Christ Jesus Our LIFE Church (Isugan)

29/11/2025

28/07/2024

blessed sunday 💗💗💗

03/07/2024

Brother Dave was invited to preach at Bayawan City

01/05/2024

''EARTHLY RULINGS''

ISIAH 18
A Prophecy Against Cush
18 Woe to the land of whirring wings[a]
along the rivers of Cush,[b]
2 which sends envoys by sea
in papyrus boats over the water.

Go, swift messengers,
to a people tall and smooth-skinned,
to a people feared far and wide,
an aggressive nation of strange speech,
whose land is divided by rivers.

3 All you people of the world,
you who live on the earth,
when a banner is raised on the mountains,
you will see it,
and when a trumpet sounds,
you will hear it.
4 This is what the Lord says to me:
“I will remain quiet and will look on from my dwelling place,
like shimmering heat in the sunshine,
like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.”
5 For, before the harvest, when the blossom is gone
and the flower becomes a ripening grape,
he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives,
and cut down and take away the spreading branches.
6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey
and to the wild animals;
the birds will feed on them all summer,
the wild animals all winter.

7 At that time gifts will be brought to the Lord Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned,
from a people feared far and wide,
an aggressive nation of strange speech,
whose land is divided by rivers—

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion, the place of the Name of the Lord Almighty.

Reflections :

Earthly Rulers and the King
Picture
Verse 3 displays an interesting, but common, characteristic about God; whenever He is about to say or do something important, He precedes it with an announcement or prophecy. I think of when our president is going to give a speech; it is always announced before hand. We are told that he is going to say something, the press is gathered, and then he gives the formal address.

God the Father is the same way. As king of heaven, He announces to his prophets what He is going to do. Sometimes, as was the case with the birth of Christ and even the prophet Daniel, the message is sent by an angel who speaks directly to humans (Lk 1:26-27; Dan 10:2-12:13).

Continuing the analogy, imagine an angel or a prophet as the forerunner who announces that God is about to something. The believers are like the press who gather to hear or see the event, expecting God to perform it, and therefore telling others to tune in. God then performs His work, and those who witness it proclaim abroad what He has done.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we all tuned in to God's speech?

He has given one long speech to us in the form of the Bible, and His voice can be heard in His constant presence in human history. He's our sovereign King; let's give Him the respect He deserves.

Verse by Verse Commentary
1-2 God describes Ethiopia as a great nation that has influence across the Red Sea and faraway people. Sending ambassadors to people who have been peeled and spoiled raises the suspicion of them taking advantage of those in a weakened condition. This is, in fact, the case as is revealed in the following verses.

3 This proceeding proclamation is standard when God gives the decree. Like any earthly king, the Lord announces that He is about to tell you something important.
4 God is going to step back and assess the situation. He never acts in haste.

5 Before evil has time to bear its full fruit, God will cut it down. Ethiopia's intentions against other nations are not good, or God would have no cause to intervene.

6 Instead of taking advantage of others, the evil doer will become the victim. Compare with Psalm 57:6. Alternately, God is telling us that evil is self-destruction for the very thing of which one is partaking will one day feed on that person.

7 All the people that have been beaten up and taken advantage of by this world and other people are the very same people God considers to be a gift to Himself. He is going to wrap them up bring them to a new home on Mount Zion....

let us pray:
Father God thank you for another again for this wonderful morning ,for waking up us ,thank you for your word today, help us to live in view of that day to come. Lord help us to live in anticipation of that day to come. Help us to live with confidence that that day is coming. And in light of that day to come, help us to be faithful today. So God, help us to pray today for the coming of that day. Help us to pray, help us to give, use this social media to worship and honor you. Help us to do that, not just far from us, but near to us. So God, use us today to bring more people ,specially our family and love ones To bring tribute and honor to you.” “In Jesus’ name we pray these things. Amen.

24/04/2024

''UNIVERSAL JUDGEMENT AND SALVATION''
ISIAH 12
Prophecy Against Babylon
13 A prophecy against Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz saw:

2 Raise a banner on a bare hilltop,
shout to them;
beckon to them
to enter the gates of the nobles.
3 I have commanded those I prepared for battle;
I have summoned my warriors to carry out my wrath—
those who rejoice in my triumph.

