Sat.’s Devo - God’s Choice

Read: Isaiah 43:14-45:10; Ephesians 3:1-21; Psalm 68:1-18; Proverbs 24:1-2 I love God’s sense of humor. He warns the Babylonians that he is going to send an army against them and force them to flee in the ships they are so proud of. God opened a dry path through the sea in Moses’ day but in this day he is going to do just the opposite. God calls it his “new thing”. He is going to put water in the desert. This would be a picture of the refreshing he was bringing to a very dry time in their lives. Israel had grown tired of waiting for the Lord to move but God hd made Israel for himself and they would one day honor him as a witness to the whole world. We are that witness to the world. God would blot our their sins and never think of them again. His water would come in the form of the Holy Spirit who would be poured out on their descendants and cause them to thrive. God proclaims that he is the only God. The people made gods out of a piece of wood that they halved. One half they used for firewood and the other half they carved into a god and worshipped it. How silly! They trusted in this piece of wood to rescue them and defend them. God implores them to return to him. He removed their sins from them and paid the price to set them free. He is thee only one who can truly rescue them. God made the heavens and the earth and it responds to his voice. He decides what will happen and when he tells Cyrus that he is His shepherd, then he is just that. When he tells Cyrus to rebuild Jerusalem he will have the Temple rebuilt. God anointed Cyrus to do his purposes. He told Cyrus he would go before him and level the mountains (the elite people in power) and smash down gates of bronze (destroy anything in his way). He would give him secrets to things God had hidden from humanity so Cyrus would know that He is the Lord. Cyrus was called by name to do the work of the Lord even when Cyrus didn’t know the Lord. God addressed all the arguments people would have over his choice of Cyrus. God told them that he was the potter and man was the clay and he would shape it and use it any way he wanted to. It is not our business to ask why he is using who he is using. In the same way, God created us the way he did to use the church in all their diversity to display his wisdom to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. We are not just a witness to the world but to angels and demons. Because of what Christ did, we can now enter into the unseen realm of the Spirit and come to God’s throne and present our case before him. We not only visit heaven, but God comes and makes his home in us. He visits us! We can experience the love of Christ and be made complete with all the fullness of life, and power that comes from God. God is more than able and can accomplish through us more than we can ask or think. Lord, show us today what you want to accomplish through us. We are your vessels with our unique personalities and gifts. May we use them effectively in your kingdom.