Accountability Post #5

I was really hoping it would still be raining this morning when I woke up because running in the rain is totally kick-butt!  But it wasn’t.  Instead, I had a headache.  Not quite a fair trade.  I actually ended up walking for a little stretch after a mighty hill.  It always feels so shameful, but I think it also felt much better than potentially falling over.  Fair trade!

The words, “In the year that King Uzziah died…” have the same effect on me that the words, “In the year of our Lord, 1314…” do.  I feel like I could almost quote the whole thing.  It’s SO well known if you work in or attend a youth group.  We [in the business] use Isaiah 6 as a template to devoting our lives to God’s work, especially Evangelism.  

It’s interesting the message God gives Isaiah though: definitely not one of Grace and the Gospel.  Instead He basically says He’s going to rip the whole rebellious Nation down from top to bottom, with no chance of forgiveness, till there’s nothing left of that mighty tree but an old stump.  The “old stump” – He adds right at the end – is the “Holy Seed” or “Offspring.”

So basically, there was something Pure at the core of those Holy Kids that walked away, and God let them get torn all the way down till there was nothing left but that tiny Seed of Faith.  Sounds hard to swallow…

God, maybe I wouldn’t say, “Here am I!  Send me.”  so quickly if I knew that was the message I’d have to deliver, but I guess Love is pretty hard like that sometimes.  After all, Your love for us hurt You pretty badly too.  I’m open to sacrificing for my friends as well then.  Fair trade!  Amen.