Sunday 20 Aug 2023

August 20: Isaiah 56:1-8

Key Verse: Isaiah 56:3
Let no foreigner who is bound to the Lord say, ‘The Lord will surely exclude me from his people.’ And let no eunuch complain, ‘I am only a dry tree.’

Devotion:
The stereotypical view of the bible is the Old Testament was all about the Jews and excluding other people from their race, but as we see here in these verses, it was all about a relationship with God. It is true we see so many places where the Jews were told not to mix with other people but there is good reason for this. Other races had other gods in which they believed. God knew His people and knew they would be easily side-tracked by other people’s beliefs because they were a loving people.

I know my family is a loving family and we welcome all sorts of people into our lives. We have had God-fearing people in each generation who have continued to teach the next generation to have a relationship with Christ. It is this sort of close-knit family which God wants us all to be, loving God and loving each other, and this is what Isaiah was trying to impress on the people at this time.

I does not matter what walk in life you are from, you have the right to have a loving relationship with God. At the time Isaiah was teaching others the people would still make sacrifices and offerings to God. He wanted them all to know that the deeper you get into a relationship with God, the more He will be able to bless you!

All sorts of things happen in our lives which are out of our control. We live in the same world as the people around us so are affected by the same events which effect others; but what we have which separates us from others is our relationship with God through Christ. Jesus opened the doors for everyone to be able to have a loving eternal relationship with God – all we have to do is to believe it and trust Him!

Points to Ponder:
Do you have a good relationship with others?

Do you have a good relationship with God?