Thursday 10 Dec 2020

December 10: Isaiah 11:1-5
 
Key Verse: Isaiah 11:5
Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash round his waist.
 
Devotion:
I stiff find it amazing how the prophets wrote about the coming of Jesus hundreds of years before He did come to live amongst us as a human man. God spoke to the prophets and told them a Saviour was going to be born from the ancestral line of Jesse, King David’s father. I wonder what the other sons of Jesse thought about when they heard these words!
 
David, the youngest son of Jesse, was to be picked as the next King to lead the Israelites with wisdom and justice; something which he was able to do to a large extent. But, being human, he did sin and fell from grace because of that. When confronted, David lifted his sin to God and asked for forgiveness – something God would grant him. But this came at a price for David’s sin.
 
It is during the late autumn months or winter months when trees are trimmed or pruned. These are the words which describe what would happen here. But, like any pruning, new growth would sprout up and grow anew. God knew there was still hope and wanted people to see the hope even after David’s sin was exposed.
 
No matter how far we go in our sinful lives, we can still turn back to God and ask for forgiveness. God is faithful and willing to forgive us if we are honest and open about what we have done wrong. If we turn away from our sins and embrace God’s ways, we will see new growth and blessing come our way. If we are in need, we will see how Gd can help us directly and through others.
 
Points to Ponder:
Do you try and help others in their times of need?
 
Will you follow God’s example and faithfully help those who need it most?