Scripture:
Isaiah 11:1-3 ESV
[1] 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,
Observation:
I know I missed writing a SOAP yesterday. I apologize. I’m usually pretty consistent. So here we go, Isaiah is pretty consistent as well. Over and over, he speaks about the coming savior. He does it in a manner that if you don’t know or you’re just reading over the scripture, you will miss it. I don’t want to miss it anymore. I don’t know about you, but it’s worth not missing. It seems to be so clear in this scripture to me, but maybe some of us are just reading at the surface level, and I’m not saying that is wrong. My plea is to get the scripture into your heart because that’s when it will make an impact on your life. These are a few short verses that talk about Jesus way before HE ever walked on earth. It gives a description of HIS character. They tell of HIS family line and how HE will have the Holy Spirit. These verses tell us that HE will not just look at the surface of an issue but will look at the spirit of the matter. We are given an example of this when Solomon was king. He had to woman come to him. Both had given birth to a son, but one had died his method of handling the dispute was not conventional by any means, but the truth was driven out. He did not make a decision based on what he heard but what he saw between the lines of the situation. Because that’s where the truth was found. I’m not a bible scholar. I just love GOD’S word, and if we pay attention to what the LORD is telling us, we can see that HE wants us to know HIM and HIS character.
Application:
GOD does not want us to just be looking at the surface of life. Allowing the Holy Spirit to lead is not always easy. But if we want peace in our lives, it’s a must. I know the scripture above is talking about the fact that Jesus is coming from the family line of Jesse, and that should not be swept under the rug. It’s very important. My desire is to drive that out and also understand how the Scripture applies to our lives. I want to be led by the Holy Spirit. So often, I see a situation and want to react to what can be seen and heard in that situation. That’s not how we need to be. If we sit and allow our emotions to rest, the spirit of GOD will rest upon us, and we will see the deeper issue we can run our lives on our emotions and mess everything up with great intentions. Or we can pray for the eyes and heart of Jesus to lead us, and be I beacon of hope to the hurting. We have to stop digging with the shovel of emotion and start mining down with the Holy Spirit. The surface is good and will reveal enough to show us that there is so much more. So much more to people than what we see so much more than what they say. We need to be led by the heart of Jesus it’s the only way.
Prayer:
Father, you know our hearts. You see how we want to react. Help us to slow down and see what you see and act like you would. Love is the weapon it’s what has drawn us to you. The judgment didn’t work. However, one day, we will all stand before you, and the question will be asked. Why should I let you in, our only answer will be the man on the middle cross sent me. Help us to love like HE did. To see what HE does to speak like HE did. Father, we want to be more like HIM. There is no other way. Forgive us for where we fall short and help us to see the deeper matters so we can stop altogether. Our hope is in you. Give us the eyes, heart, and ears of Jesus. It’s in the mighty name of Jesus I pray amen.