Devo Sept 27 Isaiah 23:1-9

Chapter 23
1 A prophecy against Tyre:Wail, you ships of Tarshish! For Tyre is destroyed
and left without house or harbor.From the land of Cyprus word has
come to them.2 Be silent, you people of the island and you merchants of
Sidon, whom the seafarers have enriched.3 On the great waters came the
grain of the Shihor; the harvest of the Nile was the revenue of Tyre, and
she became the marketplace of the nations.4 Be ashamed, Sidon, and you
fortress of the sea, for the sea has spoken:“I have neither been in labor nor
given birth; I have neither reared sons nor brought up daughters.”5 When
word comes to Egypt, they will be in anguish at the report from Tyre.
6 Cross over to Tarshish; wail, you people of the island.7 Is this your city
of revelry, the old, old city, whose feet have taken her to settle in far-off
lands?8 Who planned this against Tyre, the bestower of crowns, whose
merchants are princes, whose traders are renowned in the earth?
9 The LORD Almighty planned it, to bring down her pride in all her
splendor and to humble all who are renowned on the earth.

Personal Notes
Chapters 13-23 reflect upon the foolishness of Judah depending upon alliances with the other nations rather than upon God to protect her from Assyria.
What do you see as one implication of that loyalty principle for your life today? To what or to whom have you looked to fill that God-shaped void of insecurity in your life?

In my case, I have looked for many things from selfish indulgence in pleasurable substance, to emotional indulgence through infatuation, to spiritual pride/intellectual indulgence through immersing in theological knowledge without personal transformation.  Through reflection in my spiritual journey, God challenged me to obey Him wholeheartedly and willingly in what I know is pleasing in His eyes.  Failing to do so is sin and I can wholehearted serve him when I trust Him and face the challenges with courage and faith.

Isaiah 22:1-13 Sept 26

Chapter 22
8 The Lord stripped away the defenses of Judah, and you looked in that
day to the weapons in the Palace of the Forest. 9 You saw that the walls
of the City of David were broken through in many places; you stored up
water in the Lower Pool. 10 You counted the buildings in Jerusalem and
tore down houses to strengthen the wall. 11 You built a reservoir between
the two walls for the water of the Old Pool, but you did not look to the
One who made it, or have regard for the One who planned it long ago.
12 The Lord, the LORD Almighty, called you on that day to weep and to
wail, to tear out your hair and put on sackcloth. 13 But see, there is joy
and revelry, slaughtering of cattle and killing of sheep, eating of meat and
drinking of wine! “Let us eat and drink,” you say, “for tomorrow we
die!”

Personal Notes:
Judah may have heard Isaiah’s warning that they made physical implements of warfare. The people may have tried many forms of defense, but they did not depend on the Lord. They even held “eat-drink-and-be-merry” attitude which would result in judgment and punishment from God. Isaiah was saddened by the frivolity of the people in Jerusalem.  The people acted as if they did not need to repent and live according to God’s laws.

Sometimes we feel sad when we see people doing things they should not. What should our response be? What does God want us to do?

I need to feel burdened and sad when people around me are doing things they should not.  God wants us to guide our friends towards what God would like them to do.

Devo Sept 25 Isaiah 21

Chapter 21
1 A prophecy against the Desert by the Sea: Like whirlwinds sweeping
through the southland, an invader comes from the desert, from a land of
terror.2 A dire vision has been shown to me: The traitor betrays, the looter
takes loot.Elam, attack! Media, lay siege! I will bring to an end all the
groaning she caused.3 At this my body is racked with pain, pangs seize
me, like those of a woman in labor; I am staggered by what I hear, I am
bewildered by what I see.4 My heart falters, fear makes me tremble;
the twilight I longed for has become a horror to me.5 They set the tables,
they spread the rugs, they eat, they drink! Get up, you officers, oil the
shields!6 This is what the Lord says to me: “Go, post a lookout and have
him report what he sees.7 When he sees chariots with teams of horses,
riders on donkeys or riders on camels, let him be alert, fully alert.”
8 And the lookout shouted,“Day after day, my lord, I stand on the watchtower;
every night I stay at my post.9 Look, here comes a man in a chariot
with a team of horses.And he gives back the answer: ‘Babylon has fallen,
has fallen!All the images of its gods lie shattered on the ground!’”
10 My people who are crushed on the threshing floor, I tell you what I
have heard from the LORD Almighty, from the God of Israel.

Personal Note
This is a message of the destruction of Babylon. Prophet Isaiah saw the devastation of Babylon in a vision and was gripped with grief. Meanwhile, the Babylonians wined and dined, the destruction came upon them unexpectedly. “My people who are crushed on the threshing floor”, this was referred to the Judeans
who though having been under oppression from many fronts, still tried to plot schemes in allying with Babylon against Assyrians. In fact, Babylon was doomed as well.

