Tue’s Devo - Good News!

Read: Isaiah 60:1-62:5; Philippians 1:27-2:18; Psalm 72:1-20; Proverbs 24:11-12 In Isaiah 60, Isaiah announces the Messiah. He is the light that has come. He came when darkness covered the earth. He came to bring salvation to all the nations. He talked about the caravans that would bring gold and frankincense to worship him. This happened at Jesus’ birth. Isaiah sees ships bringing people home to Israel. They are coming to honor the Lord. He sees foreigners coming to rebuild their towns and the honor of dignitaries and the wealth of other nations coming to them. Nations who refused to worship him will be destroyed. This is happening today! *** God will be honored and his people will receive retribution. The season of oppression, sadness, and mourning will be over. We will enter a time of great blessing and prosperity. There will be abundance and joy. God’s great message about salvation will reach the ends of the earth. The broken hearted will be comforted, the captives will be released, we have entered into a time of God’s favor and joy. *** We who are alive to see this will see our cities rebuilt, places that have been abandoned will come to life again. (I think of businesses that went belly-up during Covid, returning.) God is going to reward us for all our suffering and his righteousness is going to spring up everywhere. Where we live will become the city of God’s delight. Our children will commit themselves to the Lord, and God will rejoice over them. We have a great future ahead! *** In Philippians, we learn how to live on the earth. We live as citizens of heaven who represent Christ on the earth. We are not to be intimidated by our enemies who are going to be destroyed, but we are to stand firm and share the Good News of the Kingdom. We are to honor others, loving them and working with them. God gives us the desire and the power to please him. We do this by holding firm to him as the word of life. He is the reason we live. *** Lord, thank you for the Holy Spirit that enables us to live for you. Thank you for the wonderful promises of our future. All we have is yours.