Thought from today’s Bible reading from Isaiah 54-58.
The Lord abounds in mercy and is willing to save us. Yet we must appreciate the urgency of the salvation He offers. Notice what Isaiah says:
“Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the Lord, and He will have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:6-7).
God is willing to show “compassion” and is able to “abundantly pardon,” but there is a time limit on his mercy. He does not offer salvation indefinitely. We must seek Him “while He may be found” and “call upon Him while He is near.” Otherwise, we will be too late.
Peter makes this same point in his second epistle:
“The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up” (2 Peter 3:9-10).
God wants all to be saved; therefore, He is patiently waiting for man to repent and turn to Him. But at some point His patience will run out; the day of the Lord will come; and those who are unprepared will be lost.
We must take advantage of the time we have now to seek the Lord, forsake any wickedness in our lives, and serve Him. If we wait, we may miss out on the mercy He is currently extending toward us.
Tomorrow’s reading: Isaiah 59-63
[I’m using the Chronological reading plan on the Bible Gateway website if you’d like to follow along, too.]
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