Friday, April 8, 2011
Isaiah Chapter 2
As I read Isaiah 2 tonight I was thinking about the people of Judah and Jerusalem. Verse 8 tells us that their land is full of idols. And what I really get from the rest of the chapter is that the idols are in the way of their relationship with God....and they get punished for it. I see a parallel to modern times because anything that gets in the way of our relationship with God is really an idol. Maybe for some of us its work, maybe its a particular sports team, or a hobby. Or maybe even something like Facebook. The bottom line....what are we doing to remove the idols from our lives and put God first? Later in chapter 2 we find the people of Judah and Jerusalem getting punished for their idolotry and sin. I'm happy to say the story doesn't end there! We are so blessed to serve a God who loves us, all we need to do is put Him first in our lives.
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The Lord expects nothing less than for us to glorify him in both word and deed.
ReplyDelete(v5)O Israel, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord, and be obedient to his laws!
Have Isaiah's words been silenced? In today's society idolatry is rampant in every facet of our culture. How can God be satisfied with this? It is a privledge to be able to read the
Word of God but it is also a responsiblility to try and live it, even when the world seems to be more interested in american idol or updating a facebook page.
I agree that our society fills our lives with distractions and time fillers. We have been given a world, especially here in the USA, where we must give our time to work that does little for our spirtual lives but provides the necessary money we need to feed our families and keep a warm secure roof over our heads. We are raised in an environment that fosters competition and individual egos where we all can want, what we want, when we want it. In the middle of each household, sometimes in each room of each house, is the main idol of our lives. The TV bring in up to date and sometimes "live" news from around the world, sporting events depicted as larger than life and celebrities who are more important than ordinary people because they are seen daily on TV and in movies. But what we need to focus on is that "good" news does not sell, sporting events are "games" not life and celebrities are not gods.
ReplyDeleteGod is King over all and in the end will judge all. We are lucky that we have been given the Bible to act as a guide, as a map filled with God's words to help us make the correct decisions in our lives, to stay on the path God has set before us.
This chapter also gives us glimpses of God's plan, reason to hope for a better future.
Part of Isaiah's vision is seen in V 4 "He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore." Many of us have seen war and we continue to send our son and daughters off to war to protect our right as a society to exist and to provide help to others who want the right to have safe and secure lives. We pray daily for those who are still out there in harm's way. Let's pray for the day that God settles all disputes and we can train for war no more.
This year "Screen Free Week" (Previously known as "TV Free Week" - but expanded since kids worship many different screens now) falls during Holy Week. In Massachusetts, that's also April Vacation.
ReplyDeleteMy kids don't spend much time in front of screens, comparatively, but still manage about an hour a day. Neither my kids, nor my Sunday School class (7th and 8th) are willing to engage in Screen Free Week. I don't suppose that, even during Holly Week, they'll be devoting an hour a day to God, scripture, prayer, or worship.
On the "plus side" - Rose was reading some book about life in the mid-19th century a while ago (Little House, Anne of Green Gables, don't remember). She was astonished that those families spent up to THREE HOURS in church each Sunday. Until I pointed out that she pretty much did the same.
Bill made the comment that we are lucky that we have been given the Bible as a guide for our lives. I quit using the word lucky many, many years ago. In Genesis 12, Scripture is clear that whatever we have in our lives that makes us feel lucky is a blessing from God's hand, SO THAT we can be a blessing to the world.
ReplyDeleteAgain, I know that I'm hardcore about this, but food and shelter, clothing, the basics that we take for granted while we strive for wealth and such--these very things are not provided to everyone...yet. If you are free next weekend (or can make yourself free), do the Famine with us. It will give you a new perspective on life and our role in helping God provide daily bread for all.
Next Wednesday and the first two Sunday Bible studies in May will be crucial as we work to figure out God's specific purpose for Faith. Sue and Kelly, please consider having the LYFE Group join us for those two Sunday school hours in the vestry, as many of our Confirmation students have been in on the Doing What Matters process thus far.
A dozen new members are joining Faith on Easter and May 1st. They are ready to hit the ground running. I thank God that I am blessed with the 6 of you and everyone else at Faith who is listening for God calling us to be his children, his disciples, his servants, feet washers, good new spreaders, hope bringers.
"Come, let's climb God's Mountain (or granite outcropping as it were), go to the House of the God of Jacob. He'll show us the way he works so we can live the way we're made."
I agree that TV, music, Facebook, sports, hobbies, shopping, even something as necessary as work, constantly interfere with our good intentions to focus more on God. These distractions take time away from our relationship with Him, and often from one another.
ReplyDeleteIsaiah is trying to show us that it breaks God's heart when we stray from Him, when we worship other idols (American, or otherwise :-)
and when we put success, entertainment, and pleasure first, with Him an afterthought. In last place.
Matthew challenged us at the start of Lent: instead of giving up something (sweets, TV, Facebook, etc.), take up something instead. I fail miserably when I give up chocolate; Lent or New Year's Resolutions were meant to be broken within the week, perhaps within days, or even hours!
I will "take up" the challenge to read the Bible daily, to reflect on God's Word, whether by blogging, or through prayer/meditation/reflection on these scriptures. Rather than grumbling about a "loss"(chocolate, or TV), it is the opportunity to delve deeper into a relationship with God, which I so often neglect.
Hope to read more entries from you in the future Laura.
ReplyDeleteLaura, we are so excited that you have joined us on the blog! Another small step in Doing What Matters. Maybe we can get Kaity blogging too, so the whole DWM team could be on board.
ReplyDelete