Thur.’s Devo - Our Purpose

Read: Isaiah 43:14-45:10; Ephesians 3:1-21; Psalm 68:1-18; Provers 24:1-2 God told Isaiah what he was going to do with the nations that were in power. Babylon would be forced to escape in the nice ships they were so proud of building. He reminded them of how he killed the Egyptians in the Red Sea. That was nothing compared to what he was going to do now. Instead of drying up waters, God was going to bring water to the desert. He rebuked Judah for not asking the Lord for help. They had hired Egypt to help them. He rebuked Israel of growing tired of waiting on Him. They had neglected to sacrifice to the Lord and their sins had stacked up. In spite of all of this, God was the one to blot out their sins for His sake, but first he had to examine their case. This was what He found. They had sinned from the very first man. Their leaders had sinned against his law. He decreed complete destruction for Jacob and shame for Israel, but their descendants would be blessed. God would pour out his spirit on them and they would declare that He was their God. Isaiah went on to paint a picture of how foolish they had become. They manufactured their gods from the same piece of wood they used to make a fire and warm their houses. They bowed down to this hand-made idol and expected it to answer them. God had proved that their idols were worthless and their prophets were liars. His prophets had told them that people will once again live in the towns of Judah and it will be rebuilt and restored. God would use Cyrus to rule over the nations and he would level the ones who have risen up above the people. Even though Cyrus didn’t know the Lord, God would choose to use him to rebuild Jerusalem. He did that very thing in Ezra. He sent Ezra to Jerusalem with all the money he would need to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. Today, we have a modern day Cyrus in the White House. All the nations are afraid of him and will be even more. He will rebuild the Temple of the Lord in America. In Ephesians, Paul explains what grace really is. Paul was so honored to be able to give this grace to the Gentiles. Grace and mercy are two different things. Mercy is receiving pardon for something we deserve to pay for. Grace is the power to walk in that mercy as an overcomer and not a person of shame. Paul says it is by God’s grace and mighty power that he was given the privilege of serving God by spreading the Good News. The church’s purpose is to display God’s wisdom to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly place. That is something to contemplate! It made Paul fall to his knees and praise the Lord for his power and pray for inner strength through the Holy Spirit. Lord, show us how we can display your wisdom to the powers and principalities of the air. May we fulfill the churches’ purpose on the earth.