todays thoughts

Psa 4:2 O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? Selah.

i have A great interest in who God is and why it is he has created all things. i wonder what are his desires. a close study into God's glory will help to clear up some of these questions. it is not a new concept that God does things to get him glory. although it is a new thought for me that this is the very motivation behind all that God does. i have asked the question over and over, why would God make man knowing the outcome before hand. Would it just not be better to just forget about it rather then create something that would become wicked and despise its own creator. the answer i have so often been given for this is something like this.... "God is love, and God needed something to pour his love out onto. And so he made us so he could love us. Also God wants love, he made us so we could love him, even though he knew we would fall he knew he would redeem us and some would then love him and choose him over the darkness". this answer never satisfying my question forced me to look deeper. how could a God who is so great, so powerful and mighty need us for anything? it was only by looking into the bible and searching out what God is interested in throughout, that i came to this conclusion. God has created us and all things for his glory, and his good pleasure. end of story! the earth and all that is in nature proclaim Gods glory and therefore was created for that purpose. mankind was made in order to glorify God as well, and as Christians we are like a broken wheel unless we are giving him glory and showing forth his glory. John Piper says this, "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him." I could talk about that statement for a really long time because the implements of it are huge! But that’s not the purpose of this little thought. though the implements of what i have just said is of an equal significance . if we are here just to love and be loved then truly salvation would be a work. for we can only truly show love to something by choosing it, and that act of choosing would be souly our doing. This is not possible because man is inherently evil and there is none that seeks after God. but, if salvation is to the soul purpose of Gods glory, then truly it is God that saves us by an act of Grace alone. if we pay close attention to Jesus' earthly ministry we will see that everything he did was to the praise of his glory. we are to follow in his way, we to need to glorify God in all we do. whether we eat or drink we do it all to the glory of God. once we see that it is God alone who saves us according to his will for his purposes can we give him the respect, honor, love, and glory he so rightfully deserves.

i am undone

Isa 6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
Isa 6:2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
Isa 6:3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
Isa 6:4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
Isa 6:5 Then said I, 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 mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
Isa 6:6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
Isa 6:7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.

• the prophet and the Lord -
  

Isaiah sees the Lord, he finds himself face to face with him. he gives us an account of what he saw and what he sees is the Lord on the throne high and lifted up, he sees the seraphims and hears them crying out holy holy holy is the lord. as Isaiah gives this account so does john found in revelation 4:8 "And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come". God also gives us an account of himself in exodus 34:6 "And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth". the whole earth truly is full of his glory. this part of Isaiah 6 gives a just a glimpse at who God is, and how wonderfully holy, and righteous he truly is.

• The man of God revealed -

these next few verses really stand out to me, i think we all have a vision in our heads of what that day will be like when we die and go to heaven. before i was saved i thought if God did exist he was someplace in a cloud, and i had the image of st. Peter at the pearly gates with arms out stretched. how wrong i was. Isaiah who is a man of God, finds himself before the living God and how does he react? the first words he says are "WOE IS ME"!!! that took me off guard, he is a prophet he talks to God how is it that when he gets to stand face to face with him he cries out "WOE IS ME"!!! He goes on to explain. "I AM UNDONE" just look at the word he uses here, "undone" lets take a look at this word, UNDONE 1) to cease, to cut off, to be destroyed, or to perish. its almost like he died. we read in revelation a very close account given by john. Rev 1:17 "And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead". he no longer excites in the presences of the Lord, he is destroyed, perishes! but why? because he is a man of unclean lips, this man who speaks the words of God is a man of unclean lips. oh what then shall i be? oh what then shall the unsaved man be as he stands before the living God! Hebrews 10:31 says, it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God". isa 64:6 for we all are as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags". see, now why this stands out to me? it scares me stupid, but more then that. it makes me scared to death for the lost. this man was a man of God and he was undone. lets remember - Mat 12:36 "But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
Mat 12:37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned".

• the good news -
  

Isa 6:6 "Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar":
Isa 6:7 "And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged".
that is good news my friends, God took away his iniquity and purged his sin. AMEN!!!
he has done the same for us! Jesus paid it all, he has put the live coal to our lips and purged our sin when he went to the cross. Isa 53:5 "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed". Joh 3:17 "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved". Joh 3:18 "He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God".
Rom 5:8 "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us".

our day to stand before God will come as well, we to will stand where Isaiah stood. it may be that on that day we will come undone. we may fall as dead. but if we can do what romans says and call upon the name of the lord we shall be saved.