a giant punch right in the gut. Over and over again in the bible, much more bluntly in the Old Testament and more subtly in the New Testament, we are told and reminded by God that if we just repent and trust in Him we will be blessed and saved. But here is the kicker. We are sinful. Our sinful self gets in the way and we become “unwilling” to follow Christ. We, like the Israelites, push away the urge of the Holy Spirit and turn to our own devises, sins, and idols. It’s just so easy to do. We get caught up in the ideas of culture that tell us we need to make more money. You need the newest Igadget because it will make you happy. You need to forget what God is telling you because it’s wrong. But our God is gracious. Isaiah tells the Israelites who are intentionally pushing God away “the Lord waits to be gracious to you”. Our God is patient and can wait as long as it takes for us to hear and follow the Holy Spirit. He will forgive all of our sins. Not just some, but all, and what a relief that is!! We can turn to God again and again and say I am sorry and here is what happens. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:8-9). We get to walk with Christ and never look back because Our God is Greater!

“The true follower of Christ will not ask, “If I embrace this truth, what will it cost me?” Rather he will say, “This is the truth, God help me to walk in it, let come what may!””- A. W. Tozer