Day 203 - Remember the Former Things

Daily Reading:  Isaiah 46-48

Remember this, fix it in mind,

take it to heart, you rebels.

Remember the former things, those of long ago;

I am God, and there is no other;

I am God, and there is none like me.

 I make known the end from the beginning,

from ancient times, what is still to come.

I say:  My purpose will stand,

and I will do all that I please.

From the east I summon a bird of prey;

from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose.

What I have said, that will I bring about;

what I have planned, that will I do.

Isaiah 46:8-11

Footnote:  Israel was tempted to waver between the Lord God and pagan gods.  Isaiah affirms the sole lordship of God.  God is unique in his knowledge and in his control of the future.  His consistent purpose is to carry out what he has planned.  When we are tempted to pursue anything that promises pleasure, comfort, peace, or security apart from God, we must remember our commitment to God.

So I have refined you, though not as silver;

I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.

Isaiah 48:10

Footnote:  Do you find it easy to complain when your life becomes complicated or difficult?  Why would a loving God allow all kinds of unpleasant experiences to come to his children?  This verse shows us plainly that God tests us in the "furnace of affliction."  Rather than complain, our response should be to turn to God in faith for the strength to endure, and rejoice in our sufferings.  For without the testing, we would never know what we are capable of doing, nor would be grow.  And without the refining, we will not become more pure and more like Christ.  What kinds of adversity are you currently facing?

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All footnotes taken from the Life Application Study Bible, NIV