4 Listen, a noise on the mountains,
like that of a great multitude!
Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms,
like nations massing together!
The Lord Almighty is mustering
an army for war.
5 They come from faraway lands,
from the ends of the heavens—
the Lord and the weapons of his wrath—
to destroy the whole country

REFLECTIONS:

Isaiah records God's declaration that He will not allow proud, evil humanity to continue to thrive in the world. The day of the Lord's judgment is coming for them. This judgment is coming due to their nauseating combination of wickedness and arrogance, as well as ruthlessness and vanity.
God is both the judge and the savior. This means that God has a plan to make all things right in the end, and that a necessary part of that process is declaring what is not yet right. This is the message of Isaiah the prophet. The judgment of God declares what is broken; the promise of God
Isaiah portrays God, not as a passive spectator, but as a general in battle, personally involved and interested in His people. He cares about us - our well-being and destiny. His greatest interest is to save us for eternity. Trust in your General, He will not rest until he brings peace and harmony back into the universe!
Includes ten prophetic burdens on nations surrounding Israel and an extended prophetic discourse of universal judgment and salvation. This commentary expounds their historical context, fulfillment in Jesus Christ, relevance for the church, and consummation at the return of Christ....
LET US PRAY:

Heavenly Father, thank You that Jesus is the one and only Bright Morning Star and that my life is hid with Christ in God. Thank You that nothing can pluck me out of His hands. Thank You that Satan is a defeated foe and that in Christ I have all that is needed to resist the devil and to stand firm in this evil day. I pray that the minds of many who have been deceived by Satan's evil lies and blinded to the truth of the glorious gospel of Christ, may come to see the truth that Jesus is the only Way to God, the only true Light of God, and that in Him is Life everlasting. In Jesus' name, AMEN.AMEN AMEN......
HAVE A WONDERFL DAY EVERYONE!!!!

23/04/2024

Songs of Praise
ISIAH 12

1 In that day you will say:

“I will praise you, Lord.
Although you were angry with me,
your anger has turned away
and you have comforted me.
2 Surely God is my salvation;
I will trust and not be afraid.
The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense[a];
he has become my salvation.”
3 With joy you will draw water
from the wells of salvation.

4 In that day you will say:

“Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;
make known among the nations what he has done,
and proclaim that his name is exalted.
5 Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things;
let this be known to all the world.
6 Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion,
for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.”

REFLECTIONS:
urely God is my salvation. I will trust him and will not be afraid, because Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song, and he has become my salvation. God is not only the source of righteous, justified anger over sin, but Isaiah said he has also become our salvation. And Isaiah uses the personal names for the true God, Yah and the Lord, or Yah and Yahweh, to point to that. That personal name for God is derived from the name we heard God give to Moses last week in our First Reading from Exodus 3, “I am who I am.” This is God’s name by which he wants to be known. And Yah, or Yahweh, or the all-capital-letters-Lord all communicate the same thing. This is is the God who always has been, always is, and always will be. He is eternal and unchangeable.

Which means that God did not change from the loving God who created us into the vengeful God who punishes us. No, God has always been who he is. He’s always been perfectly consistent. He’s always been the loving God who wants what’s best for us. He’s never wanted to punish people for sin, but sin and his justice made that unavoidable
But what Isaiah is directing us towards is always valuing and prioritizing God’s forgiveness. Our joy in God may, at times, be a somber joy. When we lose a loved one in Christ, through tears we cling to Christ’s promise of forgiveness and resurrection reunions. In family difficulties, we do our best to attend to our God-given responsibilities and work to improve the problems while at the same time trusting God’s promises to work all things out for our eternal good. When nothing is going right and we grieve the decisions we’ve made or the actions we taken, or the words we’ve spoken, we hold God’s forgiveness fast to our heart and his assurance that he will turn our weeping into rejoicing, and that the present troubles we endure have no comparison to the glory that will be given to us in eternal life.

In all of those cases, the people involved don’t lose track of the big picture. God’s anger has turned away; God is our salvation. May God prevent us from ever taking that for granted or not valuing what he has done for us. May God enable us to share that truth with others, to encourage them in times of guilt and despair, sorrow and grief.