What is your “Babylon” – the arrangement to shelter you from the uncertainties of life? If you know that all you planning, and arrangements are temporal security that will be swept away, how do you feel? What can you do to fill the insecurity that only God can fulfill?

My Babylon for escaping the difficulties in life varies throughout my life.  When I was in younger and in school, it was the desire to have a girlfriend, basketball, computer games, drinking parties, lustful activities...  Later on in life, it was desire to have a high pay job, indulgence in recreation, and a false perception of piety (this is hard to explain, it means trying to appear and have the spiritual strength and security without the cost of discipleship).

Today, the temptation to fall back into my old pattern of life is present.  In my old pattern of life, I denied commands of God because I want to have pleasure and fun.  I instinctively sheltered myself from challenges and uncertainties of life.  What can I do with the insecurities I am facing today?

I have decided to obey God's commands I already know with a willing heart.  I have decided to take on the challenges and uncertainty with God's help and strength.  After all, I am doing God's work, and what makes me think that I can do it without His help?

Devo Sept 24 Isaiah 20

Chapter 20
1 In the year that the supreme commander, sent by Sargon king of Assyria,
came to Ashdod and attacked and captured it— 2 at that time the
LORD spoke through Isaiah son of Amoz. He said to him, “Take off the
sackcloth from your body and the sandals from your feet.” And he did so,
going around stripped and barefoot.3 Then the LORD said, “Just as my
servant Isaiah has gone stripped and barefoot for three years, as a sign and
portent against Egypt and Cush, 4 so the king of Assyria will lead away
stripped and barefoot the Egyptian captives and Cushite exiles, young and
old, with buttocks bared —to Egypt’s shame. 5 Those who trusted in Cush
and boasted in Egypt will be dismayed and put to shame. 6 In that day the
people who live on this coast will say, ‘See what has happened to those
we relied on, those we fled to for help and deliverance from the king of
Assyria! How then can we escape? ’”

Personal Note:
Isaiah must have felt something of a fool in the eighth century BC, when he was told by God to wander the streets of Jerusalem stripped (to a loincloth) and barefoot for some three years. This relative
of the royal family exposed himself to shame at God’s command, to serve as an object lesson. Soon the sovereign God would execute judgement against Egypt and Cush (Ethiopia), and their people
would suffer Isaiah’s fate.

God is unlikely to ask me to walk about in diapers or drag a cross. But there will be times when we feel a little embarrassed or foolish at the thought of doing something we feel convicted is God’s will.
At such times, what will be my response? Will I treasure my reputation, image and acceptance of others more than pleasing God and following God’s will?

Devo Sept 20 Isaiah 18

Chapter 18
1 Woe to the land of whirring wings along the rivers of Cush, 2 which
sends envoys by sea in papyrus boats over the water. Go, swift messengers,
to a people tall and smooth-skinned, to a people feared far and wide,
an aggressive nation of strange speech, whose land is divided by rivers.
3 All you people of the world, you who live on the earth, when a banner
is raised on the mountains, you will see it, and when a trumpet sounds,
you will hear it.4 This is what the LORD says to me: “I will remain quiet
and will look on from my dwelling place, like shimmering heat in the sunshine,
like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.”5 For, before the harvest,
when the blossom is gone and the flower becomes a ripening grape, he
will cut off the shoots with pruning knives, and cut down and take away
the spreading branches. 6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of
prey and to the wild animals; the birds will feed on them all summer, the
wild animals all winter.7 At that time gifts will be brought to the LORD
Almighty from a people tall and smooth-skinned, from a people feared far
and wide, an aggressive nation of strange speech, whose land is divided
by rivers —the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion, the place of the Name
of the LORD Almighty.

Personal Notes

During 715 BC, envoys of Cush (Ethiopia) tried to persuade Jerusalem
to align with them against Assyria. Isaiah fiercely opposed it
and proclaimed to the messengers that God is in control of history.
When time comes, God will intervene directly and cause Assyrian
to crumble so that Cush will know God. Sometimes we are eager to do something on our own, regardless of what others think or feel. We may not even consider how our actions would appear to God. God sees and knows us. He is aware of our actions, but he remains quiet and still. 

Why God allows us to pursue our plans?

Currently, I have lots of plans for ministry, family, and the future.  There are some plans I feel that it may not be pleasing to God and beneficial to others for getting to know Jesus Christ.  Why does God allow us to ponder or pursue our plans even though our plans are not really his desires.

