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This message is by Bill Parker and tkaen from Isaiah 55. Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. 3Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. 4Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people. 5Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the LORD thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee. 6Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: 7Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
All visions from God leave with us pursuing something greater for their lives and the lives of those around them.Numbers 12:6Luke 4:18Practicals for growing in our Vision of GodStop. Psalm 46:10Listen. Psalm 85:8Think. Psalm 77:12Cleanse. Psalm 24:3-4Pray. Psalm 32:6Seek. Psalm 63:1Preached by Jaren Singh on 1/2/22
DEVOTION AND MEDITATION Hebrews 11:6Seek the Treasure of God's Kingdom and be Rewarded in His presence.
Luke 24:13–35 (NKJV)13 Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened. 15 So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.17 And He said to them, “What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?”18 Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, “Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?”19 And He said to them, “What things?”So they said to Him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. 21 But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened. 22 Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. 23 When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. 24 And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see.”25 Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” 27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.28 Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther. 29 But they constrained Him, saying, “Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.” And He went in to stay with them.30 Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.32 And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?”33 So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34 saying, “The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” 35 And they told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of bread. Psalm 139:1-6 NCVLord, you have examined me and know all about me.2 You know when I sit down and when I get up. You know my thoughts before I think them.3 You know where I go and where I lie down. You know everything I do.4 Lord, even before I say a word, you already know it.5 You are all around me—in front and in back— and have put your hand on me.6 Your knowledge is amazing to me; it is more than I can understand. Psalm 50:15Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me.” Isaiah 55:6Seek the LORD while He may be found; call on Him while He is near. Jeremiah 33:3Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ 1 Thessalonians 5:11 New International Version (NIV)11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. Proverbs 27:17 New International Version (NIV)17 As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. John 16:7-12 New King James Version (NKJV)7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you John 13:34-35 New King James Version (NKJV)34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” Matthew 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” Hebrews 10:25 NLTAnd let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. Matthew 17:10Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”11 Jesus answered and said to them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. 12 But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist. John 16:13 NJKJV13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come
I want to give you a cheat sheet that will help you get the most of this podcast. Click here to download now. What do you do when things don’t happen the way you wanted them? We can make some great plans, but sometimes they just don’t work out… Have you planned something recently that didn’t work out like you planned? Our trip got longer when the traffic came to a total stop, so we took a detour. At first, it stressed us, frustrated us, but then I realized the detour was just what we needed. Wayne enjoyed the rustic countryside and I saw something I had wanted to see for years! They were beautiful. So beautiful. They were a gift. Sunflowers--magnificent sunflowers a golden gift on tall green stems from God just cause…no reason, except He wanted to remind me that He loves me and that He knew how long I had dreamed of seeing a field of sunflowers. I am so thankful for His little surprises. Have you heard the jingle “Everything is better with bluebonnet on it”? Well, I can tell you first hand everything is better with thanksgiving on it! So, I stood on the edge of that road and worshipped! His gifts go far beyond the beauty of sunflowers or brilliant sunrises. We see His fingerprints in creation, but we see His heart in the cross. Our salvation cost God big time! It’s freely received, but it didn’t come free. Jesus paid the price for our sins. There are so many facets of his nature that awe me. His goodness. Kindness. Grace. Forgiveness. Healing What is a facet of God’s nature that awes you? Was my frustration, my anxiety, my inconvenience actually His “DIVINE SETUP”? Life is full of detours. Even when you follow Jesus there will be times that things don’t work out like you planned, so you are forced to take a different direction. So, what do we do when that happens? Throw a fit? Yes, I’ve done that a few times, but it didn’t help the situation any. Pout…I don’t even want to tell you how many times I’ve done that, but all pouting accomplished was to make me feel absolutely miserable. It’s crazy to do that to yourself! You can trust Jesus! I’ve learned Jesus is trustworthy…I can trust Him even when life gives me a detour. I can trust Him; even when He leads me down a path I’d rather not take. Ask God for directions. Proverbs 3:5,6 NLT 5Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Don’t forget…sometimes the detour isn’t a detour at all—it’s a Divine Setup! Enjoying the blog or podcast? Please share it with a friend. If you haven’t signed up to receive notifications on your phone every time a new podcast is published, you should do that right now.