If we revisit Jesus’ parable from the Gospel for just a moment, we see two sons who did what was wrong. One son left and wasted his wealth on sinful living; the other burned with self-righteousness and resentment. Both sons can describe us at various times and in various ways. Sometimes we are doing things to bring God’s anger on us, other times we are taking God’s salvation for granted, not valuing the reality of his mercy, or not seeing our need for it.

But the constant in Jesus’ parable is the Father: always patient, always loving, always forgiving. That is our God, and all that we need depends on him, not on you and not on me. God turned his anger away so you will not be punished for your sin. God is your salvation so you will live with him forever. Whether you’ve spent a great deal of time away abusing his goodness or have let apathy set in, or anything else in between, God continues to be there, ready to embrace, ready to forgive, because that’s what Jesus has given. We are forgiven. We are in our heavenly Father’s arms now will be forever in heaven. Amen.

LET US PRAY:

Thank You, Lord, for OUR wonderful salvation. Praise the Lord O my soul, for You are a great and mighty God. As we go into the world today as Your representative, give us increased boldness to speak the name of Jesus. May our life reflect Your grace and goodness, to Your praise and glory.Lord, you are our strength and our song. We will worship you today and sing your praises, even if we cannot quite understand what you are doing. Thank you for putting a new song in my heart.

In Jesus’ name we pray, AMEN.

“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.”
(Isaiah 12:2)

18/04/2024

''The Spirit Shall Rest on Him''
ISIAH 11
The Branch From Jesse
1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
3 and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;
4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
5 Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

6 The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling[a] together;
and a little child will lead them.
7 The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
8 The infant will play near the cobra’s den,
and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
9 They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.

10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious. 11 In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the surviving remnant of his people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush,[b] from Elam, from Babylonia,[c] from Hamath and from the islands of the Mediterranean.

12 He will raise a banner for the nations
and gather the exiles of Israel;
he will assemble the scattered people of Judah
from the four quarters of the earth.
13 Ephraim’s jealousy will vanish,
and Judah’s enemies[d] will be destroyed;
Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah,
nor Judah hostile toward Ephraim.
14 They will swoop down on the slopes of Philistia to the west;
together they will plunder the people to the east.
They will subdue Edom and Moab,
and the Ammonites will be subject to them.
15 The Lord will dry up
the gulf of the Egyptian sea;
with a scorching wind he will sweep his hand
over the Euphrates River.
He will break it up into seven streams
so that anyone can cross over in sandals.
16 There will be a highway for the remnant of his people
that is left from Assyria,
as there was for Israel
when they came up from Egypt.

RFLECTIONS:
“There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit, and the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him. The spirit of wisdom and understanding. The spirit of counsel and might. The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.”
– Isaiah 11:1–2
This in Isaiah 11:1–2 is clearly a promise written hundreds of years before the coming of Jesus, of one who had come from the line of David, a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.

