Modern day heartaches and trials melded in my heart with the results of rebellion felt by Israel in the Old Testament readings this morning. And it led me to Isaiah 53:3, that Jesus is a man or sorrows: the heart of God cries out to us and cries for us. As Oswald Chambers said, sin is not just a shortcoming, it's a fact of life. Sin is the name we give to rebelling against God...and instead of looking at the heart of rebellion, we fight the symptoms (ie addictions, abuse) and lose the battles.
The source of miseries in life is that nature within that rejects the Lordship of God. The source of comfort is God Himself. Those of us who enjoy His presence, who know that comfort personally are to share it with the world. We are saved from sin that the world may know. Our comfort is not to makes us comfortable but to make us comforters. The Word of God is a shelter we are to share not a fortress to hide within.
I was challenged to be certain I am not using God for my comfort...but rather being willing to share in the hurts that pierce His heart. One of my favorite verses (Hosea 11:8) is translated in the NLT this way: "Oh, how can I give you up, Israel? How can I let you go?...My heart is torn within me, and my compassion overflows."
May our hearts be torn by what tears God's heart--and may His compassion flow out of us!
The source of miseries in life is that nature within that rejects the Lordship of God. The source of comfort is God Himself. Those of us who enjoy His presence, who know that comfort personally are to share it with the world. We are saved from sin that the world may know. Our comfort is not to makes us comfortable but to make us comforters. The Word of God is a shelter we are to share not a fortress to hide within.
May our hearts be torn by what tears God's heart--and may His compassion flow out of us!
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