Wednesday 19 June 2024

SOAP 

Scripture

Isaiah 49

English Standard Version

The Servant of the Lord

1 Listen to me, O coastlands,    and give attention, you peoples from afar. The Lord called me from the womb,    from the body of my mother he named my name. 2 He made my mouth like a sharp sword;    in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me a polished arrow;    in his quiver he hid me away. 3 And he said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.”[a]4 But I said, “I have labored in vain;    I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely my right is with the Lord,    and my recompense with my God.”

5 And now the Lord says,    he who formed me from the womb to be his servant,to bring Jacob back to him;    and that Israel might be gathered to him—for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord,    and my God has become my strength—6 he says:“It is too light a thing that you should be my servant    to raise up the tribes of Jacob    and to bring back the preserved of Israel;I will make you as a light for the nations,    that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

7 Thus says the Lord,    the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One, to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nation,    the servant of rulers: “Kings shall see and arise;    princes, and they shall prostrate themselves; because of the Lord, who is faithful,    the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”

The Restoration of Israel

8 Thus says the Lord: “In a time of favor I have answered you;    in a day of salvation I have helped you; I will keep you and give you    as a covenant to the people, to establish the land,    to apportion the desolate heritages, 9 saying to the prisoners, ‘Come out,’    to those who are in darkness, ‘Appear.’ They shall feed along the ways;    on all bare heights shall be their pasture; 10 they shall not hunger or thirst,    neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them, for he who has pity on them will lead them,    and by springs of water will guide them. 11 And I will make all my mountains a road, and my highways shall be raised up. 12 Behold, these shall come from afar,    and behold, these from the north and from the west,[b]    and these from the land of Syene.”[c]

13 Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth;    break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the Lord has comforted his people    and will have compassion on his afflicted.

14 But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me;    my Lord has forgotten me.”

15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child,    that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget,    yet I will not forget you. 16 Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;    your walls are continually before me. 17 Your builders make haste;[d]    your destroyers and those who laid you waste go out from you. 18 Lift up your eyes around and see;    they all gather, they come to you. As I live, declares the Lord,    you shall put them all on as an ornament;    you shall bind them on as a bride does.

Ephesians 3

English Standard Version

The Mystery of the Gospel Revealed

1 For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles— 2 assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you, 3 how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. 4 When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. 6 This mystery is[a] that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

7 Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace, which was given me by the working of his power. 8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in[b] God, who created all things, 10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. 13 So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.

Prayer for Spiritual Strength

14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family[c] in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

ObservationGOD has called Isaiah to bring Israel returning in repentance to GOD just as GOD called Paul to bring the Gentiles in repentance and true worship before the True GOD - the HOLY One of Israel, and in reading this chapters in both the New and the Old Covenant I have discovered that GOD remains the same faithful GOD who creates specific people, calls them, raises them up for HIS purpose and work to bring souls into HIS Kingdom. In Paul's writings, he prays for those to whom GOD has called him to minister. Isaiah also writes to those whom he was called to minister - the Israelites and he writes how GOD feels about them, what GOD wants to say to them, usually warnings, because they do not know GOD truly from their hearts. Paul writes for strength for the Gentile believers to be filled with the encompassing knowledge of GOD because they don't know him as the Jews yet HE is the GOD who is waiting to be known by a people who don't know him.

ApplicationJust as GOD called Isaiah to Israel, GOD called Paul to the Gentiles, GOD has also called me, and I know he has called me to the Gentiles too. I used to believe that GOD has called me like Isaiah to the Jews, and I believed this to be true for 12 years. According to HIS order of evangelism in Romans 1:16 ESV For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek (Gentiles) and I believe I have done my work for the Jews. But since September 19, 2023 GOD has begun a new thing in me when I met someone whom HIS soul is pleased, someone HE loves and so my calling to pray for him and his family also began. And I will continue to pray for GOD has put this love in my heart for him, even without reason or purpose. Whether HE follows JESUS or not, I will pray, I will do my part, and the rest is up to GOD.


PrayerDear AVI,Holy is Your Name JESUS the Living GOD! Thank YOU for YOUR revelations, YOUR Word everyday. I receive it everyday with gladness, how can I live without YOUR WORD??? Today, I am praying for Stephen because You have put him in my heart and I keep thinking about him. For this reason I bow my knees before YOU Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of YOUR glory YOU may grant Stephen LYu to be strengthened with power through YOUR Spirit in his inner being, so that Christ may dwell in his heart (and his mother’s heart Benita too) through faith—that him, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that he and Benita his mother may be filled with all the fullness of God. All for YOUR Glory and Pleasure. All my prayers are For YOU and To YOU who is able to do far more abundantly than all that I can ask or think, according to the power at work within us, To YOU be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.
In the name of JESUS AMEN!