So, just think about the fruit that Jesus would bear, the fruit that would come from his life, his coming, what we celebrate at Christmas. The fruit of sinners, multitudes of sinners, countless sinners saved by God’s grace from their sin. Redeemed, changed, transformed, restored to relationship with God and all the fruit that comes from that. All that we see in the Bible of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, the fruit of his spirit, which is the whole point here in verse two, the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him. The spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, and the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
The Spirit Given by His Grace
So through the work of Christ, the Spirit that rested on Him is given to us by His grace through faith in Him.
So, the spirit of God fully resting on Jesus. This is what we see in Matthew 3:16–17, the fulfillment basically of this promise as Jesus is baptized. We see this glorious picture of the spirit of God just fully on him. Jesus has the spirit of God perfectly resting upon him. Now, here’s the beauty, because yes, Jesus is absolutely unique. He’s gloriously unique. He is gloriously unique in a way that we worship and we praise him.
Isaiah 11:1–2 Celebrates the Power of the Spirit
At the same time, do you realize what we’re celebrating at Christmas is not just that Jesus, the shoot from the stump of Jesse and branch from his roots has come and the spirit of Lord dwelled in him? Because, Jesus died on the cross for our sins, rose from the grave in victory over sin, ascended on high, and made it possible for all who trust in him to be forgiven of our sins and empowered by his spirit.
So Jesus has sent the same spirit that was on him into each one of our hearts. The spirit of the Lord. Yes, the spirit of wisdom and understanding. The spirit of counsel and might. The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. The same spirit that dwelled in Jesus, that Jesus perfectly personified is the same Spirit who dwells in us, who dwells in you and me. This is what we celebrate at Christmas. Not just that Jesus came, but that Jesus lives and his spirit lives inside of every one of us.
LET US PRAY:
Father God thank you for this amazing day for waking up us ,for your amazing word , help us to live in this today. God, We pray that in our own life in everything we do, that your spirit would lead, guide, and direct us. Your spirit of wisdom and understanding and counsel and might and knowledge. The fear of you would totally direct everything we think can say and do today, that your spirit’s power in us would make us a witness just as you promised Jesus. That you would give us boldness by your spirit to share the gospel today and to point people to Jesus. Father God, please help us to walk in step with your spirit, just totally following the leadership of your spirit in us. Above all else, help us to live a spiritual, spirit-filled life today. That we would be empowered by your spirit with boldness to share the gospel. To share the good news of your love in Jesus with those around us .Lord God, please may it be so today. Use us to lead someone to Jesus by the power of your spirit in them. And father GOD tonight is the flight of my Girls ,i thank you LORD for all the love,the amazing grace for the great favor the answered prayer,may the holy spirit be upon them guide and lead their ways ,Keep them safe oh GOD,we thank you and we praise you in your name there is power and victory hallelujah in the mighty name of our LORD JESUS CHRIST AMEN AMEN AMEN ....

17/04/2024

''The LORD Humbles the Proud''
ISIAH 10

Woe to those who make unjust laws,
to those who issue oppressive decrees,
2 to deprive the poor of their rights
and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people,
making widows their prey
and robbing the fatherless.
3 What will you do on the day of reckoning,
when disaster comes from afar?
To whom will you run for help?
Where will you leave your riches?
4 Nothing will remain but to cringe among the captives
or fall among the slain.

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
his hand is still upraised.

God’s Judgment on Assyria
5 “Woe to the Assyrian, the rod of my anger,
in whose hand is the club of my wrath!
6 I send him against a godless nation,
I dispatch him against a people who anger me,
to seize loot and sn**ch plunder,
and to trample them down like mud in the streets.
7 But this is not what he intends,
this is not what he has in mind;
his purpose is to destroy,
to put an end to many nations.
8 ‘Are not my commanders all kings?’ he says.
9 ‘Has not Kalno fared like Carchemish?
Is not Hamath like Arpad,
and Samaria like Damascus?
10 As my hand seized the kingdoms of the idols,
kingdoms whose images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria—
11 shall I not deal with Jerusalem and her images
as I dealt with Samaria and her idols?’”

12 When the Lord has finished all his work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, he will say, “I will punish the king of Assyria for the willful pride of his heart and the haughty look in his eyes. 13 For he says:

“‘By the strength of my hand I have done this,
and by my wisdom, because I have understanding.
I removed the boundaries of nations,
I plundered their treasures;
like a mighty one I subdued[a] their kings.
14 As one reaches into a nest,
so my hand reached for the wealth of the nations;
as people gather abandoned eggs,
so I gathered all the countries;
not one flapped a wing,
or opened its mouth to chirp.’”

15 Does the ax raise itself above the person who swings it,
or the saw boast against the one who uses it?
As if a rod were to wield the person who lifts it up,
or a club brandish the one who is not wood!
16 Therefore, the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
will send a wasting disease upon his sturdy warriors;
under his pomp a fire will be kindled
like a blazing flame.
17 The Light of Israel will become a fire,
their Holy One a flame;
in a single day it will burn and consume
his thorns and his briers.
18 The splendor of his forests and fertile fields
it will completely destroy,
as when a sick person wastes away.
19 And the remaining trees of his forests will be so few
that a child could write them down.

