“Our True Nature”
by AMN
Isaiah 1:1, 10-20
I often hear people say that this country is a godly nation and I see people take pride when “God Bless America” gets played. In Isaiah’s day, the Kingdom of Judah felt the same exact way about their nation. Who could blame them? With direct access to God, the beautiful temple of Solomon and having more priests and Levites than the ‘hood has liquor stores; it put the other tribes in the Northern Kingdom to shame.
In Isaiah one verse ten, he addresses them as rulers of Sodom and people of Gomorrah. I can bet that it was a tough crowd once they heard him say that. The true nature of the good ol’ U.S. of A is the same of Sodom and Gomorrah before God wreaked havoc on them. If I offend you by the statement, well that’s too bad because I’m not sorry.
We call it God’s living word because what was relevant in Isaiah’s heyday is still relevant now. The nation of Judah depended on their sacrifices and feasts to appease God, but still wanted to live contrary to God’s ways and be disobedient.
We no longer depend on the complex sacrificial system that was sanctioned back then because we rest in Christ’s life, death and, and resurrection to fully satisfy the demands of our Holy God. So you ask, “how is Isaiah relevant today?” Today’s pews are littered with members who strive for perfect attendance and the “best dressed” accolades, yet they leave their hearts at home or with the cares of this world.
Their corrupt inward spirits keep the doors of the church locked for the oppressed, fatherless, and the poor. Mercy and forgiveness are no longer exacted and no one pleads for the widow.
God is texting your heart and he is asking you to reason with him. He wants to install new apps to your spirit and make you fit for his purpose and calling.
Where is your heart today?
Is it in the state of Sodom and Gomorrah or is it in the state of Christ?
Prison Lectionary 