Morning Devotion

These devotions I post will not be my usual inductive bible study nor any sort of expository study of His Word. It is simply devotions; whether it be in the morning or evening or the wee hours of the night. It is meant for me to reflect on life itself and see things in His Word that speak to me personally or give me something in life to reflect on; hence the word devotion. For my daily reading I use The MacArthur Daily Bible which John MacArthur designed for the Bible to be read in one year. Each day there is a reading from the Old Testament, Psalms, Proverbs and the New Testament.

Reading for today: Isaiah 65-66, Psalm 116:1-4, Proverbs 26:28, Philippians 2:1-30

Isaiah 65:2-3a

I 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; a people who provoke Me to anger continually to My face...

 All throughout the Old Testament the nation of Israel rebelled against the LORD many times. They were not faithful to God as God was faithful to them. These particular verses stuck out for me as it brought my mind to how this world is today. 

A rebellious people
Who walk in a way that is not good
According to their own thoughts
A people who provoke Me to anger continually to My face

We can easily say oh, this is how unbelievers live. And while that is true, I began to ponder that believers today find themselves in this same boat from time to time. I believe every single person in life goes through some sort of rebellion against the LORD in their lives. We are all flawed human beings. We want what we want many times in our lives. There is not a believer on this earth that can say they walk perfectly before God and live completely 100% in obedience to Him. Praise God for grace and mercy! So for me personally, I ask myself these questions based on these words above: Am I rebellious in any area of my life toward God? Am I walking in a way that is not good according to my own thoughts rather than trusting God? Do I provoke God to anger by my lifestyle or my actions or even my thoughts? There is a light at the end of the tunnel if we find ourselves in this sort of rebellion against God. It's called forgiveness. The beauty of being a Christian is that we don't have to continue in rebellion. We can receive forgiveness from the LORD. As believers we have the Holy Spirit to convict us and show us where we are at fault. An unbeliever has no concept that they are rebelling against the LORD. Until the Spirit of God convicts them they walk in darkness and rebellion. And unfortunately this is how most of the world is living. 

Sovereign Father God,
Thank you for showing me today through Your Word how a rebellious heart brings you grieve and provokes You to anger. Thank you for showing me the areas of my life that I need to reflect on. Thank you for placing a stronger burden on my heart to pray for our nation who desperately needs You. Amen.