The Remnant of Israel
20 In that day the remnant of Israel,
the survivors of Jacob,
will no longer rely on him
who struck them down
but will truly rely on the Lord,
the Holy One of Israel.
21 A remnant will return,[b] a remnant of Jacob
will return to the Mighty God.
22 Though your people be like the sand by the sea, Israel,
only a remnant will return.
Destruction has been decreed,
overwhelming and righteous.
23 The Lord, the Lord Almighty, will carry out
the destruction decreed upon the whole land.

24 Therefore this is what the Lord, the Lord Almighty, says:

“My people who live in Zion,
do not be afraid of the Assyrians,
who beat you with a rod
and lift up a club against you, as Egypt did.
25 Very soon my anger against you will end
and my wrath will be directed to their destruction.”

26 The Lord Almighty will lash them with a whip,
as when he struck down Midian at the rock of Oreb;
and he will raise his staff over the waters,
as he did in Egypt.
27 In that day their burden will be lifted from your shoulders,
their yoke from your neck;
the yoke will be broken
because you have grown so fat.[c]

28 They enter Aiath;
they pass through Migron;
they store supplies at Mikmash.
29 They go over the pass, and say,
“We will camp overnight at Geba.”
Ramah trembles;
Gibeah of Saul flees.
30 Cry out, Daughter Gallim!
Listen, Laishah!
Poor Anathoth!
31 Madmenah is in flight;
the people of Gebim take cover.
32 This day they will halt at Nob;
they will shake their fist
at the mount of Daughter Zion,
at the hill of Jerusalem.

33 See, the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
will lop off the boughs with great power.
The lofty trees will be felled,
the tall ones will be brought low.
34 He will cut down the forest thickets with an ax;
Lebanon will fall before the Mighty One.

REFLECTIONS:
God tells His people: Do not be afraid of the Assyrian.
It shall come to pass in that day: The LORD told Judah to not trust in Assyria as their deliverer when the threat from Syria and Israel came (Isaiah 7). The LORD promised that He would deliver them from Syria and Israel and that they did not have to trust in Assyria. But Ahaz, king of Judah, did not take God’s counsel and trusted in Assyria. The LORD would then use Assyria to defeat Syria and Israel as He had promised, but He would also use Assyria to judge Judah. Now, the LORD wants to prepare Judah for the attack from Assyria, reminding them that He is still in charge and they can still trust Him.

i. This shows the remarkable grace and longsuffering of God. We would not criticize the LORD if He said, “You want to trust in the Assyrians and not in Me? Fine. You are now on your own. Good luck.” But even in the midst of the judgment they deserved, brought through the Assyrians, God wants to comfort His people and bring them hope.

b. The remnant of Israel…will never again depend on him who defeated them, but will depend on the LORD. The LORD promises His people, “You are going through this now because you will not trust Me. But I am going to change you so that you trust Me again, and you will once again depend on the LORD.”

c. A remnant of them will return: The suffering of God’s people at the hands of the Assyrians and others would make them feel as if they would certainly be destroyed. God assures them that this is not the case. He will always preserve His remnant.
The destruction decreed shall overflow with righteousness: When God allows destruction – whether in outright judgment or loving correction – it is always righteous, and never unfair. In fact, His judgment overflows with righteousness.

e. For the Lord GOD of hosts will make a determined end: An end of what? An end of Judah’s trust in nations like Assyria. They will never again depend on him who defeated him.
Behold, the Lord,
The LORD of hosts,
Will lop off the bough with terror;
Those of high stature will be hewn down,
And the haughty will be humbled.
He will cut down the thickets of the forest with iron,
And Lebanon will fall by the Mighty One.

a. Those of high stature will be hewn down: The LORD promises that His judgment will extend even against those of high stature. A mighty forest seems invincible and seems as if it will stand forever, but the LORD can cut it down. Even so, the LORD will cut down the proud and those of high stature among Judah. All that will be left in a once-mighty forest will be stumps.

b. And Lebanon will fall by the Mighty One: The forests of Lebanon were known for their large, mighty cedar trees. God will judge the proud among Judah – and all the nations for that matter – and leave a once mighty forest of those of high stature as if they were just stumps. The bigger they are, the harder they fall down.

Run from sin that you have become comfortable with and live a life of repentance.