I see that throughout history, despite how wicked people are, God always has a way to redeem the situation for His glory.  The one who fears and serves God are blessed and the wicked ones are destroyed by His judgement.  

Today, I am to be still and know that God is in control.  I am quieting down my heart to listen and discern what God is telling me.  The world is changing quickly and it is a challenging world to live in, but God's love and faithfulness remains.  God is sovereign and powerful over all the forces and influences in this world.

Sept 18 Devotion Isaiah 16

Chapter 16
1 Send lambs as tribute to the ruler of the land, from Sela, across the desert,
to the mount of Daughter Zion. 2 Like fluttering birds pushed from
the nest, so are the women of Moab at the fords of the Arnon.3 “Make
up your mind,” Moab says. “Render a decision. Make your shadow like
night—at high noon. Hide the fugitives, do not betray the refugees.4 Let
the Moabite fugitives stay with you; be their shelter from the destroyer.”
The oppressor will come to an end, and destruction will cease; the aggressor
will vanish from the land.5 In love a throne will be established; in
faithfulness a man will sit on it—one from the house of David —one who
in judging seeks justice and speeds the cause of righteousness.

Personal Note
Isaiah stressed that the Messiah as the only real hope for Israel.  The reign of Jesus Christ the only real hope for people suffering in the world today.  We see where there are oppression and suffering, there is revival of people turning to Jesus.  I saw a documentary of people passionately worshipping and praising God in refugee camps.  I believe that God uses believers who respond towards the poor, the homeless, and the hungry.

Refugees from destruction and violence must often seek safety away from their homelands. Do you know of refugees in your city? How could you help them in a new land? How can you offer them
shelter? Can people be refugees from things other than war? Decide what you can do as a family, as a cell group, or any other group of people, to help a refugee family. Make plans for doing what you
decide.

I see people are starting to beware of refugees living in Toronto through various initiatives like "Ride for Refugee", Matthew House, etc.  God told the people of Israel to accept the Moabites (refugees) and take care of them even though they are long time enemies of Israel.  I pray that God will open my eyes and touch my heart to care for a refugee family.

Devo Sept 17 Isaiah 15

Chapter 15
1 A prophecy against Moab: Ar in Moab is ruined, destroyed in a night!
Kir in Moab is ruined, destroyed in a night! 2 Dibon goes up to its temple,
to its high places to weep; Moab wails over Nebo and Medeba.Every head
is shaved and every beard cut off. 3 In the streets they wear sackcloth; on
the roofs and in the public squares they all wail, prostrate with weeping.
4 Heshbon and Elealeh cry out, their voices are heard all the way to Jahaz.
Therefore the armed men of Moab cry out, and their hearts are faint.
5 My heart cries out over Moab; her fugitives flee as far as Zoar, as far as
Eglath Shelishiyah.They go up the hill to Luhith, weeping as they go; on
the road to Horonaim they lament their destruction. 6 The waters of Nimrim
are dried up and the grass is withered; the vegetation is gone and nothing
green is left. 7 So the wealth they have acquired and stored up they
carry away over the Ravine of the Poplars.8 Their outcry echoes along the
border of Moab; their wailing reaches as far as Eglaim, their lamentation
as far as Beer Elim.9 The waters of Dimon are full of blood, but I will
bring still more upon Dimon—a lion upon the fugitives of Moab and upon
those who remain in the land.

Personal Notes
Moab is a country that has been a perpetual enemy of Israel since
the days of the Exodus. Yet, all of sudden, they were faced with
devastation. All the major cities became ruin, there were weeping
all over the place. Even when they fled to foreign lands, their enemies
still pursued them.  Today, there are endless political chaos and war in the world.
I see young people willing to step up and do their part in stopping the injustice.
I see students forming clubs and movement against oppression around the world.
God's will is for His followers to take a part in ending the evil around the world.

I am challenged to pray for an area in the world that I have a heart for that is
going through oppression today.

Devo Isaiah 14 Sept 14

Chapter 14
3 On the day the LORD gives you relief from your suffering and turmoil
and from the harsh labor forced on you, 4 you will take up this taunt against
the king of Babylon: How the oppressor has come to an end! How his
fury has ended!5 The LORD has broken the rod of the wicked, the scepter
of the rulers,6 which in anger struck down peoples with unceasing blows,
and in fury subdued nations with relentless aggression. 7 All the lands are
at rest and at peace; they break into singing. 8 Even the junipers and the
cedars of Lebanon gloat over you and say,“Now that you have been laid
low, no one comes to cut us down.”9 The realm of the dead below is all
astir to meet you at your coming; it rouses the spirits of the departed to
greet you— all those who were leaders in the world; it makes them rise
from their thrones—all those who were kings over the nations. 10 They
will all respond, they will say to you, “You also have become weak, as we
are; you have become like us.” 11 All your pomp has been brought down
to the grave, along with the noise of your harps; maggots are spread out
beneath you and worms cover you.12 How you have fallen from heaven,
morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you
who once laid low the nations!

