Versaday

He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Isaiah 53:11

Jesus knew the reason that he was suffering on the cross. The ONLY way that our sin could be forgiven was for the JUSTICE of God to be vindicated and satisfied by the penalty of sin being paid. Either we must pay for our sins, or a substitute must suffer the penalty for us. Jesus undertook the horrible work of being the substitute for us; the sacrificial lamb slain in our place. Our beautiful verse for today tells us that Jesus did not die in vain, but that HE WOULD SEE the fruit that resulted from His dying. He would see you, and me, and the countless number of souls that will one day enjoy paradise as a result of His sacrificial death. Then these ASTOUNDING words follow: “HE SHALL BE SATISFIED.”  Oh sweet Jesus! Oh precious Savior! He sees US and He says: IT WAS WORTH IT. He shall “see of the travail of his soul”, means that He will see all those who will spend eternity with Him in heaven and shall be satisfied. By His endurance, by His love God’s righteous servant shall justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

Looking to Jesus

Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. Isaiah 45:22

Where else could you go? There is no other savior. At one point in Jesus’  teaching, many left him because of His plain teaching. People will do that if you teach the Word. Jesus turned to His disciples and asked, “will you go away also?”  The disciples answered, “To whom shall we go? THOU hast the words of eternal life. So I ask you. Where will YOU go for the water of life if you forsake Him who is the Fountain of Living Water? Wandering through life, wasting time, trifling with the Word …  When will you look unto Him and be saved? When will it once be? Still revealing the nail prints, Jesus stretches forth His hands and says, “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.” Will you yield to His invitation? Yet a little sleep, a little more delay, a little longer trifling with the Word, and then ……….?

For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding. 1 Chronicles 29:15 

As preparations were made for building the temple in Jerusalem, King David is reminded of the brevity of human life, and how quickly we must pass on. Psalm 90:9 says. “We spend our years as a tale that is told.” We dream, we hope, we plan, and then one day we look back and say,  “Where did the time go? What happened to all our youthful dreams?”  Then shortly, we pass on and another generation repeats the process. Remember the quote,  “Only one life, t’will soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.”

Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the LORD: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy. 1 Chronicles 29:9

When King David wanted to build the magnificent temple of Solomon in Jerusalem, he needed a vast array of building materials, gold, silver, precious stones and fine fabrics, and so he called upon all the willing citizens to help out and to donate such things as were necessary which they enthusiastically contributed. This forms the background of our verse for today. How the people rejoiced! What a blessing to work and offer willingly to the LORD! It is wonderful, and yet it is a faint, and feeble foretaste of the eternal joy and blessedness of eternity in the LORD’s presence. Give your heart to Jesus, go to work for Him, walk daily in His presence and our versaday will apply to you: “Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the LORD.”

There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass. Joshua 21:45

Let God be true though it prove every man to be a liar. That which He has spoken He will fulfill. In our verse for today Joshua is reviewing the Israelites settlement in the promised land and recounting the events that led up to that. He sums it all up by saying, “There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.” Did God promise to bring them to the promised land? He did so. Did He promise to send the Messiah into the world? He did so. (Pray for those who are still awaiting His first advent.) Did He promise that the Messiah would be wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities? Jesus suffered on the cross for our sins. Did He say that all who repent and receive Jesus will be forgiven their sins and have eternal life? It is so. Did He say that all who spurn the gift of eternal life and reject our precious Savior will suffer eternal torment?  There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass. Joshua 21:45. “God is not a man that He should lie;, neither the son of man that He should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” 1 Samuel 15:29

The earth is the LORD's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. Psalms 24:1

 Many times people behave as though this world and all that is in it was created primarily for our pleasure and enjoyment to frolic, cavort around, and to please ourselves. This is all wrong. The result of this attitude is the suffering, heartaches, and wretchedness that we endure in our own lives and to which our news media give constant witness. THIS IS MY FATHER’S WORLD. The Bible says of Jesus: “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” John 1:3. And again, “Thou art worthy, O Lord to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created”. If you don’t bow the knee to Him, honor Him and serve Him, you have missed the glorious purpose and the high calling for which you were created and this will result in an eternity of loss, suffering and sorrow. Jesus says: “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me”. Rev.3:20. Like the song says: “Just a few more weary days and then, I’ll fly away”.

Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Psalms 24:7

Can you imagine Jesus’ reception in heaven after the crucifixion and resurrection? He had lived in this world for thirty three years, enduring hunger, mockery, and insults and then the anguish and agony of the crucifixion. But now He has risen from the grave and is welcomed back to glory. Even the most lavish reception of Caesar or any Roman conqueror couldn’t give us an inkling of the joy and celebration. And it will happen again! When He returns for His bride, the church (all the born again Christians), the book of Hebrews lifts the veil and shows us His return to heaven with us. He proudly says to the Father: “Behold I and the children which God hath given me.” Heb 2:13. Will you be there? Once again I say, don’t miss it for the world!

The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of the LORD; and what wisdom is in them? Jeremiah 8:9

Without the word of God, no one has the faintest idea of why we are here or what life is all about. Our statesmen and leaders are perplexed and confused as they try to confront the growing problems of the world. The Psalmist said it correctly years ago: “The entrance of thy word giveth light”. If people reject the Bible one person`s guess is as good as the next as to the meaning of life. It is THE WORD that gives light on our path. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path”. The Word points us to Jesus, the Light of the World. The Word is our greatest heritage, and no man is truly educated without a familiarity and knowledge of it.

The LORD reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the LORD is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved. Psalms 93:1

What a majestic picture! The LORD reigneth. Down on planet earth all is turmoil, perplexity, grief and confusion. In heaven the LORD reigns and all is peace, harmony and blessedness. The Bible teaches that one day the bedlam, sorrow and suffering that is life as we know it in this world will come to an end, the sheep will be separated from the goats, and the redeemed will dwell in peace, joy, and submission to the sovereign will of our omnipotent Father in heaven.  Note the last part of this verse: ``the world also is stablished that it cannot be moved’’, that is, for the present. Jesus said that in the last days there were certain signs that would indicate His return to judge and rule the earth. Among other signs, He said  there will be ``great earthquakes in divers places, and famines, and pestilences.” Luke 21:11.  We’ve always had earthquakes, but this refers to a notable increase in, (a)FREQUENCY. And (b) INTENSITY.  Jesus said that it would be like a woman’s birth pangs that increase progressively until the delivery. Jesus said, ``and when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. TODAY is the day of salvation. Are you ready?

That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. 2 Timothy 3:17

Whatever business or project you undertake, you need the right tools. The verse prior to our versaday tells us that God has given us the inspired scriptures and that they contain everything necessary for us to know in order to gain forgiveness of sin, to have fellowship with God, to avoid eternal punishment, and  to have eternal life through Jesus, His Son. During our brief stay on this planet, God wants us to walk in close fellowship with Him by prayer, reading His Word, and living a holy life, that is, separated from sin. The ONLY way to do these things is to feast richly on His Word. ``His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue”. 2 Peter 1:3