He's Crying Out

Isaiah 65:1-5

1"I was sought by those who did not ask for Me;

I was found by those who did not seek Me.

I said, 'Here I am, here I am,'

To a nation that was not called by My name.

2I have stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious people,

Who walk in a way that is not good,

According to their own thoughts;

3A people who provoke Me to anger continually to My face;

Who sacrifice in gardens,

And burn incense on altars of brick;

4Who sit among the graves,

And spend the night in the tombs;

Who eat swine's flesh,

And the broth of abominable things is in their vessels;

5Who say, 'Keep to yourself,

Do not come near me,

For I am holier than you!'

These are smoke in My nostrils,

A fire that burns all day.

For some reason this passage of Scripture has always stuck out to me. Perhaps it's because I can almost hear the desperation in God's voice as He cries 'Here I am!' to tHis rebellious children. Maybe it's because I know that we're those rebellious children. Whatever it is, these five verses speak a relevant and very real truth that needs to be heard.

God has been reaching out to His children for hundreds and thousands of years. Lovingly, He wants to draw us in and restore us to our former glory- to make us into the beautiful creations He intended for us to be.

But with each loving touch He pours out on us, mankind shows in a new and more utterly vile way just how far we've fallen, just how enslaved we are to Satan and his schemes.

How dare we spit in our Creator's face?

How dare we stir Him to anger?

And yet He still weeps in longing for our love?

Hosea 2:19

19"I will betroth you to Me forever;

Yes, I will betroth you to Me

In righteousness and justice,

In loving kindness and mercy;

20I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness,

And you shall know the Lord.

Many claim the name of God while sitting back and muddying the glory of His name by being apathetic hypocrites. It almost makes me sick! And a substantial amount of that disgust can be accredited to the fact taht I've been guilty of these very things.

This is a time to become prostrate before the Lord. We must seek to do His will and redeem all those times we've made it about ourselves rather than his love.

Examine your heart today, every day. I'll do the same with mine. Hear His desperate cry for your love- will you answer Him and fall to your knees, overwhelmed by a passion and desire to love Him? Or will you continue to sit on your butt and spit in his face?

If it's the latter, do Him a favore and be real with yourself and everyone else- if you're going to continuously act like that, you're not truly a Christian.

Cry out to Him today and put a smile on the face of the man who died to raise you from the ashes. Now that's what Love is.

A sixteen year-old girl in Asia laid down her life rather than neglect God's Word. Are you willing to lay down your magazine? -Alex & Brett Harris

Have a blessed day!