Isaiah 30:1 - Insights Into Living for God.
Isaiah 30:1 - Insights Into Living for God.
Isaiah 30:1 (KJV) Woe to the rebellious children, saith the
LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a
covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin:
Isaiah 30:1 (NIV) "Woe to the obstinate children," declares the
LORD, "to those who carry out plans that are not mine, forming an
alliance, but not by my Spirit, heaping sin upon sin;
Isaiah 30:1 (NLT) "Destruction is certain for my rebellious
children," says the LORD. "You make plans that are contrary to my will. You
weave a web of plans that are not from my Spirit, thus piling up your
sins.
Isaiah 30:1 (TLB) Woe to my rebellious children, says the LORD,
you ask advise from everyone but me, and decide to do what I don't
want you to do. You yoke yourselves with unbelievers, thus piling up
your sins.
THE PARADOX OF HOW GOD IS SOVEREIGN AND YET ALLOWS HUMAN BEINGS
FREE WILL
God is sovereignty and inevitably and without exception
accomplishes His will and purpose through free-willed agents acting freely
but responsibly. Man must be a free agent to be in the image of God,
and God must be immutable, i.e., unchanging, in order to be God
(Mal. 3:6). Permitting or overruling the acts of man without
infringing upon his freedom or interrupting his responsibility (e.g., the
brothers of Joseph in Gen. 37:26-28; 45:5) is an awesome expression of
God's providence. [Believer's SB re Pro. 16:9]
God is Sovereign - He is in complete control of His world and
will ultimately accomplish His purposes. It is futile for people to
trust in their own plans, strength, and alliances rather than in God.
[Disciple SB]
THE BLESSING OF FINDING GOD'S BEST AND NOT JUST SOMETHING "GOOD"
Are you trusting things that cannot help you while the Lord
waits for you to come to Him for help (30:15,18)? Those who wait on
the Lord for help will experience blessings, such as answered prayer
(30:18-19), God's guidance (30:20-21), cleansing (30:22), fruitfulness
(30:23-26), victory (30:27-33; 31:4-9), and a song (30:29). [Chapter by
Chapter Bible Commentary by Warren Wiersbe]
THE DANGER OF LETTING "GOOD" REPLACE GOD'S BEST
We find it terribly easy to jump ahead of the Lord, to get our
plans in order and our projects in motion before we ask Him for His
counsel. But He wants to be the engine, not the caboose. [Life Principles
SB By Charles Stanley]
Any action not led by God's Spirit is sin. Any action not based
on trust in God is sin. [Disciple SB]
These days we are bombarded with opportunities that entice us
to invest our time and energy. Each day the voices of urgency cry
out for every available moment. So many causes promise that time
spent on them will reap great rewards; how can we recognize God's
voice among so many competing voices?
A fool makes unwise choices with his time. With every new
opportunity that comes along, the fool chases off in a different direction,
not questioning whether that is the best choice. The loudest voice
gains his attention. At some point the fool discovers to his dismay
that he has squandered the investment of his time.
The days in which you live are evil. Marriages are under
tremendous pressure, families are disintegrating. Multitudes are dying each
year without hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Investing your life
wisely is critical to you and to those around you. Foolishly spending
your time in sinful or wasteful pursuits can cost you and others
dearly.
Often, it is not evil pursuits that rob your time. Rather,
the temptation is to sacrifice what is best for what is good. The
enemy knows that blatantly tempting you with evil will be obvious, so
he will lure you with distractions, leaving you no time to carry
out God's will. He will tempt you to so fill your schedule with good
things that you have no time for God's best. You may inadvertently
substitute religious activity for God's will, pursuing your own goals for
God's kingdom instead of waiting for His assignment. Time is a
precious commodity. Be sure to invest it wisely. [Experiencing God Day by
Day by Henry and Richard Blackaby re Eph. 5:15, 16]
PRAYER DISCOVERS GOD'S BEST AND NOT JUST SOMETHING "GOOD"
The natural inclination in Christian living is to act on the
impulse of a good idea. Not every good idea is from God. Sometimes good
ideas get in the way of God ideas.
Where does your inspiration come from? The vision of the
transfigured Christ inspired Peter: "O Lord, it is good for us to be here. If
you wish, I will put up three shelters - one for you, one for Moses
and one for Elijah" (Matthew 17:4). Our natural impulse is to do
something good for God and suggest it to Him.
The tendency of the well-meaning person is to prepare a plan
to do some good idea, and then pray, "Jesus, this is my plan. It is
a good plan. It hurts no one, and I want it to please You. Lord,
please bless my plan." It is plan, then pray.
So many of our ideas are impetuous. They are not what the
Lord wants to do. They do not resemble in any way the things which
concern Him. We have good ideas, but they are not God ideas. His agenda
and our agenda conflict. We want to build Him a shelter but that is
not what He wants.... When Peter, James, and John heard the voice of
the Lord . . . they abandoned their inventive-but-self-made idea.
The presence of the Lord magnified, and His holiness brought them to
their senses. Jesus gained their attention, not by subduing them with
a stern scolding, but by magnifying His presence until all the
genius of their human ideas was bleached out by His refulgent face.
When they abandoned their good idea and fell facedown before
the Lord, He could work with them again....
When you and I abandon our good idea and fall to our face
before me Lord, then He will come and touch us, too. When we pursue our
own plan He cannot use us. We must abandon our good idea and fall
facedown before Him. Then He will be able to use us again. Then He will
reveal what He is doing - a God idea.... It is pray, then plan. Through
prayer, Jesus instructs of His plan, a God idea.
Prayer removes the impulse of the good idea, the good idea
born of human ingenuity but not of God. Pray, then plan. It is the
habit of the surrendered saint. (Walking with Christ in the Details of
Life by Patrick M. Morley) [Inspirational SB re Mat.13:12]
In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his
steps. Proverbs 16:9 (NIV)
EXCELLENT BIBLE PROPHECY SERIES BY EVANGELIST JOHN BRADSHAW
RECENTLY LIVE IN LAS VEGAS:
http://www.itiswritten.com/television#episodes/7853