What’s remarkable is that the people of God at this point around them are experiencing all kinds of devastation and collapse socially. They’re seeing the effects of sin and yet they still don’t turn from it. As a result of their not turning away from sin God’s anger is not turned away from them and His hand of judgment remains stretched out over them.

LET US PRAY:
Run from sin that you have become comfortable with and live a life of repentance.

Father God we thank you for this day and the grace of life in Jesus , have mercy on us and forgive our sins. Father pour your anointing of greatness upon us, let every yoke of stagnation, backwardness and delay be broken in our life in Jesus name,
renew our heart and strength let your power for great exploit fill us ,Lord deliver from every generational yoke pulling us back from achieving in life ,Thank you Jesus for answered prayers in Jesus name, AMEN AMEN AMEN.....

16/04/2024

''The Government of the Promised Son''
ISIAH 9

[a]Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—

2 The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.
3 You have enlarged the nation
and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
when dividing the plunder.
4 For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,
you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor.
5 Every warrior’s boot used in battle
and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
will be fuel for the fire.
6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this.

The Lord’s Anger Against Israel
8 The Lord has sent a message against Jacob;
it will fall on Israel.
9 All the people will know it—
Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria—
who say with pride
and arrogance of heart,
10 “The bricks have fallen down,
but we will rebuild with dressed stone;
the fig trees have been felled,
but we will replace them with cedars.”
11 But the Lord has strengthened Rezin’s foes against them
and has spurred their enemies on.
12 Arameans from the east and Philistines from the west
have devoured Israel with open mouth.

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
his hand is still upraised.

13 But the people have not returned to him who struck them,
nor have they sought the Lord Almighty.
14 So the Lord will cut off from Israel both head and tail,
both palm branch and reed in a single day;
15 the elders and dignitaries are the head,
the prophets who teach lies are the tail.
16 Those who guide this people mislead them,
and those who are guided are led astray.
17 Therefore the Lord will take no pleasure in the young men,
nor will he pity the fatherless and widows,
for everyone is ungodly and wicked,
every mouth speaks folly.

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
his hand is still upraised.

18 Surely wickedness burns like a fire;
it consumes briers and thorns,
it sets the forest thickets ablaze,
so that it rolls upward in a column of smoke.
19 By the wrath of the Lord Almighty
the land will be scorched
and the people will be fuel for the fire;
they will not spare one another.
20 On the right they will devour,
but still be hungry;
on the left they will eat,
but not be satisfied.
Each will feed on the flesh of their own offspring[b]:
21 Manasseh will feed on Ephraim, and Ephraim on Manasseh;
together they will turn against Judah.

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
his hand is still upraised.

REFLECTIONS:
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”
“...we can be joyful because we know that while we cannot expect complete justice on this earth, He is in control and He reigns with justice. ”
I am sure Isaiah’s audience might have scratched their heads after hearing these words. When will this be? How will this all come to pass? But for us, living on this side of the coming of Christ, as He came to die for us, and as He rose from the dead on the third day, we can be joyful. We can be joyful, not because our lives are perfect, not because we live a sinless life, but because we, as sinners, can know and experience that He is our righteousness; we can be joyful because He has made reconciliation for us with God and now we are at peace with God; we can be joyful because we know that while we cannot expect complete justice on this earth, He is in control and He reigns with justice.

Remember what Isaiah said: “For to us a child is born.” Jesus was born for us. He came to be our Redeemer. He came to set us free from the slavery and the burden of sin, shortcomings, and meanness. He came to take the oppressor away from our shoulder. He came to bring a solution for my, for our sins. He carried those sins on the cross. He wants to be our miraculous Counselor, our mighty God, our everlasting Father, and our Prince of Peace. Let us invite Him, embrace Him and adore Him in our every journey....

LET US PRAY:
Faithful God, we give thanks for the loving gift of Your Son, Christ Jesus, and Your assurance that You are by our side evermore.
Let our voices and our lives be lifted up in praise to your almighty truth.
Glory to God in the Highest. No matter how many times we read of the wonder of Your incarnation as the Word made flesh, it fills us with wonder and praise. Lord, we worship You in the beauty of holiness, and we bow down before Your throne of grace in wonderment, for holy is Your name. In Jesus' name we pray, AMEN.