Jesus’ Ministry
January 8, 2019
Scripture Reading: Isaiah 43:1-7
Do not fear, for I am with you;
I will bring your offspring from the east,
and from the west I will gather you;
I will say to the north, ‘Give them up’,
and to the south, ‘Do not withhold;
bring my sons from far away
and my daughters from the end of the earth—
everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.’ –Isaiah 43:5-7
The Kingdom of God has no sides as is true of the earth. While using directions seems to make it easier for mortals to navigate the earth, the truth is if we go far enough east, we arrive on our west. To God, all means all. Our categories of directions, nations, states, cities, skin color, ethnicity, or gender are meaningless to God. We humans are the ones who have the need to reduce numbers to more manageable sizes by creating artificial divisions. A problem arises when the members of those smaller segments cannot get along or begin to think one is better than another. At that point Isaiah quotes God as saying, “give them up” and “Do not withhold” reminding us of the shallow nature of our divisions. Isaiah reminds us that all are created for Gods glory and our job is to make sure everything we do with and among God’s creation is to Gods glory.
The year I graduated from high school, our school board considered consolidating with the nearest school who was our greatest rival in sports. We students thought the world would come to an end if that happened. The next years the schools consolidated. The world is still here, and that combined school offers more choices in classes with students scoring higher on achievement tests. Asking the question each time we interact with others, “does what I am doing glorify God” while being honest with oneself might be a good place to start self-correcting.
Prayer: Lord, help me examine myself to determine if my actions and the actions I support glorify you. Guide me in changing course so that all I do brings you glory. Amen.
Prayer: Lord, help me examine myself to determine if my actions and the actions I support glorify you. Guide me in changing course so that all I do brings you glory. Amen.