The encouraging words of blessings for the New Year 2014 is from Isaiah 43:19. It is about God doing new things through you. Things that seems impossible becomes possible, the roads in the wilderness and rivers in the deserts. It is God who calls us by our names, forgives and saves us out of His own loving character and commissions us to be His testimony. Because of His love, He will discipline us that we may grow up and bring glory to Him. God's glory is revealed to others through us. So, lift up our head with great expectation, with God's enabling power, may we have a breakthrough 2014 to show forth His glory.In the midst of wishing one another for New Year 2014, I was led to this verse Isaiah 43:19 and to study the whole chapter of Isaiah 43. But Isaiah is for the Jews and what has it to do us, the non-Jews believers? What basis do we have to enjoy the blessings and surely not the curse? It is given in Galatians through the saving grace of Jesus Christ, our Savior:
Gal 3:13-14 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, ...That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
I have taken the extra step of matching each verse of Isa 43 with the New Testaments verses so that we can see the progression of better promises for us believers. Below is the mind-map that captures the essence and details of Isaiah 43: It begins with knowing your God not just as a Creator but a Personal Savior and Lord that will even glorify Himself through you because of Who He is.
How much do you know about your God?
Atheism says there is no God. Agnosticism says I don't know and & don't care. Some says there are many gods. The pantheism says that man is also a god or part of the god. The ancient Chinese believes in the Creator God with feelings and love for mankind. When one is in trouble, he/she can ask the Heavenly God for help. This Heavenly God is also a God that maintains justice to rewards the good and punish the evil. That is very close to the Biblical God. But the Biblical God is much much more ...
Take away Promises for Us:
Let me reproduce the summary in the mindmap below:
- God will lead and help you to do a radically ground breaking new things. Things that people thought were not possible before. Is 43:19
- God will do that because of what He is and not because of what we earn or do. Isa 43:25
- God loves us so much
- to forgive our sins v13,14,21-24 ; though He will discipline us Isa 43:28
- even chooses us to represent Him on the earth v1, 7, 12, 21
- to do things that impress others that He is glorified through us. v21 Our only care is to believe, do, and give glory back to God. Don't fall into the trap that I did it all by myself and even forget God.
