Isaiah 11:10-12:2 - A Highway back to God!

“And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, Who shall stand as a banner to the people; For the Gentiles shall seek Him, And His resting place shall be glorious.”It shall come to pass in that day That the Lord shall set His hand again the second time To recover the remnant of His people who are left, From Assyria and Egypt, From Pathros and Cush, From Elam and Shinar, From Hamath and the islands of the sea.He will set up a banner for the nations, And will assemble the outcasts of Israel, And gather together the dispersed of Judah From the four corners of the earth.Also the envy of Ephraim shall depart, And the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not envy Judah, And Judah shall not harass Ephraim.But they shall fly down upon the shoulder of the Philistines toward the west; Together they shall plunder the people of the East; They shall lay their hand on Edom and Moab; And the people of Ammon shall obey them.The Lord will utterly destroy the tongue of the Sea of Egypt; With His mighty wind He will shake His fist over the River, And strike it in the seven streams, And make men cross over dry-shod.There will be a highway for the remnant of His people Who will be left from Assyria, As it was for Israel In the day that he came up from the land of Egypt.And in that day you will say: “O Lord, I will praise You; Though You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me.Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; ‘For Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.’”

God will Lead us back to Him
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Because His people deserted Him, the Lord allowed them to be carried away from their land, a land that the Lord Himself promised them.  They felt secure in the Lord's protection yet ignored His warnings to repent. When they didn't, they got carried away to a land they did not know.  Yet the Lord promises to pave a highway back. He promises that His people will not always be in exile. Their enemies will be destroyed and their mouths will be filled with praise for the Lord Who restores and forgives them. 

I do not always follow the path that God lays down for me. I stray and then the Lord allows me to live, as it were, in exile. In that place, I feel far from God but God promises to put me on a path, a highway back to Himself. How I should treasure the chastening of the Lord for it is His Love and Mercy that displays to me to shake me from my inattentiveness to Him. My life came from Him and belongs to Him; I should not live as if it were my own.  Rather, I shall rejoice in the God Who is my salvation, I wll trust and not be afraid.

Today I say, O Lord, I will praise You; Though You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away and You comfort me.  You, O Lord, have brought me back to you in the Highway that leads to God.

Isaiah 10:12-20 - A proud ruler will fall

When the Lord has finished all his work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem he will punish the arrogant boasting of the king of Assyria and his haughty pride. For he says: "By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom, for I have understanding; I have removed the boundaries of peoples, and have plundered their treasures; like a bull I have brought down those who sat on thrones. My hand has found like a nest the wealth of the peoples; and as men gather eggs that have been forsaken so I have gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved a wing, or opened the mouth, or chirped." Shall the axe vaunt itself over him who hews with it, or the saw magnify itself against him who wields it? As if a rod should wield him who lifts it, or as if a staff should lift him who is not wood! Therefore the Lord, the LORD of hosts, will send wasting sickness among his stout warriors, and under his glory a burning will be kindled, like the burning of fire. The light of Israel will become a fire, and his Holy One a flame; and it will burn and devour his thorns and briers in one day. The glory of his forest and of his fruitful land the LORD will destroy, both soul and body, and it will be as when a sick man wastes away. The remnant of the trees of his forest will be so few that a child can write them down. In that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no more lean upon him that smote them, but will lean upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.

The proud will fall, just like this poor guy!
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 The King of Assyria thought that everything he accomplished, he did by his own power and strength. He believed that he was the greatest in the earth and it was because of his great skill that all other nations were subservient to him.   While it is true that he did accomplish all that he did and that nations did serve him, the King of Assyria did not realize that he was a tool in the Hand of the Lord.  How foolish for a mere tool to boast of his own greatness when it is the skill of the One who yields it that should be praised. For though the King of Assyria did not realize that it was the Lord who directed his paths to accomplish His own will.

The King of Assyria should have remained humble as he ruled, then judgment would not have been meted out to him. I am reminded of the coronation ceremony given to the emperors of Byzantium. He is handed a royal crown for his head and a bad of dust for his hands. Yes, he may rule but he must remember that he is mortal and will return to dust someday like every other man.  It is the humble ruler who pleases God.

O Lord, in my life today, let me be humble. Yes, I don't rule any lands nor do I yield great power. Yet, I live in a land of plenty and could be given to pride for any number of reasons. Help me to keep a humble spirit for surely You rule and You reign.  Happy is the man who knows that! Amen.

Proverbs 8:32-9:11 - Wisdom gives us a feast!