I want to show you what I'm talking about in this podcast. Here's the link. Is Perfectionism keeping you from creating a masterpiece? Is perfectionism stopping you? It's not your friend! I want to show you something. It's only a tiny square of one of Vincent Van Gogh's earliest works. If you're expecting to see the polished, flawless perfection of Gerret Willemsz Heda ( who painstakingly smooths all the tracks of his works; then you'll be dissappointed. Look the heavy brush strokes. For most people the sand in the paint would be reason enough to throw it away? Not to mention the uneven strokes! The Big Picture It was the messiness of the strokes, the dull beige and the sad grey colors, even the sand embedded in the paint that makes this painting powerful. Zoomed in As long as I was zoomed in on a single corner all I could see was messy...I don't like messy. Do you? Perfectionism says, "Messy is bad. It has to be perfect." Zoomed Out But when I zoomed out to see the big picture, I didn't see messy anymore. I saw texture, movement and drama that made the painting come alive. I'm left with some questions. Maybe it NOT essential that each and every stroke be absolutely perfect to make a masterpiece? And maybe sand in the paint doesn't ruin the painting after all. Maybe it NOT absolute perfection that makes a painting valuable? And in life, could it be, just maybe, could God take our mistakes or the sand, what about the sand that gets blown onto the painting during a storm; could God take all the bad things that happen use it to make something beautiful out of them? Absolutely, He can! That maybe is turned into a resounding ABSOLUTELY when I remind myself of Romans 8:28 NLT "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." Perfectionism says, "It has to be perfect." Do know that? Visible Brush Strokes? I am so thankful that Vincent Van Gogh understood that every stroke didn't have to be perfect according to someone else's standard to make a beautiful painting. Everybody didn't understand that reality. Perfectionism says "What will people think?" 1 Painting- only one! Of his approximate 900 paintings, Vincent only sold one during his lifetime. Everybody will not value your talent, but what matters is whether you do or not. If you don't value your talent you won't use it; invest it; share it. Perfectionism says, "...when I get perfect...I will..." If you only focus on what you can't do, you'll never do what you can do. Proverbs 16:9 ESV The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps. I know I've shared that verse twice lately, but I want you to get it. Ask God for direction. Proverbs 3:5,6 NLT 5Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Ask yourself. How important is this in the big picture? Am I giving this one thing too much attention, too much time, too much power? Is it really worth the frustration that I am allowing? ****Don't focus on failure.*** Learn from it and keep going. Don’t compare yourself with someone else. Don't focus on what you can't do. You don't have to let it bother you. You choose what your focus! You really do! So change your focus. Change your thinking. Your best means you'll keep growing... keep learning... keep developing... but your goal is perfect... your goal is your best! Colossians 3:23 NLT Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. 24 Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ. I want to clarify my term "zoom out." Since only eternity will reveal the masterpiece that Almighty God is making of your life story, I want to encourage you, lift your eyes off yourself and your abilities and look to Jesus. Recognize that when you partner with Him, He's able to take your best and turn it into a masterpiece. Since we're on the subject... Here's some links for you to go deeper. You can listen to these titles or go to my website. How do you keep from Striking Out? How's your race going?
COME, TURN, BOW--ISAIAH 55-1-7--The Story of Bob--What would God say to Bob---- Bob, ---------------------------ISAIAH 55-1 - Ho- Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters- And you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price---ISAIAH 55-2 - Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy- Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance.---- Bob, ---------------------------ISAIAH 55-6-7 - 6Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. 7Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts- let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him- and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.-Our problem isn't just sins but sin.--The meaning of -seek- --- Bob, ----------------------------ISAIAH 55-3-5 - 3Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live- and I will make an everlasting covenant with you - the sure mercies of David. 4Indeed I have given him as a witness to the people, a leader and commander for the people. 5Surely you shall call a nation you do not know, and nations who do not know you shall run to you, because of the LORD your God, and the Holy One of Israel- for He has glorified you.--Your next move-
Preciousness of the Book of Isaiah(Part 1) ISAIAH – a monumental book in your Bible. God – who is He? Mankind – what is man? God & Man – in relationship? Messiah – who is He? – what is His mission? Satan Isaiah God – who is He? Mankind – what is man? God & Man – in relationship? Messiah – who is He? – what is His mission? Satan Luke 24:26, 27, 32, 44-46 Importance of the Book of Isaiah The longest of the ‘long’ prophets (with Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel) King Hezekiah’s Seal Bulla of Isaiah the Prophet In the same pit, at the same level, and about 20 m apart. Discovered in 2018 in “Ophel”, just south of Temple Mount! Isaiah The book most quoted by Jesus and by Paul. Written 800 BC (plus or minus 50 years). WIth Kings Uziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. Latter part of it recorded by Isaiah and stored, then opened. Preciousness in the Book of Isaiah Uniqueness of: God His Son His Plan James F. Clarke (1899) wrote: “Mohammed taught God above us, Moses taught God above us and yet with us, Jesus taught God above us, God with us, and God in us.” God – Who is He? Isaiah 6: the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up … Isaiah 9: for unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given … Isaiah 43 and 45: there is no God else … GOD: Transcendent and Immanent Isaiah presents God as being both. Transcendent: Beyond or above the range of normal or physical human experience. Surpassing the ordinary; exceptional, existing apart from, and not subject to, the limitations of the material universe. Immanent: Existing or operating within; inherent, permanently pervading and sustaining the universe. Isaiah 57:15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. God’s Place Isaiah 43:11 I, even I, am the Lord; and beside Methere is no Saviour. Isaiah 55:6Seek ye the Lord while he may be found,call ye upon Him while He is near.
