Living as Witnesses.
I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no savior. Isaiah 43:11
We live in an idolatrous age. We pledge allegiance to powers and systems that cannot do for us what the one true God can. We give excessive admiration or love – praise – to individuals or objects which are ultimately powerless of themselves. We spend countless hours in devotion – worship – to possessions, situations and persons that we hold dear, often choosing to neglect the one who created both us and our possessions. It is no wonder that God challenged the people in Isaiah 43 to prove the spiritual value of that which they had chosen over Him. The fact is that God had an unmatched track record with the Israelites. It was this record that Joshua stood on when he stated to the Hebrew people: “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24: 15. None other had done for them what He had, thus he could speak with force of authority and conviction. Joshua stood as a witness for God before the people.
We live in an idolatrous age. We pledge allegiance to powers and systems that cannot do for us what the one true God can. We give excessive admiration or love – praise – to individuals or objects which are ultimately powerless of themselves. We spend countless hours in devotion – worship – to possessions, situations and persons that we hold dear, often choosing to neglect the one who created both us and our possessions. It is no wonder that God challenged the people in Isaiah 43 to prove the spiritual value of that which they had chosen over Him. The fact is that God had an unmatched track record with the Israelites. It was this record that Joshua stood on when he stated to the Hebrew people: “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24: 15. None other had done for them what He had, thus he could speak with force of authority and conviction. Joshua stood as a witness for God before the people.
Friends, there comes a time in our lives when we must decide for ourselves which God we will serve. By this I mean we have to decide where we place our devotion, our admiration and our allegiance. It is quite possible to love people and things more than we love God. In our text the Lord emphatically states that he alone is God. Like a father He nourished Israel and they strayed from Him (Isaiah 1: 2) and suffered as a result. Neglecting God had placed them in Babylonian captivity. If only they would recognize His as their only hope, their only salvation. He was the only one able to deliver them from the captivity, exile and suffering that they were enduring. He alone could save them then and can save us now. Should we place our trust in any other than God Himself, we are doomed to suffering and hardships. When we trust God however, we are delivered by His strength and power. The Christians of old have attested to this time and again and we who are faithful today can testify also. The faithful stand as witnesses to GodÂ’s unfailing love and faithfulness. He alone is God and there is no other.
Let us ponder then, have we been true witnesses? To be true witnesses we have to be faithful followers. As we follow Christ, the only true Savior, we can indeed testify to the world that God is able to deliver even as He has delivered us. Let us continue to trust in His strength and power and let us be witnesses to His grace so that other may see in us the blessings of serving God.
Till next Tuesday, be blessed!
Let us ponder then, have we been true witnesses? To be true witnesses we have to be faithful followers. As we follow Christ, the only true Savior, we can indeed testify to the world that God is able to deliver even as He has delivered us. Let us continue to trust in His strength and power and let us be witnesses to His grace so that other may see in us the blessings of serving God.
Till next Tuesday, be blessed!
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