“Now therefore, listen to me, my children, For blessed are those who keep my ways.Hear instruction and be wise, And do not disdain it.Blessed is the man who listens to me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at the posts of my doors.For whoever finds me finds life, And obtains favor from the Lord;But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul; All those who hate me love death.”Wisdom has built her house, She has hewn out her seven pillars;She has slaughtered her meat, She has mixed her wine, She has also furnished her table.She has sent out her maidens, She cries out from the highest places of the city,“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” As for him who lacks understanding, she says to him,“Come, eat of my bread And drink of the wine I have mixed.Forsake foolishness and live, And go in the way of understanding.“He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself, And he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself.Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you;Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. For by me your days will be multiplied, And years of life will be added to you.

The Wise will feast!
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If Wisdom was a person, than Wisdom would make the pleas she does as is read in today's passage from Sacred Scripture.  Wisdom wants us to forsake foolishness for foolishness leads to the death of the soul.  It is the fool who ignores Wisdom but the Wise will find her and thus obtain favor from the Lord. Wisdom prepares for us a great banquet, a meal fit for a king! This sumptuous feast will fill us and thus we will be satisfied.

Why must we forsake foolishness and eat from the table of Wisdom? For God has made us in His Image and He calls us to higher things than our animal instincts may want of us.  The fools who live only fro pleasure do not understand why we would not join them in their carousing yet the fool does not know what he is missing.  Or if he does, than he has opted for the easier path.

Lord, this day help me to feast upon Wisdom's fare. Wisdom says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." Help me to forsake any foolish ways and to seek that which is higher. Amen.

Isaiah 8:13-9:7 - God is Holy!

But the LORD of hosts, him you shall regard as holy; let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. And he will become a sanctuary, and a stone of offense, and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many shall stumble thereon; they shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken."

Bind up the testimony, seal the teaching among my disciples. I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him. Behold, I and the children whom the LORD has given me are signs and portents in Israel from the LORD of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion. And when they say to you, "Consult the mediums and the wizards who chirp and mutter," should not a people consult their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living? To the teaching and to the testimony! Surely for this word which they speak there is no dawn. They will pass through the land, greatly distressed and hungry; and when they are hungry, they will be enraged and will curse their king and their God, and turn their faces upward; and they will look to the earth, but behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish; and they will be thrust into thick darkness.

But there will be no gloom for her that was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined. Thou hast multiplied the nation, thou hast increased its joy; they rejoice before thee as with joy at the harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, thou hast broken as on the day of Midian. For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David, and over his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and for evermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

This is not what it means to FEAR THE LORD
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The Lord of Hosts is He Whom should be feared and it is He of Whom we should dread.  But what of this "dread?" Does it mean the Lord is not good and is Someone to be avoided at all costs or just appeased as a pagan god would be appeased?  No, but the Holiness of the Lord is so foreign to me in my present condition, I am like Isaiah who lamented that he was a man of unclean lips, dwelling in a land of unclean lips.  When I look at my own sin, how can I not feel dread when even contemplating being in the Presence of an all-holy God.

But the Lord promises to take away the gloom. In His love, He shines a light into the darkness of the Land.  In that Light, I shall walk and in that Light I shall take refuge. How happy is the man Who seeks the Lord in His favor.

O Lord, You are Holy indeed and I, in my imperfection, cannot stand in Your Presence.  Help me this day to remember Your holiness and walk in Your Goodness. I thank You, O Lord, that the Prince of Peace took Flesh upon Himself so we could look into the Holy Face of God. Amen.

Mark 2:1-12 - Getting more than you ask for!

At that time, Jesus entered Capernaum and it was reported that he was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room for them, not even about the door; and he was preaching the word to them. And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and when they had made an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "My son, your sins are forgiven." Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, "Why does this man speak thus? It is a blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, "Why do you question thus in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise, take up your pallet and walk? But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins"-he said to the paralytic-"I say to you, rise, take up your pallet and go home." And he rose, and immediately took up the pallet and went out before them all; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!

And even though one piece of candy is enough....: )
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 Jesus was bringing the Word of His Father to the people and the people, enthralled by His words, gathered around- so many came that the small house was crowded with people and there was no way that someone in the back of the room could get to the front because of the press of the people.  How were these friends to help their crippled friend? In desperation, they cut a whole in the roof and lowered him down so that He Who could heal, would heal him.  But Jesus, seeing the faith of his friends, said to the paralyzed man, "Your sins are forgiven" and then commanded him to walk. He did and the people were amazed!

