June 2023
And just in the blink of an eye we’re already in the 3rd quarter of the year. The great anticipation of Summer is what many of us look forward to on a yearly basis. There are more sunny and warmer days that spark joy in our lives, but for some odd reason this Summer season seems to have penalized us with sprinkles of melancholy moments. And to be honest, I wonder why this is so, Could it directly be related to blatant disobedience in our personal lives? Or perhaps, we haven’t advanced to a certain level of intimacy with God that He’s requiring? Well, whether it’s one of those two things, or another something is the spiritual realm is brewing— and it is undeniably calling for our swift attention. Our God, is and has not been pleased by the behaviors inside and outside of the body of Christ. He cannot work with hypocrites, only with those that are among the righteous. Even biblically it was noted what the fate was for hypocrites— hand of judgment, while for the righteous it was sovereignty and promises.
In the seventh and eighth chapter of Isaiah we are introduced to two sons; Shear-Jashub (a remnant shall return) and Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz (swift to plunder/spoil, speedy is prey). Now, I can imagine what you’re thinking, “What odd names for one of the prophets to name his sons,” and I concur with that statement. But what we have to realize is that theses names were prophetic for what was to come for the lands of Israel and Judah. Due to the Israelites hedonistic ways, and just disobedience in general God was going to do with them accordingly, but He didn’t have intentions on wiping out these entire nations. Remember He had promised, and created a symbol that would grant grace for those in the future. Those who remained faithful and committed did by second-hand experience some of the anguish of God’s judgement, but they were spared because of obedience. Take some time to really think about what was just presented. What have you been spared from in this world, and why do you think so?
I don’t want any of you to forget that this Upper Zoom group is considered at least one-third of the remnant. We have to come to understand that we will still be faced with challenges, but what will be our coping mechanisms— God’s prophetic words and promises, or the temporal aids of this unpredictable world? Will we continue to fall prey to daily distractions, or sacrifice our flesh so that our time, and attention (i.e eyes and ears) are focused on the almighty Creator, Judge, and Savior. We got this and He’s got us so let’s move forward accordingly.
