Today's readings are Isaiah 26.20-27.13 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Is.+26.20-27.13 ) and 1 John 4.1-21 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=1+Jn+4.1-21 ).
In Isaiah 27.12 we read a very encouraging idea. The context shows that the Lord is removing pollution from his world. He is removing thorns and thistles - the weedy things that characterize this fallen and accursed world. What are his people to do? They are to hide while he removes evil. Our hiding, our shelter, is in the arms of our Savior who, curiously enough, is the one who dies for the crime of the very world where we live. And then in verse 12, while God is threshing the grain - getting rid of the chaff, stems, husks, and all the other stuff which isn't productive and useful for eating - we are reminded that we who are fallen kernels will be gleaned. Our Lord is going to leave behind none of those who trust in him. Though all that goes on in this world may look like calamity, we are not abandoned. We will not be scooped up with the other leavings and thrown into the fire at the end of the day. We will be picked up as valuable parts of the kingdom of our Lord.
Let us look confidently to our Lord and Savior. He will not leave us or forsake us. He is with us to the end of the world. Thanks be to God.
No comments:
Post a Comment