Personal Note:
The LORD declared judgement on Babylon.  Babylon was once a powerful nation and it was completely destroyed just like the once powerful Roman Empire.  The prophecy from Isaiah was given when the people of God was under the bondage of Babylon rule.  God allowed Babylon to rule over them because of the disobedience of the Israelites.  God's judgement and promise come true.

Today, I see powerful forces who are supposed to serve the public abusing tax payer's money which could have gone into good use for the poor and the needy.  People everywhere are longing for a reform in structure that truly look out for the interest of citizens.  Today's passage is a promise that God was faithful in delivering His people from oppression in the past, and God is faithful in delivering us from the struggles and frustrations today.

Sept 13 Devotion Isaiah 13

Chapter 13
1 A prophecy against Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz saw:2 Raise a banner
on a bare hilltop, shout to them; beckon to them to enter the gates of
the nobles.3 I have commanded those I prepared for battle; I have summoned
my warriors to carry out my wrath — those who rejoice in my
triumph.4 Listen, a noise on the mountains, like that of a great multitude!
Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms, like nations massing together!
The LORD Almighty is mustering an army for war.5 They come from faraway
lands, from the ends of the heavens —the LORD and the weapons of
his wrath — to destroy the whole country.6 Wail, for the day of the LORD
is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty.7 Because of this,
all hands will go limp, every heart will melt with fear. 8 Terror will seize
them, pain and anguish will grip them; they will writhe like a woman in
labor. They will look aghast at each other, their faces aflame.9 See, the
day of the LORD is coming — a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger
— to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it.10 The stars
of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. The rising sun
will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. 11 I will punish the
world for its evil, the wicked for their sins.I will put an end to the arrogance
of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless. 12 I will
make people scarcer than pure gold, more rare than the gold of Ophir.
13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble; and the earth will shake
from its place at the wrath of the LORD Almighty, in the day of his burning
anger.

Meditation
1.Read slowly this passage a couple of times and let the language and
imagery sink in.

2.What was your emotion as you read this passage? How would “the
day of the Lord” in this passage compare with your notion of the
day when Jesus comes back? Are they different? How so? And
why?

3.How would reading this passage alert you of the immensity of God’s
power and his judgment when Jesus comes back?

Personal Note:

As I reflect upon the news that is going on locally and around the world, I feel the amount of wickedness and depravity in every part of the world, from politicians, corporations, violent crimes, indifference from the middle and upper classes, etc The Lord will one day punish the wicked for their evil.  I feel fear and trembling.  I know that I am cleansed and saved because of faith in God's gift of salvation.  I feel fearful because I belonged to the wicked and I believe everyone one earth is capable of horrific sins.  It is only by God's grace that sinful humans are able to see the truth of God's power and judgement.

This is a tough message.  What is my response?  Do I act with compassion and urgency with my friends and family who do not know Christ?  Do I ignore it and just think that everything is OK?  

Devotion Sept 10 Matthew 6:25-34

Do Not Worry

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life^[e]?

²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Personal Reflection

I inquired about an example of popular Bible passages for encouragement.  This one came up and I was touched to reflect upon this passage personally.  God's Words clearly tell me not to worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Currently, the things that are dragging me down are worry about the future of ministry, future of how people grow spiritually, future of how to raise my family, future challenges in providing physically, emotionally, and spiritually as the man of the house, etc...  Yet, I am called to teach and preach Do Not Worry.

God says, "Can you by worrying add a single hour to life?  God knows what I need."  I am to seek first God's kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to me as well. 

I am to seek first his kingdom and righteousness.  How to do so today?  The time thinking and worrying is plainly sinning against God.  I have decided to faithfully pray and serve brothers and sisters in Crossroad today.  I have decided that it is really up to God to build and raise up people, and my role is merely to partner with God and be willing to work with Him.  I have decided the best gift I can offer my family as a man is to allow God to take care and work in my life.  Finally, the more I worry about what I can do to provide, the depressing truth of failure will come.  I will fail when I constantly worry and rely on my own.  Everything I own, every abilities I have, every friends and connection I have; I freely received from God.  I just have to trust that God's grace is enough and I am in good hands when I just focus on doing what's right in God's eyes today.  I have faith that doing the right things today and not worry about tomorrow is what brings glory to God's name.