Prayer – Lord, You have so blessed Israel over the thousands of years since You chose Abraham to be the father of nations. Now, You have gathered the Israelites back into the Promised Land. Your promised people…into Your Promised Land. You have redeemed them—from countries around the world. Through Isaiah, You told them…Fear not, for I have redeemed you. Now what? We are eagerly waiting for the next step in this redemption process. Exciting days ahead. Help us all to “fear not.”
But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place. Since you were precious in My sight, You have been honored, And I have loved you; Therefore I will give men for you, And people for your life. Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your descendants from the east, them back!' Bring My sons from afar, And My daughters from the ends of the earth—Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him." Isaiah 43:1-7 NKJV (Underlined for emphasis.)
Meditate. Consider how Israel has returned to the Promised
Land.
The descendants of Abraham—the Hebrew people…the Jews—are back
in the Promised Land and have been the sovereign nation of Israel since May 14,
1948. They are a blessed people. Do they know that? Obviously, some do…and some
do not. Jesus is their Messiah—but they do not all recognize Him as such. Jesus
is the Messiah—but not just for the Jews. He is the Savior of all mankind. Do
you recognize Him as your Savior?
Jesus spoke through Isaiah saying, “Fear not, for I have
redeemed you….” And “Fear not, for I am with you….” He spoke this phrase, fear not, several times in earlier chapters of Isaiah. Read it for yourself. Great promises
to the nation of Israel and even to Christians today. We don’t need to fear
because God is with us. He will never leave us or forsake us. As believers, we
are also chosen people. Chosen because we chose Him. But remember that Jesus
said…
No longer do I call
you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have
called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made
known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you
that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that
whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. John 15:15-16 NKJV
Bear much fruit.
It doesn't matter if it is grapes,
lemons,
bananas,
oranges,
apples,
watermelon...
or whatever.
Serve the Lord with
what you've produced.
He chose us—He didn’t enslave us, but chose as His friends
and followers. Faithful fruit bearing friends. That is how Jesus created and
wants us to be. One day, He will call us to redeem us and give us a home in
Heaven with Him. No fear in that!
Verse of Salvation ~ I, even I, am the LORD, and besides
Me there is no savior. Isaiah 43:11 NKJV
© 2024 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All
rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New King James Version (NKJV) unless
otherwise noted.
New King James Version, ©
1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Harper
Collins Publisher. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
New Living Translation (NLT) copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by
Tyndale House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
Books by Mickey M.
Hunacek
Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com
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