Quiet Moment
We need Jesus. To cry out to our Abba Father to open our eyes so we can see things from His perspective, a God-Centered perspective, because we have wandered from the truth. We are not much different than the Israelites thousands of years ago. Most have lost our focus and our vision. Most have become so influenced by the culture around us that we have wandered away unknowingly.
3 The ox knows its master,
the donkey its owner’s manger,
but Israel does not know,
my people do not understand.”
4 Woe to the sinful nation,
a people whose guilt is great,
a brood of evildoers,
children given to corruption!
They have forsaken the Lord;
they have spurned the Holy One of Israel
and turned their backs on him. Isaiah 1:3-4
The people of Israel were God’s chosen people. God delivered them from their oppressors, provided for them miraculously, and demonstrated His power and love to them in many ways, but they continued to be enticed by the people and things around them and wander away.
Do you long for the things of this world? Do you doubt God’s ways?
Go Deeper
Can you hear God’s heart in today’s passage from Isaiah 1? Read all of Isaiah chapter 1 and answer the questions that follow.
1. How does God describe Israel and their behaviour? What is their heart condition?
2. What does He ask them to do?
3. How does He encourage them in verses 18-20?
Read Paul’s exhortation to the church in Ephesus and to the church as a whole in Ephesians 4:17-19.
Instructions for Christian Living
17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.
Pray and ask the Lord to reveal your heart to you, to make known to you any areas of darkness, hard-heartedness, callousness, or impurity. What did He show you?
Praise Him
REFLECTION AND PRAYER
Find a cozy spot to sit. Take just a few minutes and continue to ask the Lord to search your heart. The Lord appreciates your earnestness and your diligence. A repentant, contrite heart the Lord will not despise.
TAKING THE TRUTH TO HEART AND BRINGING IT TO LIFE
Choose one truth from today and apply it to your heart. Take it with you throughout the day.
Psalm 4 Devotional
Psalm 4For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm of David. 1 Answer me when I call to you, my righteous God.Give me relief from my distress; have mercy on me and hear my prayer.2 How long will you people turn my glory into shame? How long will you love delusions and seek…
Love Me Like I Am
I am a little unstableLoose wires always getting tangled nowI am a little bit difficultI can be a little self-critical nowI am a little unableTo put all my cards on the table nowBut somehow You’re still with meIt’s amazing that You canLove me like I amAnd even when I can’tYou still love me as I…
No Intimidation
In our modern world, the media constantly presents new fears to us. Those in positions of power often claim that obeying God restricts our freedom. However, true liberation can only be found by serving the one who created us. It’s important to remember that all the people and forces that seem to rule the world…
Live Christ Centered 
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