Invitation to the Thirsty (Isaiah 55:1-3a)
1 "Come, all you who are thirsty,come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.
2 Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.
3 Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live.
Yesterday, Nicholas was sharing his devotion on Isaiah 55:6-7, and today as I glanced at it briefly, the first few verses of Isaiah 55 caught my eye.
"Buy wine and milk without money and without costs?"
This free proclamation to buy without money is terribly bizarre in contrast with the world. How do you ever buy something without the need for sacrifice or money?
Nothing in life is free!, or so we are informed. Especially in the season of the Great Singapore Sale. Everything is going at a price discount, cheap cheap cheap is the key chant for every shopperholic or Singaporean. If it's free, its gotta be a scam of some sort. We are a skeptical generation.
truly God knows his creation and what makes us tick. Noticed how the word of God addresses the fact that God provides the wine and milk without us needing to fork out $$ and without any costs (i.e - payment, expenditure, effort, or loss) . Often we berate ourselves for all that we do and fail to recognise that for all the pitiful, unworthy state of our being, God never casts us aside and only avail himself when we are in a "better", more worthy states. Instead He does the opposite! He avails and invites the poor and impoverished.
The chapter starts with an invitation to the people in states of desperation and neediness. "COME!"No different from what Jesus told in his parable of great banquet in Luke 14:21-23. The poor in spirit, desperate, needy, scorned, and lowest in statures are all openly welcome to partake of Christ's provision of "food" for our soul.
I can't help but note that plea for all who to take note of the availability of the richest food that will delight the soul. "Listen, Listen" says the word of God. "Come....Come.....give ear and come..." Reminds me of all my school teachers who were trying to get us to pay attention to the most important things which we needed to know in class. Despite the fact that we couldn't be bothered, they kept repeating the need to "listen" for our benefit, because they knew it would truly benefit us. Likewise, the word of God as Isaiah tries to grab our short attention span and entice us to take note of the compelling reasons why we need to stop and listen.
"Why spend money on what is not bread?" - similar to what Jesus told the Samaritan woman, in John 4:13 - "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst."
"Why labor on what does not satisfy?" - echoed in Matthew 6:19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal"
Yes, why do we work and strive so hard on what is temporal? Why do we often rob ourselves of good food and abundance provided by God, especially since it's rich, good food, free and without costs? Often, we do nothing but beat ourselves silly with guilt and feelings of unrighteousness and then decide that we are not worthy to do anything like pray, worship, read the bible or even seek Godly counsel with others. Instead, we get into an "I" centered model and think God wouldn't want anything to do with us, and therefore, we should just live life as we like. Sadly, we fail to listen to the enemy's shouts of cheers and rejoicing everytime we fail prey into this great big deceptive lie that poisons us.
Truly the things of God is far wiser and astounding to the values and methods of man. In spite of all that we struggle and strife with our life's and situation and drive ourselves on to greater material glory and higher sense of achievement, something inside of us cries out for something more substantial to fill a void of our soul.
Today, the word of God says "hear me, that your soul may live". May you choose to Come, Listen and Hear what the word of God has for your life. Because I know as you read the word of God, the innermost recess of your soul and sanctum of your mind will be replaced with the living Word of God and it will breathe life into you.
Blessings.
M.
"Man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD" Deuteronomy 8:3 /Matt 4:4
05 June 2006
Invitation to Buy stuff without Money
Invitation to the Thirsty (Isaiah 55:1-3a)
1 "Come, all you who are thirsty,come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.
2 Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.
3 Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live.
Yesterday, Nicholas was sharing his devotion on Isaiah 55:6-7, and today as I glanced at it briefly, the first few verses of Isaiah 55 caught my eye.
"Buy wine and milk without money and without costs?"
This free proclamation to buy without money is terribly bizarre in contrast with the world. How do you ever buy something without the need for sacrifice or money?
Nothing in life is free!, or so we are informed. Especially in the season of the Great Singapore Sale. Everything is going at a price discount, cheap cheap cheap is the key chant for every shopperholic or Singaporean. If it's free, its gotta be a scam of some sort. We are a skeptical generation.
truly God knows his creation and what makes us tick. Noticed how the word of God addresses the fact that God provides the wine and milk without us needing to fork out $$ and without any costs (i.e - payment, expenditure, effort, or loss) . Often we berate ourselves for all that we do and fail to recognise that for all the pitiful, unworthy state of our being, God never casts us aside and only avail himself when we are in a "better", more worthy states. Instead He does the opposite! He avails and invites the poor and impoverished.
The chapter starts with an invitation to the people in states of desperation and neediness. "COME!"No different from what Jesus told in his parable of great banquet in Luke 14:21-23. The poor in spirit, desperate, needy, scorned, and lowest in statures are all openly welcome to partake of Christ's provision of "food" for our soul.
