God's openess

Isaiah 65

"I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me;
I was found by those who did not seek me.
To a nation that did not call on my name,
I said, 'Here am I, here am I.'

All day long I have held out my hands
to an obstinate people,
who walk in ways not good,
pursuing their own imaginations-

a people who continually provoke me
to my very face,
offering sacrifices in gardens
and burning incense on altars of brick;

who sit among the graves
and spend their nights keeping secret vigil;
who eat the flesh of pigs,
and whose pots hold broth of unclean meat;

who say, 'Keep away; don't come near me,
for I am too sacred for you!'
Such people are smoke in my nostrils,
a fire that keeps burning all day."

I know it is God that is speaking, and my heart breaks when I read and see this.
Just as I think God can be cold, with an dictatorship type rule, either my way or the hell way.
I know he wants all to be saved with him, but there are just some that will "choose" the other way.

To God be the Glory.

Pray more.

Isaiah 64

"You come to the help of those who gladly do right,
who remember your ways.
But when we continued to sin against them,
you were angry.
How then can we be saved? "

"Yet, O LORD, you are our Father.
We are the clay, you are the potter;
we are all the work of your hand.

Do not be angry beyond measure, O LORD;
do not remember our sins forever.
Oh, look upon us, we pray,
for we are all your people.

Your sacred cities have become a desert;
even Zion is a desert, Jerusalem a desolation.

Our holy and glorious temple, where our fathers praised you,
has been burned with fire,
and all that we treasured lies in ruins.

After all this, O LORD, will you hold yourself back?
Will you keep silent and punish us beyond measure?"

Kind of what I was thinking of yesterday. We are all sinners, we were made by God, we were all called, yet most will, a big majority will still fall short, what is the point?
God does not show favoritism, he saves all who have sinned through Jesus who was the ultimate sacrifice. All we have to do is acknowledge and accept. Yet we all have a different opinion on who God is and accept who is going to be saved.

To God be the Glory

Pray

Isaiah 63

People are people. Is there really a difference between the "chosen" and the Gentiles?
So what makes the people that of God different than that which God has called?
We all have sinned and has fallen short the Glory of God.
People did not understand God, and still did not understand God.
We come to understand God when we are broken and hopeless.
It is then when we decide if God is good or bad.
What is the lesson here?

"But you are our Father,
though Abraham does not know us
or Israel acknowledge us;
you, O LORD, are our Father,
our Redeemer from of old is your name.

17 Why, O LORD, do you make us wander from your ways
and harden our hearts so we do not revere you?
Return for the sake of your servants,
the tribes that are your inheritance.

18 For a little while your people possessed your holy place,
but now our enemies have trampled down your sanctuary.

19 We are yours from of old;
but you have not ruled over them,
they have not been called by your name."

Proclamation

Isaiah 62

"The LORD has made proclamation
to the ends of the earth:
"Say to the Daughter of Zion,
'See, your Savior comes!
See, his reward is with him,
and his recompense accompanies him.' "

They will be called the Holy People,
the Redeemed of the LORD;
and you will be called Sought After,
the City No Longer Deserted."

Oaks of righteousness

Isaiah 61

"The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners, ^[a]

to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,

and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor."

"Oaks of righteousness".

According to Wiki's information:

"...Oak barrels, which may be charred before use, contribute to the colour, taste, and aroma, of the contents, imparting a desirable oaky vanillin flavour to these drinks. The great dilemma for wine producers is to choose between French and American oakwoods. French oaks (Quercus robur, Q. petraea) give the wine greater refinement and are chosen for best wines since they increase the price compared to those aged in American oak wood. American oak contributes greater texture and resistance to ageing, but produces more violent wine bouquets. Oak wood chips are used for smoking fish, meat, cheeses and other foods." Wiki Oak

" For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing." 2 Corinthians 2:15

One way or the other, we smell.

Finally,

"I delight greatly in the LORD;
my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

For as the soil makes the sprout come up
and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise
spring up before all nations."

To God be the Glory

Everlasting light

Isaiah 60

"Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.

See, darkness covers the earth
and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the LORD rises upon you
and his glory appears over you."

The world is a dark place. Sometimes it does seem, even if God is with you, you are still looking out into the darkness, and has no hope of seeing the end of the tunnel.
One thing we tend not to see. Ourselves.
If the light is within us, we can see what is around us. We might be scared, confused, and ultimately, be awakened.
We can know the fact we can see and understand, but can we accept it or would it be easier to just ignore it?

From the big picture here in Isaiah 60, the key is that others will see you.

"Nations will come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

"Lift up your eyes and look about you:
All assemble and come to you;
your sons come from afar,
and your daughters are carried on the arm."

Is this what "God's Glory" is? I think so.
The other question would be, are you going to confess that God is the Glory or it is all your doing, your faithfulness, your humility, your hard work, perseverance that led you to where you are and hence people are able to see the "Glory of God"?

"Then you will look and be radiant,
your heart will throb and swell with joy;
the wealth on the seas will be brought to you,
to you the riches of the nations will come. "

"Although you have been forsaken and hated,
with no one traveling through,
I will make you the everlasting pride
and the joy of all generations. "

It is when God is Glorified, you will be satisfied.

"The sun will no more be your light by day,
nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you,
for the LORD will be your everlasting light,
and your God will be your glory.

Your sun will never set again,
and your moon will wane no more;
the LORD will be your everlasting light,
and your days of sorrow will end.

Then will all your people be righteous
and they will possess the land forever.
They are the shoot I have planted,
the work of my hands,
for the display of my splendor.

The least of you will become a thousand,
the smallest a mighty nation.
I am the LORD;
in its time I will do this swiftly."

After all, you did not do much.

To God be the Glory.

Isaiah 59... strangeeee

Isaiah 59


"The Redeemer will come to Zion,
to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,"
declares the LORD.

"As for me, this is my covenant with them," says the LORD. "My Spirit, who is on you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of their descendants from this time on and forever," says the LORD.