Today's Reading:O.T. - Isaiah 13 - 15
N.T. - Romans 2:1-16
Focus Verses: Isaiah 13:6-9
6Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty. 7Because of this, all hands will go limp, every man's heart will melt. 8Terror will seize them, pain and anguish will grip them; they will writhe like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at each other, their faces aflame. 9See, the day of the LORD is coming—a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger—to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it.
Insight:
The three chapters of Isaiah in today's reading are very sobering as they are filled with words of judgment and condemnation. There are hints of grace and restoration, the things we would rather focus on in our conversations about God, but they are overshadowed by the ominous pronouncements of wrath and punishment.
Paul's words in Romans 2 remind me of some important things as I consider God and his judgments. Everyone of us is guilty of something, and therefore none of us is in a position to condemn others (v.1). God's judgments are based on truth (v.2), taking into account our actions (v.7-8), and given without favoritism (v.11). God is just, but he is also kind and patient and desires to lead us to repentance (v.4).
Only those who are unresponsive to God--the stubborn and unrepentant--will experience the wrath of his righteous judgment (v.5). To those who are responsive to God, seeking to do good and to honor him, he will graciously give eternal life.
Response and Action:
I must have reverence for God. He is holy, and he has called me to be holy. I must recognize that I am a sinner and look to God, through Christ, for forgiveness. I must also have faith in God's power to renew and transform me. I must surrender my will to his and yield to his leading. In faith, I must take hold of his promises to give me life through the Holy Spirit who lives in me.
O Father, you are righteous and holy. Have mercy on me, a sinner. Help me to do what is right and to turn away from what is wrong. Help me to love you will all my heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love others as myself. Lead me away from temptation and deliver me from evil. Thank you for your kindness and mercy toward me. Help me to delight in your will and walk in your ways to the glory of your name. Amen.
Proverbs: 13:13
"He who scorns instruction will pay for it, but he who respects a command is rewarded."
Resources:
What's So Amazing About Grace?
by Philip Yancey
