Scripture:

Isaiah 64:8

But now, O Lord,
You are our Father;
We are the clay, and You our potter;
And all we are the work of Your hand

Today Isaiah paints a picture of God and our relationship to Him.    This portion brings hope as it tells us that God is our Father; like a loving Father, He cares for us.  We are the clay; this should bring us hope, as it tells us that God, as the potter, can work out the things that don't belong in our lives, the imperfections; it means that we are not beyond help, that in God's hands we can be reshaped into the masterpiece we were intended to be.  Because He is the potter, He has the power to transform and shape our lives.   The work of His hand means that even if you thought you didn't have purpose, you do. Every one of us was designed by God with a purpose in mind; we are the work of His hand. 

Father: Shows God cares for His people like a loving parent.

Clay: Means that we can be shaped into the purposes of God.

Potter: He has the power to transform our lives

Work of your hand: Means every person is made with a plan and purpose.

Today's God-Shot is to remember that it is not finished until He is finished with it.   That the Potter is shaping our lives, because we are the work of His hand; He still has a plan and a purpose that He is working out in each of us, and His plans never fail; His purposes will be satisfied; that should give us hope.

Lord, thank you that even in our worst moments, you were still at work in our lives, shaping us, working out the pieces that didn't belong and molding the ones that do; we are the work of your hands. You are carefully and masterfully working them into your purpose. Thank you for this reminder. In Jesus' name, Amen! 

Scripture:

Isaiah 52:7 

How beautiful upon the mountains
Are the feet of him who brings good news,
Who proclaims peace,
Who brings glad tidings of good things,
Who proclaims salvation,
Who says to Zion,
“Your God reigns!”

"Are Your Feet Beautiful?"

When I read this portion I am reminded of what makes beautiful feet.   We would on the surface think delicate, well taken care of, not too big, we have this picture of what they look like.   But this verse speaks of another kind of beauty, the kind that comes from great effort, laboring to get the message, no hill, no hurdle, no wall will keep them from carrying the message, they endure without rest, they labor to bring the "Good News."  

If you have ever seen a ballerina's feet they are worn from the kind of work that their beauty requires, in the ballet shoes they are beauty in perfection, but outside they are evidence of the work that is required to accomplish such beautiful work.

Our God-Shot today is that we should as the messagers of the gospel, labor with all that is within us to carry the message to those who need to hear the good news, to be redeemed, that none should fail to hear it.   We have been called to carry it to the end of the earth.  

So, I ask you "How Beautiful are your Feet?"

Lord, let us not become weary in doing good, carrying your good news, may it be our magnum opus, our life's work, laboring for you and your kingdom, may our feet always be beautiful in Jesus' name, Amen

Scripture:

2 Kings 19:14-15

 14 Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. 15 And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: “Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.

To Cary or Cast Them?

Something profound about Hezekiah's response, today if we pay attention we will get something powerful.   Hezekiah receives a letter from the King of Assyria boasting how no other nation's god could save them.   This was a distressing letter, an attack from the enemy not only on King Hezekiah, but against his Lord.  

I am reminded of Daniel 9 where Michael the ArchAngel was withheld for a time by the Prince of Persia (demonic forces.) I believe this  was as much a spiritual attack as it was a physical one.

But what do you do when you receive bad news, or an attack from the enemy?  Do you carry it, does it become a weight, a burden, sapping your strength, discouraging you?   Or, are you like Hezekiah in that you have decided to lay out your problem before the Lord, decide the the LORD is your TRUST and your HELP?   Declaring "My God is Able!"

Our God-Shot today is that we are not meant to carry our load, to fight alone, but rather we are meant to cast our troubles on Him, give them to Him.  

7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.  ~1 Peter 5:7

Don't get burdened today when things don't go right, don't allow the enemy to discourage, to sap your strength, even resist you, LAY them out before the Lord, He will ANSWER you in the day of your trouble, meet you in your struggle, deliver you from the hand of the enemy.  

We will serve a God "WHO IS ABLE!"

Lord, I pray that those who are burden that they would cast them off, lay them before you surrender what they cannot carry, what you can, what you have the answers to, meet us in our day, in our need, in Jesus' name, Amen!

Scripture:

Isaiah 44:19

No one stops to think,
    no one has the knowledge or understanding to say,
“Half of it I used for fuel;
    I even baked bread over its coals,
    I roasted meat and I ate.
Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left?
    Shall I bow down to a block of wood?”

Who is Your God?

I think when we read about idolatry in the Word of God, we think: "Well, that is dumb, worshiping a statue or wooden idol, or a golden calf."   But... we overlook the fact that there are modern-day idols; they are just not as blatantly obvious as a wood statue or a golden calf.  See, modern-day idolatry can manifest in seemingly innocent ways, like placing too much importance on material possessions, success, or even relationships, social media, or even yourself.  

Hopefully you caught it like me; the Lord is giving us a powerful truth but almost in a satirical way, pointing out how foolish it is to place our trust in things made by human hands or effort. 

"Shall I bow down to a block of wood?"   Just a moment ago I put some of that same wood in the fire.   That is funny, Lord, but it is also a truth that hits you.  

What have you allowed to:

Take your attention?

Get your worship?

Steal your time?

Our God-Shot today is to examine what we have allowed to have greater importance in our lives than God.  Is it our phones? Do they get the first part of our day? Is it our job? Does it get even greater priority? Is it money? Am I pursuing it so hard there is no room for the Lord in my life?   Is it myself? Am I spending all my time self-focused?   Is it my family and friends? Do they get all my time, and none is left for my relationship with Him?  It is not that most of these are things you can't have in your life; the question is, do they have the bull-share of your life, meaning do they crowd out God? That is the question, the challenge today...

Lord, forgive us for anything we have allowed to steal our attention, to become gods in our lives; help us to put you first in all that we do; let our motives be transformed.  We can rely on you; you are our strength, our trust, our salvation- not things, not money, not position, not people. Let us return our hearts to what matters: you, LORD, you.   In Jesus' name, Amen!

Scripture:

Isaiah 43:2-3a 

2 When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up—the flames will not consume you. 3 For I am the Lord your God, your Savior, the Holy One of Israel. 

"Going Through"

If you have lived long enough, you will have already discovered that life comes with its ups and downs, its highs and lows.   Difficult days are just part of life; the unexpected is just that, unexpected. We do not know when it will arrive; we can only be prepared for the "whens" of life.  What we do know is that "WITH" the LORD we will "GO THROUGH" them; we will not be stuck in them.   Rick Warren of Saddleback Church said: "When you are going through hell, you don't stop, you go through, you keep going."   Two great truths we see from today's portion are that the LORD will "BE WITH US" in our dark days, our days of trial, our difficult days, and the second thing is that He will "KEEP" us, that He will not let them "OVERTAKE" us.   

So, today's God-Shot is that you are not alone and that with the presence and the strength of the Lord you will GO THROUGH the dark days, and they will not OVERTAKE you; He will SUPPLY your strength and everything you need to get through.   Today we can take rest in that He is WITH US, He STRENGTHENS US, and that He will KEEP US.

Father, I thank you that there is not a tear that you have not seen, that there is not a difficult day that you have not seen me through, where you have left or abandoned me, there is not a time that you have failed me, even today those who are in difficult days strengthen them, hold them up, see them through the deep waters, in Jesus' name, Amen