BRING IT

Isaiah 59:9-15
9 Justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We look for light, but all is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows. 10 Like the blind we grope along the wall, feeling our way like men without eyes. At midday we stumble as if it were twilight; among the strong, we are like the dead. . . . 12 For our offenses are many in Your sight, and our sins testify against us. Our offenses are ever with us, and we acknowledge our iniquities: 13 rebellion and treachery against the Lord, turning our backs on our God, fomenting oppression and revolt, uttering lies our hearts have conceived. 14 So justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter. 15 Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey. The Lord looked and was displeased that there was no justice.

In Isaiah 59 the prophet was bringing it! He was not holding back. All around him, he saw people who were not living in truth (v.15). There was a decided lack of justice and righteousness in his world. His people were messed up.

Just like you and me, he longed for truth to save the day. Perhaps unlike us, however, he recognized that the way out of
the abyss of living a lie begins with the understanding of the true offense.

We have no problem labeling our sins . . . mistreatment of others, apathy, and other offenses. But the core issue is found in verses 12-13, where Isaiah states, "Our offenses are ever with us, and we acknowledge our iniquities: rebellion and treachery against the Lord, turning our backs on our God."

We can feel guilty all we want about our sins. We can name them one by one. But until we acknowledge that the root of our sin is rebellion against God, our lives will lack complete truth.

Christian writer A. W. Tozer had a good grasp on what it means to understand our condition before God. He wrote: "For a long time I have believed that truth, to be understood, must be lived; that Bible doctrine is wholly ineffective until it has been digested and assimilated by the total life. . . . Truth in the Scriptures is more than a fact. A fact may be detached, impersonal, cold, and totally disassociated from life. Truth, on the other hand, is warm, living, and spiritual" (from the book That Incredible Christian).

As we dig deeper into God's Word, we find that the words probe ever further into our hearts. We no longer see sin as simply "bad" or "ugly." We begin to truly grasp that sin is a result of turning our backs on God. It's flat-out rebellion.

Live in truth today. Confess to God your own rebellion against Him. Bring it to Him and hold nothing back. --Tom Felten

DESTINATION POINTS

* Why is it important to understand that rebellion against God is the core issue of sin?
* How have I been rebelling against Him?

LINKS:
What is Satan's motive for rebellion?
http://www.questions.org/answer/bible/satan/satanmotive.xml

I Turned My Back On God
http://www.christianitytoday.com/cl/2003/001/2.30.html

bottom line: Sinful acts begin with rebellion.

soul journey