LEARNING DAILY

 

Isaiah 55:8-9, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts; nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth. So are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts higher than your thoughts.”

 

The Father must chuckle when you and I try to tell Him what we think would be the best way to serve Him.  Come on, you know what I mean.  I had the best plans to help others mature in the Word of God and to walk the narrow way.  But, at best they were self-centered and evil.  I was even told by two different people that God did not work the way I had planned; in my arrogance I told them to watch and see.  They were right.

 

God’s thoughts and His ways are always holy and righteous.  He wants all we do to bring honor and glory to Him and never us.  Man’s thoughts and ways are not holy; God’s ways are holy.  Man’s thoughts are of darkness – perverse, immoral, slanderous, and self-centered; God’s ways are light.  Man’s deeds lead to death; God’s ways lead to life.  Get the idea?

 

It is safe to write that not one of us is going to get this Christian walk right all of the time because we will not understand all of God’s ways.  The verses from Isaiah seem to support the thought that walking with God is hard; Christians are to walk by faith.  Too often we want understanding before we act and the problem is trying to understand Him when there is such a huge difference between us.  One thing the Bible makes very clear – God is in charge!  Nothing escapes Him as He sees and hears everything. I would question anyone who thinks he/she has figured God out.  He is sovereign, all-knowing, all-powerful!  We are not.

 

I am in awe that this God continually seeks the lost, the one who lives in sin, and whosoever can become part of His family.  That was you and me.  How long did He tug on your heart before you said yes to His plan of salvation through Jesus Christ?  He continues to work on cleaning you and me up form within and to keep us on the narrow way!  Our “human hearts and minds can be renewed and transformed as we seek Him (Romans 12:1-2).  As this happens, our thoughts and ways begin to conform to His” (LSSB).  As a Christian, that should be our greatest desire.  All we do should be to please our Heavenly Father.  This is done as we, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and He will direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6, NLT).

 

I want to understand, but I have stopped trying to because His thoughts and ways are so beyond my little mind. I must say that I am so glad He did not allow me to have my way years ago.  I would have failed miserably!  God knew that; He protected me and eventually got me to a place where I could honor Him.  I give Him praise for His ways and thoughts are truly great!

 

From now on DJSB will be used to note information or quotes from the David Jeremiah Study Bible and LSSB will refer to information and quotes from the Life in the Spirit Study Bible.  I have added Jimmy Swaggart’s Expositor’s Study Bible to be referred to from now on as JSESB