Today's Scripture Reading (March 7, 2023): Isaiah 2
Mark Twain commented, "The two most important days in your life are the day
you are born and the day you find out why." I like the quote because it
assumes that each of us has a reason for being here, something that I strongly
believe, but that reason is not always readily apparent to us as we journey
through life. And often, we think things are important to us that really aren't,
and we have things that should be important that we do not treat as important.
I know that is true in my life; I regret some things that have taken my time, while
others should have received more time and effort from me than I could allocate
to the task.
Maybe the tragedy of life is that
while the first of Mark Twain's important days, our birth, is automatic, the
second of his important days is not. And sometimes, it takes us a long time to
figure out why we were born, and I believe for some of us, that day never
comes. We never figure out why we are here, present in this world, and what it
is that God placed inside of us that needs to be accomplished by us. Instead,
we give ourselves to things that often do not deserve our attention.
In the 1970s, Larry Norman penned
his apocalyptic hit "I Wish We'd All Been Ready." In the song, he
writes that "a piece of bread would buy a bag of gold," a line that
is supposed to come from Revelation 6:6. The idea is that when Jesus comes
back, everything will be turned upside down. The things we thought were
important will prove to be unimportant, and the really important things will be
beyond our ability to address.
It seems that Isaiah is making a
very similar prophecy here. Israel had spent their money and time worshipping
idols that were far from their reason for being. And the time would come when
these same idols of gold and silver would be cast away; what was once important
would become the possession of the moles that rule the fields and the bats living
in the caves. These animals are often seen as pests by farmers. But the real
question is, when that day comes, will we be any closer to understanding what
is important, and will we know our reason for being?
Our reason for being begins with the
understanding that God created us and our purpose can only be found in a
relationship with him. We will never know why God wanted us here unless we get
that relationship straight. We will continue to spend our time and money on unimportant
things that eventually will become the property of the animals of the field
because they are beneath our attention.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading:
Isaiah 3
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