And so am I! Look at the compassion of Jesus.  He is so willing to be gracious that He doesn't even require faith from the paralyzed man. The faith of his friends are enough! And see how Jesus did more than they asked. Surely, the friends' intent was for their friend to walk again. And he did! But, see how Jesus declares his sins to be forgiven as well! Jesus is like the Father in the parable of the prodigal son- He races to receive his returning son who is walking down the road and leaves a party of rejoicing to win back the heart of His older son.  At the slightest movement of faith from anyone, will be enough to prompt Christ to lavish His Grace on us!

O Lord, this day let me live in Your abundant Grace! You,who are so quick to bless and so ready to forgive, dwell in my heart and let me mirror Your Grace to those I come into contact today.  Amen.

Mark 1:35-44 - Take time to pray ~ Jesus did!

At that time, Jesus rose and went out to a lonely place, and there he prayed. And Simon and those who were with him pursued him, and they found him and said to him, "Everyone is searching for you." And he said to them, "Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also; for that is why I came out." And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons. And a leper came to him beseeching him, and kneeling said to him, "If you will, you can make me clean." Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, "I will; be clean." And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. And he sternly charged him, and sent him away at once, and said to him, "See that you say nothing to any one; but go, show yourself to a priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them.

Jesus took time to pray; shouldn't we?

Hold On to Jesus by *ArcZero on deviantART

Jesus was a Man who knew that He had to spend time with His Father.  Although there were many demands upon Him - and these demands were to do good works - He knew that He must find a lonely place and pray.  If He did not, of what good would He be to those around Him. Yes, He was God; but He was also a Man, subject to fatigues, discomfort and everything else that afflicts a Man. So, Jesus made sure that He kept in communion with His Father.  If Jesus needed that, surely, don't I?

How important it is, especially during this lenten season, to seek God in prayer. How important it is to attend the Divine Services and join with the Faithful as they worship the Holy Trinity.  For if I want to be of any use to my fellow sojourners, then I must be in communion with the Father, just as Jesus was.

O Lord, Grant that I may take the time to seek You in prayer. Help me to use the prayers of the Church to teach my heart how I should commune with You. In Jesus Name, who always pleased the Father, Amen.

Isaiah 7:1-14 - With Faith there is nothing to Fear.

In the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Rezin the king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah the king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but they could not conquer it. When the house of David was told, "Syria is in league with Ephraim," his heart and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.
And the LORD said to Isaiah, "Go forth to meet Ahaz, you and Shearjashub your son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Fuller's Field, and say to him, 'Take heed, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands, at the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria and the son of Remaliah. Because Syria, with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has devised evil against you, saying, "Let us go up against Judah and terrify it, and let us conquer it for ourselves, and set up the son of Tabeel as king in the midst of it," thus says the Lord GOD: It shall not stand, and it shall not come to pass. For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. (Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be broken to pieces so that it will no longer be a people.) And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you will not believe, surely you shall not be established.'"

Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, "Ask a sign of the LORD your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven." But Ahaz said, "I will not ask, and I will not put the LORD to the test." And he said, "Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a young woman shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Smile! There's nothing to Fear
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Ahaz, a King of Judah and descendant  of David, had great reason to fear.  The Northern Kingdom of Israel had joined forces with Syria and planned to ransack Jerusalem, end the Davidic Royal line and set up their own King.  Yet, what is the wrath of man if the Lord will intercede? Surely, God can be relied upon when all seems to be lost.  Isaiah, came at the direction of the Lord and told Ahaz that what he feared would not happen and makes the statement, 'If you will not believe, surely you shall not be established."

Our faith is what establishes us.  By faith, Peter walked on water to meet his Lord. By faith, Abraham left his homeland to travel to Canaan.  All who have faith in the Lord, though they falter, shall be established. Peter sank when he doubted yet the Lord lifted him up. Abraham, in a moment of weak faith, sired a child through his wife's maid, yet it was his wife who eventually produced an heir.  Faith in the Lord is never a foolish thing for the Lord has proved Himself faithful, time and time again.

O Lord, when my faith falters, as it sometimes does, provide for me a sign as you did for Ahaz.  He thought it testing You to ask for a sign but it was at Your command.  Look with mercy upon me  this day and may I always be on the look out for signs You provide of your faithfulness. For surely You are! Amen.

Isaiah 6:1-12 - Not even the Angels dare to look!

