Life Less Ordinary for the week of November 29, 2008

“I will go before you
and will level the mountains;
I will break down gates of bronze
and cut through bars of iron.

I will give you the treasures of darkness,
riches stored in secret places,
so that you may know that I am the LORD,
the God of Israel,
who summons you by name.

For the sake of Jacob my servant,
of Israel my chosen,
I summon you by name
and bestow on you a title of honor,
though you do not acknowledge me.

I am the LORD, and there is no other;
apart from me there is no God.
I will strengthen you,
though you have not acknowledged me,

so that from the rising of the sun
to the place of its setting
men may know there is none besides me.
I am the LORD, and there is no other.”
Isaiah 45:2-5

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Check out all the things God will do for us—break down gates, cut through iron, bestow titles of honor—sounds great right? Mmm, not so much. At least, not when we see the verses that say “though you have not acknowledged me.” Makes you feel kinda guilty, especially when you know you’ve been mad at God or ignoring him for some reason. That’s what hit me the hardest when I read this, because I know I’ve been doing that the last few weeks. Yet the passage is still comforting, because even though we fail, God still loves us and will still honor us when we turn our hearts back to him. But, it’s not for our glory—it’s for His. He does it so that you may know that he is God. Our thoughts and actions do not define who he is. He is above us, beyond us. Oh, but how he loves us :)

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