Pastor Bob DuPar
September 10, 2008

Journal Entry



Scripture

Isaiah 6:1-7:25; 2 Corinthians 11:16-33; Psalm 54:1-7; Proverbs 23:1-3

Observation

Isaiah’s vision of the Lord in chapter 6:1-8 moves me every time I read it,

“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs… calling to one another: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory.’ At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. ‘Woe to me!’ I cried. ‘I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.’ Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, ‘See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.’ Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!”

Paul list of beatings and trials in 2 Corinthians 11:23-27 is an impressive ministry resume! I am humbled by the description of trials which he endured. I can’t say that I have ever been persecuted in any of those ways or to that extreme.

Application

It’s not until we come into God’s presence that we realize the full extent of our sinfulness and need to be cleansed by Him. The application that I drew from this passage was my need to spend more time in God’s presence through reading His Word, praying, worshipping… Because often, when I’m not in His presence, I slip into sin and don’t realize its effect upon me or my true condition.

Also, when I read the description of what Paul endured for Christ and the sake of the gospel, I’m reminded of Hebrews 12:3-4,

“For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin.”

I have not suffered much as a Christian or in my “striving against sin.” I need to take inventory of my life and my witness and evaluate whether I am taking the stand which I should be taking.

Prayer

“Lord, Thank You again for forgiveness and the privilege of being used by You. Thank You for the glory that awaits me because of what Jesus secured through the cross.”