INTERESTING FACTS : "I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man. All the good from the Savior of the world is communicated to us through this book." - Abraham Lincoln

DAILY READING : Isaiah 54-58

TEXT : Isaiah 55:8-13 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: 11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. 12 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. 13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off. "

THEME : The Power of the Word of God

As Christians, we all have, or should have, a genuine desire to know God. To know His character, the things that He loves and the things that He hates. We want to explore His depths and understand all of His mysteries. We have a tendency to take God and package Him up neatly and place Him in a nice little box.

"Here", we say to ourselves, "this is precisely what God is like". Wrapped up neatly and compartmentalized until we understand Him completely, we stand satisfied that we finally "know God". But inevitably, if we are truly seeking God, something comes along and we realize, as J.B. Phillips wrote, that "Our God is Too Small".

We realize that our God, or the idea we've created of Him, isn't a true picture of God and is way too small. In packaging God up into a picture of what we think Him to be we must finally be confronted with the fact that our picture of God nowhere near matches the majesty, power, wonder or breadth of who God really is.

This confrontation, without fail, comes from God's Word. We read the Scriptures and our spirit is awaken to a truth that we had long since forgotten, or never saw before. Something grabs us and reminds us of how big God really is or gives us a glimpse into His depth and admonishes us that we could spend our entire lives learning about God and never come to the end of Him.

It must happen this way because God's thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways. And it's not just that God's ways are different than ours. It's not as if we have our own thoughts and though they may not be the same as God's, yet they are still on the same par as His thoughts. No, His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts higher than our thoughts. Higher in purpose...higher in wisdom...higher in compassion...higher.

Let's remember as we read God's word that His thoughts are so much loftier than ours, and ask God to open our eyes that we would stand in awe of His glory and greatness. Let's allow God, though His word, to tear down our boxed up ideas of Him, and to show us Himself in all His majesty.

TRUTH FOR TODAY : God's Word Will Not Return Void

God here in these verses gives Israel, and us, the promise that His word will not return to Him void. In other words when God speaks something it must happen. When God says "let there be light", light must appear. When God sends the angel of death and says the first born of all Egypt will die then the first born of all Egypt must die. When God tells David that the child in Bathsheba's womb will die, the child must die. When Christ speaks Talitha cumi, the little girl must arise, and Lazarus must come out of the grave, and the storm must be calmed. God's word cannot have any other outcome than to be fulfilled.

Just as the rain, when it falls to the earth, doesn't stop halfway down and return to the sky, but rather falls to the ground and completes it's purpose of replenishing the soil. In the same way, God tells us, His word cannot go out without being accomplished.

Christ Himself taught us that not one jot or tittle would pass away from the law until all be fulfilled. It's synonymous with saying that not one dot over the letter "i" will be lost until everything that God has said has come to pass.

All the promises God has given, whether it's deliverance for Israel, forgiveness from sin, peace in tribulation, victory over death, or the eventual return of Christ to earth we can rest assured that rejoice that not one of God's words will falter.