Continue to meditate on this: God is accelerating the manifestations for His body, His bride, His church. Revelation 10:6 “And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, "There will be no more delay!” Isaiah 55:5-7 ‘Surely you will summon nations you know not, and nations you do not know will come running to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor.” 6Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. 7Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.’
Our Mission Is To Transform Lives Into The Likeness Of Jesus Christ. ISAIAH 55 1“Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk Without money and without cost. 2“Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And delight yourself in abundance. 3“Incline your ear and come to Me. Listen, that you may live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you, 6Seek the LORD while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near. 7Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the LORD, And He will have compassion on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. 8“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Neither are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. 9“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. 10“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth, And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; 11So shall My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. 13“Instead of the thorn bush the cypress will come up; And it will be a memorial to the LORD, For an everlasting sign which will not be cut off.”
His Righteousness our greatest price With Mat 6:33 as the main theme, let us explore His righteousness. Jesus is addressing people's apparent lack of food and clothing, and showing God's provision. Thus making the revelation of His righteousness very relevant to day to day real living, struggling to survive. The message of righteousness is thus not an intellectual, philosophical, or idealistic mind game, you need to find His righteousness in order to survive spiritually.His Righteousness - the ultimate treasure of KingdomLiving is living from "His righteousness" It is the beginning of our spiritual existence. There is no life outside of His Righteousness, but the life of self-righteousness, the righteousness by law. You cannot have a bit of each. Jesus is the fulfillment of God's promise to become our righteousness. Isa 53:11; Jer 23:5-6Seek first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness, all these things shall be added unto you. Mat 6:33SEEK - There are several themes in Jesus parables that focus on Seeking something. We are all seekers, and have a deep desire within us to be filled. The pearl of great price Mat 13:45-46; The lost coin Luke 15:8; The great treasure Mat 15:44. Mt 5:6 Every soul, consciously or unconsciously, hungers for righteousness, and every soul seeks to gratify that hunger in its own particular way, and in accordance with its own particular state of knowledge. The pathways by which righteousness is sought are many - It is the realization of His righteousness that brings us home, finding rest, translated into the Kingdom of Heaven. His Kingdom is the abiding home of the soul, which is the source and storehouse of every permanent blessing. The righteousness is within. (Mat 6:33; Luk 17:21; Rom 14:17; Eph 1:3) FIRST - "proton" firstly (in time, place, order, or importance): — before, at the beginning, chiefly (at, at the) first (of all). This is where a whole lot of error crept in, in people's pursuit for God. We need to seek the right key to gain entrance. We can seek many entry points getting lost in translation, remaining still on the outside looking in. This literally means when doing a treasure hunt, you will not get the next clues right, if you have not yet discovered the first clue. If we miss this first step, we get everything wrong. His righteousness is always the first step from which we begin any spiritual activity, like prayer, worship, giving, ministry, etc.
Isaiah 55 1WAIT and listen, everyone who is thirsty! Come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Yes, come, buy [priceless, spiritual] wine and milk without money and without price [simply for the self-surrender that accepts the blessing].(A) 2Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your earnings for what does not satisfy? Hearken diligently to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness [the profuseness of spiritual joy].(B) 3Incline your ear [submit and consent to the divine will] and come to Me; hear, and your soul will revive; and I will make an everlasting covenant or league with you, even the sure mercy (kindness, goodwill, and compassion) promised to David.(C) 4Behold, I have appointed him (Him) [David, as a representative of the Messiah, or the Messiah Himself] to be a witness [one (One) who shall testify of salvation] to the nations, a prince (Prince) and commander (Commander) to the peoples. 5Behold, you [a][Israel] shall call nations that you know not, and nations that do not know you shall run to you because of the Lord your God, and of the Holy One of Israel, for He has glorified you. 6Seek, inquire for, and require the Lord while He may be found [claiming Him by necessity and by right]; call upon Him while He is near. 7Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the Lord, and He will have love, pity, and mercy for him, and to our God, for He will multiply to him His abundant pardon. 8For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord. 9For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.