Wednesday, October 13 Reading, Isaiah 6:1-5

Week of October 10

Can I Fix What’s Broken? Part 2: Holiness Recognized

Background Passage: Isaiah 5:8-6:7; Romans 3:9-26

Today’s Focal Passage: Isaiah 6:1-5

How Big is God?

According to 1 Kings 6:2, Solomon’s Temple was 90 feet long and 30 feet wide. That is 2700 square feet…not that big when you consider the size of most houses in suburban America. However, 1 Kings 6:2 also tells us that the Temple was 45 feet high. When you think about your own 9 to 12 foot ceilings, 45 feet becomes the grandeur we imagine when reading about the temple of the Lord. Isaiah said that the Lord’s robe filled the temple. If just his garment filled a room 90 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 45 feet high, how big must the God who wears that robe be.

As we encounter the God of this universe and the Lord of our very lives, the only proper response is utter awe. He is so big and so holy; so worthy of worship and adoration and “awe” the attention we can give Him. Our first response to the recognition of a holy God is worship. Our second is all together related but also very different. It is very simply to see ourselves in light of who He is. When we think about who we are against the holiness of God, the only fitting response is that of Isaiah in verse 5. “Woe is me!”

Today, I invite you to do something a little different. Grab a sheet of paper sometime today and a pen or marker. Sketch your interpretation of Isaiah 6:1-4. Beside your representation of God and His winged creatures, write words to describe the holiness of God. Close your artistic endeavor by praying a prayer of adoration to God for being the Holy creator that He is. Close your prayer by thanking God for loving you even though you are who you are. Recognize your imperfection in light of His perfection and thank Him for loving you anyway!

Monday, October 11 Reading, Isaiah 5:20-23

Week of October 10

Can I Fix What’s Broken? Part 1: Evil Rationalized

Background Passage: Isaiah 5:8-6:7; Romans 3:9-26

Today’s Focal Passage: Isaiah 5:20-23

2 + 2 = 5

George Orwell’s classic Nineteen Eighty-Four used the phrase “two plus two equals five” to make us wonder whether absolute truth can actually exist or if lies themselves are truth simply because the majority of people believe them.

1984 is long past. My favorite TV shows were Kids Incorporated and The Cosby Show. I got to see Ghostbusters and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom in theaters. Hard to believe that much time has passed. I spent the fall of 1984 in 1^st grade learning that 2+2=4. I am quite certain that if I ever put the number five down for that math problem, I would have gotten it wrong. To the equation 2+2, there is one right answer!

The evil one has an agenda. He uses popular culture and promotes a false sense of tolerance to make us lower our guard and question whether the worldly way can be as wrong as biblical wisdom would have us believe. His techniques are nothing short of propaganda. He would have us live in a world and be a people who call evil behavior good, or at least acceptable. He would have us so accustomed to darkness that light bothers our senses. He would have us think ourselves wise and clever in our own opinion. He would have us be heroes at self-indulgence and more concerned with ourselves than injustice in the world.

To the tactics of the evil one and those of us who buy the lie, the prophet Isaiah says, “Woe!” That is the cry of God’s kingdom when God’s people begin to waiver between right and wrong, truth and lies.

We live in a world where all kinds of evil can be rationalized. The problem is that trusting God and His truth is the only rational thing worth believing. Everything else is a lie and lies are harmful. Woe to us when we exchange the truth of God for the lies of the world; godly living for ungodly beliefs.

o What are the evil actions and attitudes that you have rationalized in your own life?

o What are the lies the evil one is using to capture your attention and the attentions of your children?

o Make a list of those today and develop action plans for helping your family trust in God’s truth. It may not be the popular answer, but it’s the right one. 2+2 is indeed 4 even if you’re the only one out there who believes it.