Isaiah 66 Today

Note- IF this e-mail is at all encrypted and is unreadable, scroll down to the end of the passage and click on the underlined blue words "Lena's Discipleship Journalin' For Today ", this will take you straight to the website where you'll enjoy a readable copy
God Bless You Today, Lena B
Isaiah 66
1This is what the LORD says: "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Could you ever build me a temple as good as that? Could you build a dwelling place for me? 2My hands have made both heaven and earth, and they are mine. I, the LORD, have spoken! "I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at my word. 3But those who choose their own ways, delighting in their sins, are cursed. Their offerings will not be accepted. When such people sacrifice an ox, it is no more acceptable than a human sacrifice. When they sacrifice a lamb or bring an offering of grain, it is as bad as putting a dog or the blood of a pig on the altar! When they burn incense, it is as if they had blessed an idol. 4I will send great troubles against them—all the things they feared. For when I called, they did not answer. When I spoke, they did not listen. They deliberately sinned—before my very eyes—and chose to do what they know I despise."
5Hear this message from the LORD, and tremble at his words: "Your close relatives hate you and throw you out for being loyal to my name. 'Let the LORD be honored!' they scoff. 'Be joyful in him!' But they will be put to shame. 6What is all the commotion in the city? What is that terrible noise from the Temple? It is the voice of the LORD taking vengeance against his enemies.
7"Before the birth pains even begin, Jerusalem gives birth to a son. 8Who has ever seen or heard of anything as strange as this? Has a nation ever been born in a single day? Has a country ever come forth in a mere moment? But by the time Jerusalem's F133 birth pains begin, the baby will be born; the nation will come forth. 9Would I ever bring this nation to the point of birth and then not deliver it?" asks the LORD. "No! I would never keep this nation from being born," says your God.
10"Rejoice with Jerusalem! Be glad with her, all you who love her and mourn for her. 11Delight in Jerusalem! Drink deeply of her glory even as an infant drinks at its mother's generous breasts. 12Peace and prosperity will overflow Jerusalem like a river," says the LORD. "The wealth of the nations will flow to her. Her children will be nursed at her breasts, carried in her arms, and treated with love. 13I will comfort you there as a child is comforted by its mother."
14When you see these things, your heart will rejoice. Vigorous health will be yours! Everyone will see the good hand of the LORD on his people—and his anger against his enemies. 15See, the LORD is coming with fire, and his swift chariots of destruction roar like a whirlwind. He will bring punishment with the fury of his anger and the flaming fire of his hot rebuke. 16The LORD will punish the world by fire and by his sword, and many will be killed by the LORD.
17"Those who 'purify' themselves in a sacred garden, feasting on pork and rats and other forbidden meats, will come to a terrible end," says the LORD. 18"I can see what they are doing, and I know what they are thinking. So I will gather all nations and peoples together, and they will see my glory. 19I will perform a sign among them. And I will send those who survive to be messengers to the nations—to Tarshish, to the Libyans F134 and Lydians F135 (who are famous as archers), to Tubal and Greece, F136 and to all the lands beyond the sea that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory. There they will declare my glory to the nations. 20They will bring the remnant of your people back from every nation. They will bring them to my holy mountain in Jerusalem as an offering to the LORD. They will ride on horses, in chariots and wagons, and on mules and camels," says the LORD. 21"And I will appoint some of those who return to be my priests and Levites. I, the LORD, have spoken!
22"As surely as my new heavens and earth will remain, so will you always be my people, with a name that will never disappear," says the LORD. 23"All humanity will come to worship me from week to week and from month to month. 24And as they go out, they will see the dead bodies of those who have rebelled against me. For the worms that devour them will never die, and the fire that burns them will never go out. All who pass by will view them with utter horror."
FOOTNOTES:
F133: Hebrew Zion's.
F134: As in some Greek manuscripts, which read Put [Libya]; Hebrew reads Pul.
F135: Hebrew Lud.
F136: Hebrew Javan.

Lena Journals to Isaiah 66 Today

Have you ever thought you were doing something good for God?
We are learning what He has done for us, right? That in its self will take us more than a lifetime to know. to the human mind, and so in our performance oriented society, we serve Him, or do something good or nice for Him.
Many of us who were raised in church, watched people do their duties to the Lord to show Him they were good or how deep their love is for Him. As you grow in faith you see there is this line between doing a lot of good things for God and doing things with God. There are a lot of good things to do in serving Him in His kingdom work. That line is quite fine, because the same person who serves in nursery at church for the Lord’s work, could do it as a duty and another because of a love relationship. We can be acting in the same manner outwardly, the line is drawn more inwardly where only God sees it. Now if we become critics or complainers inside of our “ministries” or “good works” then the abundance of our hearts show others what’s in there under that fine line.
Love is the best motivator and on track keeper of all.
God loves and serves even the unlovely.
The biggest question would be, do we want to? Not have to, but want to do this “good work”?.
Another line gets drawn between us thinking up good deeds we can do for God, and stopping to ask Him what He’d like done, or listening to a leader in a group of people. Someone who has already sought the Lord on what to assemble people to do, in that line would be the question we’d ask ourselves…Am I willing to make an adjustment to become a part of that activity instead of thinking up my own independent and good activity?
Being alone in serving His kingdom is not anywhere near as effective as joining a force against evil and being a part of the increase of light and life in unity.
I hear so many people who are in a group, say things like, ”So why do we have to do it this way, or why can’t we do it that way? Or I have a vision or a dream….”
Key word, if you are feeling you “have to” do something, check the gage of your heart. Love does whatever it does, because it wants to, not because it has to. It submits itself from the bottom up. That means up top, it may seem we’re possibly feeling made to, but from our end how is it?
Did they make Jesus die on the cross? It sure looked like it, but He said He did it because He had submitted Himself to His Father’s plan. He said no one takes My life, but it sure looked like they were taking it from Him!
It may feel someone is trying to take your life when they ask for pieces of your life for kingdom participation, for unity sake, and to call an assemblance for the strength of forces. That’s when we need to ask ourselves, Why would we participate, do what someone else wants done, do it their way, or do it at all?
Human sacrifice? Living or dead? It’s all in the motivation. Give or take? Require or yield? Lead or follow? What is asked, or seemingly “required” may look the same as what is given by a freewill sacrifice of love and obedience.
It looked like men took Jesus’ life, yet he says He gave it up.
What nation does God want to bring forth through a loving giving obediently responsive people?
His bride, his body, His won likeness, His church.
How much God is too much?
How much word study is too much?
How much godly behavior is too much?
How much church attendance and assemblance is too much?
It’s up to each of us to decide.
How much we want is how much we’ll have.
Of God
Of His word
Of fellowship
Of behaviors
Of His body, in image and likeness
Drink deeply He says.
To the kingdom during Esther’s time…Chapter 1. It said, no one was under compulsion, they could have as much as they desired at any time that they desired within the scope of time the king chose. They did not have to drink of His wine at all, if they didn’t want to, if they wanted to, there was more than enough for the having.
That’s the same today with God, His word, His church, etc.
Who do we who call ourselves by His name look like?
Do we look more and more drastically and radically like Him more and more as each day passes, or do we look like the world we live in?
Who has made the most impressions on us?
It is who we give and spend the most time on.
Rebellion is rejection of the way of God. It is God’s enemy #1
There has to be something to rebel against or it is not rebellion.
It always breeds death.
Obedience breeds life.
Choose life today for yourself and for your seed and for their generations.