ISAIAH 55:6-9 – “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; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

THEME OF THE DAY:  DON’T MAKE HIM LIKE US.  There is a portion in today’s scripture that is quite familiar to most Christians.  We have likely used it as a means of encouragement to other believers who are going through difficult times with doubts, fears, and uncertainties abounding.  It is the portion that reminds us God is not like us – For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

These words from the Lord are a great source of encouragement when given to someone, but what about receiving them when we are the person going through a tough trial with doubts, fears, and uncertainties flooding our minds?  It is easy to give good solid scriptural encouragement when our lives are relatively calm.  Not so as the waves of challenge crash over the “bows of our ships” as we sail through life. And here lies the danger we are prone to as fallen human beings – to make God like us.

In the midst of intense trials when emotional, spiritual, even physical, pain is upon us, clouding our minds, we might doubt God’s love when we feel no comfort; question His wisdom when we see no purpose; and begin to think He might have abandoned us in this trial.  These temptations come because we make God too much like us.  We are tempted to think He is temperamental, subject to moodiness, “gets up on the wrong side of the bed” and treats us like we often treat people when we are having a bad day or in a hard season of life.  There is a reason why the Lord puts so much emphasis on reminding us He is not like us, does not think like us and does not act like us.  He wants us to constantly remember His unchanging nature and that He always acts the same; good, loving, wise, and makes no mistakes.

So, the next time we want to use the scripture, For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9) to minister to another brother and sister, let’s make sure we apply it to ourselves and remember, don’t make God like us.  He isn’t and that causes us to thank and praise Him.

PRAYER: “Father, forgive me when I make You as fickle as I am with emotional ups and downs.”

QUOTE: “Jesus became a Man but remember, He isn’t like us. His humanity knew no sin.”

In the affection of Christ Jesus,

Pastor Jim