Isaiah 55:1-13
The question raised by the prophet is even more powerful in our day than his:
"Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live."Our whole economy is based on giving you and me something we can enjoy temporarily, so that we will be lifetime customers. The computers we buy are obsolete within six months. Our clothes are out of style in a year. Sometimes we spend money to make ourselves feel better, which produces guilt later, which produces the need to feel better and the cycle continues. What if our economy was built on things that really matter, like building education institutions that truly build leaders or creating food production that eliminate starvation from planet earth or provide the means to bring families into better communications and growing relationships? What if we solved our spiritual thirst with spiritual things instead of trying to solve it with material things (the temporary fixes)? It really means asking the LORD to recondition us according to the priorities of the Spirit.
In verses 55:3b-5, we have God's promise. Again, as with Moses, what do we do with the promises of God? The hymn sings "we're standing on the promises of God," and that those promises are reliable. By the time of Isaiah 55, King David is long gone, but God has not forgotten his promises. But the truth is, had the people stayed connected with the LORD, they would have experienced the promises sooner. In fact, in my own life, my times of waiting on God's promises usually are times when I am being made more open and hungry for the things of God.
Verses 6-12 are powerful in developing our soul love for God. We must be continual seekers of the Lord. We must call upon him often, for big and small things, for we are invited God to be part of it all. We do the negative work of turning away from wicked actions and unrighteous thoughts, so that our communication channels are open. And is there any feeling like knowing you are forgiven and free in a relationship - with a loved one, with God? I have to remind myself that God is more anxious to forgive me than I am anxious to be forgiven (which is a lot). As we seek the LORD, we are participating in something bigger than ourselves. Theologians talk about this as the transendance of God (the God beyond us). Loving God with our souls is about relating to God who is always infinitely greater than we can imagine, which lifts up our understanding of ourselves and God's greater purposes for our lives. The prophet then reminds us of just how reliable God is. To love God with all our soul is to trust that God does lead and guide us and will do just as he has planned. I don't believe that this is God micro-managing us. God can get his purposes done in a million different ways. Our job is to be open, available and usable.
Isaiah 55 ends with a joyous celebration in which all of creation joins in the provision and faithfulness of God. Romans 1:18 tells how all of creation is waiting as in the pains of childbirth for the revealing of the children of God, including you and me. When you and God are spiritually connected in a growing relationship, the whole cosmos benefits. I didn't say that, the Bible did.
Romans 8:1-17
The contrast in this passage is between life in the flesh and life in the Spirit. You may remember that Jesus in John 3 contrasted the flesh and the Spirit with Nicodemus. This understanding of "flesh," in the Greek, sarx, from Paul is a little different. Flesh is not just what is natural and physical, it is that which is selfish and sinful. Paul writes in 8:5,
"For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace."To love the LORD with all our soul is to have a different mindset, one we choose each morning and rechoose moment by moment. It is a mindset shaped by the grace and love of God active in our daily lives.
Verses 9-11 describe the power of the Spirit within us: the Spirit that raised
Christ from the dead, the Spirit that will one day raise us up from death as well. The spiritual love of God does release a power for living that is found no other way. Because it is unseen, it is often ignored. So we have to remind ourselves on a regular basis what the real power of our lives is - the spirit/Spirit connection.
Paul finishes this discussion of flesh and Spirit with another benefit of a growing love relationship with God - spiritual intimacy. There is a song I used to sing called "Praise Him" that sings, "Sweet communion. I hardly know where He stops and I begin." This is the polar opposite of transendance, what theologians call immanence (God within, closer than our breath). Paul writes that life in the flesh is actually a form of slavery and the taskmaster never relents. Life in the Spirit provides a deep sense of belonging, a spirit of adoption, so we by the grace of God can call God "Abba" (the intimate term for father, papa or daddy). In that moment, Paul utters our scripture theme for the week,
"His Spirit bears witness with our Spirit that we are children of God."As his children then we are the inheritors of all that is His, which includes suffering and glory (cross and empty tomb).
So my question for the day is, "Have you opened your heart and mind to both the transendance and the immanence of God?" Have you allowed God's indescribable greatness to create in you holy awe and also lift your perspective in life to a new level? Have you allowed God to be up close and personal? I'm thinking of Michael W. Smith's chorus right now, "You are the air I breathe, you're holy presence living in me. And I, I'm desperate for you." May that be the cry of our hearts both today and always.
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