Today’s Reading:
Isaiah 53
Acts 10
53 Who has believed our message?
Isaiah 53:1-3
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot,
And like a root out of parched ground;
He has no stately form or majesty
That we should look upon Him,
Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.
3 He was despised and forsaken of men,
A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
And like one from whom men hide their face
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
The Spirit of the Lord says,
Fulfilling every craving and desire leads to a hollow empty shell of a soul. You were meant for so much more than this. You were made to live in My light, in joy, in strength and with great honor as true holy nobility. You were made to be regal, set apart and filled with confidence and joy, filled with love from above, not pursuing every shiny thing that catches your eye as if you were a cat pursuing prey. Remember your worth. You are worthy because I made you. You are worthy because I love you. Don’t act like a beggar or a thief. Don’t pursue these vain things that bring short-term fulfillment and leave you hollow the very next moment.
Do you want to fill that gaping hollow place in your heart? Do you want to satisfy what is gnawing at your soul? Do you want to heal all of the hurts and mistakes and absolve every sin and regret in your life? Come to the cross. Come to Jesus. No man or woman, no substance or treat, no mantra or dogma, no splurge or denial can bring the relief you seek. Come to the foot of the cross. Come to Jesus. Lay your life before Him. Worship and adore Him.
4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
Isaiah 53:4-6
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed.
6 All of us like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all
To fall on Him.
He is the King who died to save you. He is the One who laid it all on the line and left nothing, clung to nothing for Himself. His sacrifice was perfect and remains perfect to this day. His victory over death and the grave is why we live and can reign in freedom — victorious beside Him, in relationship with Him, whole, atoned, holy and pure. Come to the foot of the cross. There’s nothing that He won’t absolve. Come to the foot of the cross, and lay it all down. Lay it all out before Him — every sin, every regret, every hurt, injury and pain. Lay all your bitterness, your anger, mistrust and waste. Lay it all down at the feet of Jesus. Humble yourself. You can’t fix any of this in your own power. You cannot heal yourself. He is the One who can, the only One who can restore you, heal you, put your life back together again, give you hope, vision, and flood your heart with light and love. Give it all to Him.
7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Isaiah 53:7-10
Yet He did not open His mouth;
Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,
And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,
So He did not open His mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment He was taken away;
And as for His generation, who considered
That He was cut off out of the land of the living
For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?
9 His grave was assigned with wicked men,
Yet He was with a rich man in His death,
Because He had done no violence,
Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.
10 But the Lord was pleased
To crush Him, putting Him to grief;
If He would render Himself as a guilt offering,
He will see His offspring,
He will prolong His days,
And the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand.
Say Jesus, I need You. I’ve tried to do life on my own and I always mess it up. I feel hollow and scooped out, hurt and defeated. I need You. Thank You for coming to Earth as a human. You are Lord of All. You are the spotless Lamb. Thank You for coming to live and to show me how to live. Thank You for Your sacrifice that I can’t fathom. Thank You for coming to rescue me, heal me, deliver me and make me new. I want to take you up on that outrageously generous offer. You can have everything I am — the good, the bad and the ugly. I want to be Yours. I want to live in Your light, in your ways, by Your rules. They are healing to my body and refreshment to my bones. Make me new. Make me whole. Make me Yours. I’m so sorry for living the way I have, wandering and running from You, rebelling and even mocking You. I’m so sorry Lord. Come into my heart and life, and show me how to live. Restore me, and make me someone who lives in partnership with you. Take my life and do something with it that makes You proud. Thank You Jesus.
11 As a result of the anguish of His soul,
Isaiah 53:11-12
He will see it and be satisfied;
By His knowledge the Righteous One,
My Servant, will justify the many,
As He will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great,
And He will divide the booty with the strong;
Because He poured out Himself to death,
And was numbered with the transgressors;
Yet He Himself bore the sin of many,
And interceded for the transgressors.
Feel the freedom rush in. Feel the Presence of Holy Spirit rush in. Feel the love of the Lord overshadow you. Welcome home child. Welcome home.
How to Respond
- Celebrate victory in Jesus.
- If you gave your heart and life to Jesus as a result of this reading, or you’d already done so but haven’t yet told anyone, ask the the Lord to bring to mind someone that He’d like for you to tell. Scripture tells us that if we confess Him as Lord before men, He will recognize us as His; but if we deny Him before men, He will deny us before the Father.
- This page outlines a great way to start your brand new life of adventure with Jesus.
- Pray, Jesus, thank You for saving me. Thank You for sending Holy Spirit to be with me. Thank You for the cross and new victorious life. Thank You that my greatest days are still in front of me. Guide my steps and show me what to do next. Give me fresh vision for my life and new purpose in You.
- Declare, Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. No man can come to the Father except by Him.
- Decree, I have been saved by the blood and sacrifice of Jesus, the Messiah. I am covered and protected by His blood. Nothing in my past can come between my King Jesus and me. I live in victory with Him, and I will walk in His ways all of my days. I am made righteous by His overcoming sacrifice, and I am changed forever.
For more encouragement from Glory & the New Wine, check out the post from this day one year ago: Be Steadfast, Obedient and Desire the Presence of the Lord.
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