Tuesday, July 12, 2011

SOAP 07/12/2011; Isaiah 11:3

Today's reading: Isaiah 11, 12, 13, 14; Hebrews 9

S) "3 And He will delight in the fear of the LORD,
And He will not judge by what His eyes see,
Nor make a decision by what His ears hear;" - Isaiah 11:3 (NASB)

O) This is a prophetic passage. Isaiah was writing about Jesus, the Messaiah. Delighting in the fear of the LORD is an interesting concept, like the idea of delighting in God's statutes, as Psalm 119 repeats over and over. To be able to have joy from a holy fear is to be in complete submission and humility. The second and third lines are clearly referring to Him relying on the Holy Spirit for discernment and guidence, also a result of complete submission to God.

A) As Christians, we strive to live like Christ. This passage really serves as a model for some of the elements of our spiritual life. First and foremost, I need to be humble before God and keep an attitude that delights in my fear of the LORD. From there, all of my actions should be according to what God wants, not what I want. When He calls me to do something, I cannot rely on what I see or hear on my own, but I need to step out in faith, based on what God is telling me to do. I can't worry about how I think it looks, or what I hear people say about it.

P) Father, I am willingly placing myself before you and choosing your way over mine. I don't want to go through motions, appearing to live my life for you, while I'm really just doing whatever seems right from my own perspective. Help me to rely on you in all of my decisions. Holy Spirit, remind me to pray about everything, and seek the will of the Father in everything I do. Thank you, Jesus, for the example you gave me in how to live a life of complete surrender to the LORD; in Your name I pray. Amen.

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