Know The Lord!

Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for as the waters fill the sea, so the earth will be filled with people who know the LORD. [Isaiah 11.9]

Whether or not we understand anything about today's OYCB reading, we can learn an important fact about God and what it means to be in relationship with him.

The verse above, is the last sentence of this paragraph:

In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard will lie down with the baby goat. The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion, and a little child will lead them all. The cow will graze near the bear. The cub and the calf will lie down together. The lion will eat hay like a cow. The baby will play safely near the hole of a cobra. Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes without harm. [Isaiah 11.6-8]

Knowing God has great benefits! We should know the LORD!

Sadly, much effort has been extended by mainstream religion to "explain" why bad things happen to good people. In contrast, passages just like Isaiah 11.6-9 are predominant throughout the Bible revealing God's love for those who seek Him. Much of the Old Testament in fact reveals how bad things happen to those who reject or disobey God (regardless what one thinks about Job's story, it must be understood that, in the end, Job repented!).

Even though much of mainstream religion prefers to ignore Mark's Gospel record of Jesus' Great Commission, preferring instead to focus more on the less indicting version found in Matthew's Gospel, Mark's version more accurately confirms the miraculous nature of a pure and obedient (faith) relationship with God as found throughout the Old Testament:

And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.” [Mark 16.15-18]

Has fear gotten the upper hand on God's people today? Worse yet, do people even know the LORD?

Here's one way to look at it: In terms most all understand today, is there enough of God's earth-dominant DNA observable in our lives to associate us with Him?

Father, I want to be associated with You - with Jesus Christ. Just as Jesus' life was observed, may my life be observed in Him. And may the conclusion of that observation be the same as the Roman soldier who witnessed Jesus' death: "Truly this was the Son (son) of God."