The Judge, Ruler, and King Who Saves Us
God is our judge . . . but also our justifier. God is our ruler . . . and also the one who helps us to follow life-giving rules. God is the king . . . and also the one who humbled himself in Jesus for our sake. God our judge, ruler, and king is also our Savior.
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The Fear of the Lord is Your Treasure
Sometimes we avoid talking about “the fear of the Lord” because we don’t want people to be so afraid of God that they run away. Yet, by doing so we risk minimizing God’s awesomeness and neglecting God’s holiness. Isaiah 33 observes that “the fear of the LORD is Zion’s treasure.” As it was for the Israelites, so it can be for us when we revere the holy God who is King of kings and Lord of lords.
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Be a Leader Under the Authority of King Jesus
If we want to be effective and godly leaders, then we will exercise our leadership under the authority of Jesus, the king who reigns in true righteousness. We will take our cues from Jesus, imitating his example and embodying his values.
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Is It Time For You to Turn Back?
Like the ancient Israelites, we can get off course and start heading in the wrong direction in life. When this happens, we need to turn back to the Lord, leaving behind all that is wrong so that we might walk in a right relationship with God.
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God Can Be Your Teacher
In difficult times it can feel as if God is absent. But, in fact, God is present not only to comfort us, but also to teach us. In adversity, we get better acquainted with God our Teacher.
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In Trust Shall Be Your Strength
When I face daunting challenges, I’m tempted to trust in myself and my strength. Isaiah 30 reminds us that true, sustaining strength comes from God. Even as we work, we must learn to rest in God and God’s faithfulness.
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Keep Your Heart Near to God
Being a Christian isn’t mainly a matter of doing and saying the right things. Rather, it’s having an intimate relationship with God through Christ. As you work today, let the Holy Spirit draw your heart near to God.
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Build Your Life on a Strong Foundation
When we build our lives on Christ, our “precious cornerstone,” then we have a sure foundation for everything, including our daily work and leadership.
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Leave the Campfire
Fear can bind up our imaginations. Fear of the unknown, of the disapproval of others, of what we cannot control ties down our creative capacity. But knowing that God is with us sets us free from fear. Thus our confidence in God’s presence unleashes our imaginations.
Read Article![Civil Rights March on Washington, D.C. [Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mathew Ahmann in a crowd.], 8/28/1963](https://depree.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/unseen-histories-bTF3gkd2L28-unsplash-700x450.jpg)
A Recent Example of Redemptive Imagination
As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., expressed his “dream” on the steps of the Lincoln Monument in 1963, he was inspired by the redemptive imagination of Isaiah. Dr. King’s example shows us how Scripture can shape our own imaginations and motivate us to participate in God’s redemptive work in the world.
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Isaiah’s Redemptive Imagination, Part 3
Isaiah’s redemptive imagination helps us to see God as the one who reigns over all things. As we worship, our own imaginations are expanded and inspired. As theologian James K.A. Smith writes, “Christian worship shapes our orientation to the world precisely by priming and calibrating our imagination.” Through worship we come to a deeper and truer experience of God the King, which shapes everything we do in life.
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Isaiah’s Redemptive Imagination, Part 2
The example of Isaiah shows us that when God stirs up our imaginations in redemptive ways, we may very well “see” what we have never before envisioned. We may learn that God wants to use us in ways we would have considered unlikely, undesirable, or even impossible. Yet, we will also discover that our God-inspired imaginations will lead us to participate more fully and fruitfully in the redemptive work of God in the world.
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Isaiah’s Redemptive Imagination, Part 1
We are inspired and instructed by the redemptive vision of Isaiah as we seek to live under the authority of the one who is our “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” The more we let this vision shape how we think, feel, and live, the more we’ll be ready for God to energize our redemptive imaginations in specific ways so that we might participate in God’s redeeming work in the world.
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Where is This Stupendous Stranger?
How could the God who created heaven and earth be the God who lies in a manger? How could our Redeemer be a tiny baby? In fact, how could his being a tiny baby—experiencing everything in life that we experience, yet without sin—be part of what makes him our Redeemer? No matter how many words I say about this marvelous fact, they all fall short of explaining it.
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