DEVOTION: Isaiah 11:1-10 (ESV)
"The Righteous Reign of the Branch"
11 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
2 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.
3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide disputes by what his ears hear,
4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,
and faithfulness the belt of his loins.
6 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;
and a little child shall lead them.
7 The cow and the bear shall graze;
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra,
and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den.
9 They shall not hurt or destroy
in all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
10 In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.
How we judge people and how Christ judges them are two different things. We judge by what we see and hear. Christ judges by what he knows is in the heart. We judge in selfishness, bitterness, anger, and too often without forgiveness. He judges in righteousness for everyone whether they believe in him or not, and in complete and total forgiveness for those who trust in him.
It is a most wonderful thing to realize that our Lord Jesus doesn't just judge by what he sees and hears, because if he did we would all be lost and condemned forever. Our actions, thoughts, and words convict us daily. Instead of judging us as our sins deserve, he looks into the heart, and for those who have been baptized, for those who believe in the salvation that he has won, he sees himself. He sees a pure and perfect saint who has been washed cleaned and who is continually forgiven.
On the day Christ returns all that Isaiah proclaimed in these verses will happen. Until that day, know that you've already been judged and been found not guilty by virtue of the judge who is also your Lord and Savior. Have peace in him today!
Prayer: Lord Jesus, bless us more and more with the sure knowledge that you judge according to your own righteousness and that we have been redeemed by your precious blood. Amen.
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CALENDAR
Tues- Quilting 9-2
Wed- Fried Chicken and potluck Supper 5:30; worship 6:30pm; Choir 7:15
Thurs- Karate 5:15-7:30
Sat- Little Lamb's Christmas Program 3:30; Worship 5pm
Sun- Worship 8:30; Sunday school 9:45; Chapel 11; Little Lambs Christmas program 3:30 (SCRIP ORDERS DUE)
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WORSHIP WORKERS FOR THIS COMING WEEKEND:
Acolyte- Wed- Dulci Rahn; 8:30- Dawn Sherman 11- Luke Rausch
Ushers- Wed- Brent Davis, George Hoelscher, Gary Hoelscher, Ben Hoelsccher
Sun- Marv Hendershot, Don Luebke, Dave Callies, Don Nolte
Altar- Wed Candles- Terry McKenzie; Set up- Ruth Walters; Clean Up- Terry McKenzie
Elders- Sat- Randy Sweet; 8:30- John Hachtel 11- Steve Robine
Greeters- 8:30- Rob and Julie Schaumberg; 11- Steve and Sandy Robine
Lay Readers- Sat- Randy Sweet; 8:30- Lois Boeger; 11- Sandy Robine
Piano- Barb Dreyer
Organist- Rachel Fisher
Projectionists: Sat- Mauch; Sun- McKenzie
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TODAY'S QUIZ: In what region/city were Paul and Silas jailed and the jailer converted?
(I'll try again since no one answered yesterday.)