I can't help but note that plea for all who to take note of the availability of the richest food that will delight the soul. "Listen, Listen" says the word of God. "Come....Come.....give ear and come..." Reminds me of all my school teachers who were trying to get us to pay attention to the most important things which we needed to know in class. Despite the fact that we couldn't be bothered, they kept repeating the need to "listen" for our benefit, because they knew it would truly benefit us. Likewise, the word of God as Isaiah tries to grab our short attention span and entice us to take note of the compelling reasons why we need to stop and listen.
"Why spend money on what is not bread?" - similar to what Jesus told the Samaritan woman, in John 4:13 - "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst."
"Why labor on what does not satisfy?" - echoed in Matthew 6:19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal"
Yes, why do we work and strive so hard on what is temporal? Why do we often rob ourselves of good food and abundance provided by God, especially since it's rich, good food, free and without costs? Often, we do nothing but beat ourselves silly with guilt and feelings of unrighteousness and then decide that we are not worthy to do anything like pray, worship, read the bible or even seek Godly counsel with others. Instead, we get into an "I" centered model and think God wouldn't want anything to do with us, and therefore, we should just live life as we like. Sadly, we fail to listen to the enemy's shouts of cheers and rejoicing everytime we fail prey into this great big deceptive lie that poisons us.
Truly the things of God is far wiser and astounding to the values and methods of man. In spite of all that we struggle and strife with our life's and situation and drive ourselves on to greater material glory and higher sense of achievement, something inside of us cries out for something more substantial to fill a void of our soul.
Today, the word of God says "hear me, that your soul may live". May you choose to Come, Listen and Hear what the word of God has for your life. Because I know as you read the word of God, the innermost recess of your soul and sanctum of your mind will be replaced with the living Word of God and it will breathe life into you.
Blessings.
M.
"Man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD" Deuteronomy 8:3 /Matt 4:4
1 "Come, all you who are thirsty,come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.
2 Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.
3 Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live.
Yesterday, Nicholas was sharing his devotion on Isaiah 55:6-7, and today as I glanced at it briefly, the first few verses of Isaiah 55 caught my eye.
"Buy wine and milk without money and without costs?"
This free proclamation to buy without money is terribly bizarre in contrast with the world. How do you ever buy something without the need for sacrifice or money?
Nothing in life is free!, or so we are informed. Especially in the season of the Great Singapore Sale. Everything is going at a price discount, cheap cheap cheap is the key chant for every shopperholic or Singaporean. If it's free, its gotta be a scam of some sort. We are a skeptical generation.
truly God knows his creation and what makes us tick. Noticed how the word of God addresses the fact that God provides the wine and milk without us needing to fork out $$ and without any costs (i.e - payment, expenditure, effort, or loss) . Often we berate ourselves for all that we do and fail to recognise that for all the pitiful, unworthy state of our being, God never casts us aside and only avail himself when we are in a "better", more worthy states. Instead He does the opposite! He avails and invites the poor and impoverished.
The chapter starts with an invitation to the people in states of desperation and neediness. "COME!"No different from what Jesus told in his parable of great banquet in Luke 14:21-23. The poor in spirit, desperate, needy, scorned, and lowest in statures are all openly welcome to partake of Christ's provision of "food" for our soul.
I can't help but note that plea for all who to take note of the availability of the richest food that will delight the soul. "Listen, Listen" says the word of God. "Come....Come.....give ear and come..." Reminds me of all my school teachers who were trying to get us to pay attention to the most important things which we needed to know in class. Despite the fact that we couldn't be bothered, they kept repeating the need to "listen" for our benefit, because they knew it would truly benefit us. Likewise, the word of God as Isaiah tries to grab our short attention span and entice us to take note of the compelling reasons why we need to stop and listen.
"Why spend money on what is not bread?" - similar to what Jesus told the Samaritan woman, in John 4:13 - "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst."
"Why labor on what does not satisfy?" - echoed in Matthew 6:19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal"
Yes, why do we work and strive so hard on what is temporal? Why do we often rob ourselves of good food and abundance provided by God, especially since it's rich, good food, free and without costs? Often, we do nothing but beat ourselves silly with guilt and feelings of unrighteousness and then decide that we are not worthy to do anything like pray, worship, read the bible or even seek Godly counsel with others. Instead, we get into an "I" centered model and think God wouldn't want anything to do with us, and therefore, we should just live life as we like. Sadly, we fail to listen to the enemy's shouts of cheers and rejoicing everytime we fail prey into this great big deceptive lie that poisons us.
Truly the things of God is far wiser and astounding to the values and methods of man. In spite of all that we struggle and strife with our life's and situation and drive ourselves on to greater material glory and higher sense of achievement, something inside of us cries out for something more substantial to fill a void of our soul.
Today, the word of God says "hear me, that your soul may live". May you choose to Come, Listen and Hear what the word of God has for your life. Because I know as you read the word of God, the innermost recess of your soul and sanctum of your mind will be replaced with the living Word of God and it will breathe life into you.
Blessings.
M.
"Man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD" Deuteronomy 8:3 /Matt 4:4