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!” And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth with it, and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, And your sin purged.” Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.” And He said, “Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ “Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy, And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And return and be healed.” Then I said, “Lord, how long?” And He answered: “Until the cities are laid waste and without inhabitant, The houses are without a man, The land is utterly desolate,The Lord has removed men far away, And the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land,

It's like trying to look at the Sun

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Truly, the Lord is Holy.  Frightening, six-winged creatures, whose very sight would terrify me, dared not even look to the Holy Lord but covered their faces.  These same creatures, recognized the Lord's Holiness and dared not even speak to Him but, instead, called out to each other, "Holy, Holy, Holy!" These creatures, who surely excel in Holiness, especially when compared to me, knew that the Lord was unapproachable in His Holiness.  If majestic  Holy creatures can not look upon the Face of God, what chance have I? Woe to me, I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of people with unclean lips!

O, but look! An angel approaches me and brings me a hot coal from the Altar of God. This is my cleansing. This is my salvation.  If my Salvation does not come from the Lord Himself, than how can I ever be saved?  And is not the Hot Coal, the very Body and Blood of Christ Himself, in His Holy Eucharist?

Lord, You are Holy indeed! Let me never forget that when ever I speak with You.  In my prayers to You, let me not treat You like "my buddy," but rather as my Sovereign. How grateful I am that You are a King Who loves me and, in Your humility, You condescend to help me.  Feed me, I pray with the Hot Coals from your altar and remove my sin. Amen.

.

Yikes....I FORGOT!

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I can't believe I let the day get behind me and I FORGOT to do a meditation for the day...

Well, tomorrow is another day!

Proverbs 5:1-15 - Stay away from Temptation!

My son, pay attention to my wisdom; Lend your ear to my understanding,

 

That you may preserve discretion, And your lips may keep knowledge.

 

For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey, And her mouth is smoother than oil;

 

But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword.

 

Her feet go down to death,

 

Lest you ponder her path of life – Her ways are unstable; You do not know them.

 

Therefore hear me now, my children, And do not depart from the words of my mouth.

 

Remove your way far from her, And do not go near the door of her house,

 

Lest you give your honor to others, And your years to the cruel one;

 

Lest aliens be filled with your wealth, And your labors go to the house of a foreigner; And you mourn at last, When your flesh and your body are consumed,

 

And say: “How I have hated instruction, And my heart despised correction!

 

I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, Nor inclined my ear to those who instructed me!

 

I was on the verge of total ruin, In the midst of the assembly and congregation.”

  

Drink water from your own cistern, And running water from your own well.

Life is full of many temptations!
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 Such wisdom from Solomon!  He knows all too well that sin and the temptation to sin is actually pleasing to us. He knows that when we say "yes" to sin, it's immediate effect is not destruction but pleasure. And how easy it would be to lie to ourselves that we would be the exception- that, even though a certain sin has led others away from God, it will not lead us away! And yet, if we persist in this, than one day we shall see we have been gradually taken away from the Lord, and this by our own doing!

Oh, that we would have eyes that would see our true end! Those things seem okay for us and yet, in our hearts we know they are wrong- those things should be avoided by us as we would avoid any clear danger. We hold on tightly if we are by a tall ledge without a fence.  We  stay away from packs of stray, wild animals and cross the street to avoid their bites yet why would we willingly wander into the pathway of sin, knowing that it will lead us away from our True life?

O Lord, help me to love You and despise sin. Let me not be like the fool who thinks only of the moment and realizes not that a moment's pleasure is not worth decades of regret.  It would be better, O my soul, to avoid that which leads me away from the Lord than to risk hardening my heart against Him for the pleasures of sin. For how do I know, O soul, if at the end of things I would want to repent?  Keep me this day, O Lord, from sin. Amen.

Luke 1:39-49, 56 - A Reason to rejoice!

Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah,and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.
 And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
 Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.

And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is His name.And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her house.

JUMP FOR JOY,  O MY SOUL!!!!
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So Many reasons to rejoice here! John the Baptist, in the womb of Elizabeth, as soon as he heard the voice of Mary greeting Elizabeth, leaped for joy!  Elizabeth herself broke out into song. She sang for the privilege of having the God-bearer visit her. She sang for the joy that the Fruit of Mary's womb was blessed! She rejoiced that she, who most blessed of all women (for she was to give birth to God in the Flesh) had arrived to witness Elizabeth's own miracle of giving birth in old age! And Mary herself broke out into song.

How I must always be looking for reasons to rejoice in my own life.  Both Mary and Elizabeth had good reason to be upset- One for being childless though old and the other for being with child yet not married- Yet both saw the promises of God fulfilled in their life. Will I not also see the promises of God fulfilled in my life? Have I not seen it in the past?

O Lord, Elizabeth said, "Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord." Help me this day to have the same faith, knowing that Your promises are to be trusted and Your presence will always be there for those who are humble of heart. Amen.