Isaiah must have been gazing with such joy into the glory of that far away day of promise, and then lowered his eyes to the reality of what was going down around him
Isaiah 6: A Burning Coal
The seraph touched my mouth with it and said, “Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.” Isaiah 6:7 (NRSV)
Isaiah 1: Let Us Reason Together
though our sins are like scarlet, they shall be like snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.
Minor Prophets: Zechariah, Fountain of Grace
After having described the terrifying final world war at Har Megiddo, Zechariah now conveyed God’s prophetic vision of deliverance.
Hebrews: The Arduous Road to Maturity
Healing means saying yes to God, trusting God, taking that next step with God, knowing it will be hard, but it will also be good.
James: Power of Prayer
Both suffering and joy are experienced within the presence of God. Jesus set the example, noted in all the gospels as regularly taking time to be with the Father. All the apostles stood together in their teaching, urging believers to commune with God through all of life’s experiences.
James: Spiritual Wisdom
A wise person lives in humility, submitting their life to God, allowing the Holy Spirit to inform and conform their thoughts, their feelings and thereby their words and actions.
1 John 1, To Acknowledge Sin is to Be Given Hope
We are far better off to just come clean with God (and ourselves, for that matter) and confess that we do have sin because . . . we really do.
Gospel of John: Bear Much Fruit
Cleansing and pruning are not God’s punitive correction, rather they are God’s wisdom at work, creating within us the character, and developing within us the capacity to bear much fruit.