Isaiah 40

Photo by Carl Chapman on Flickr.

By Lisa Nordell-Detres

“Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people, saith your God.” (Isaiah 40:1, KJV)

As soon as I read this line, the song from Handel’s Messiah started playing in my head and continued as I read through the chapter. What a beautiful song of hope for the future written by the prophet Isaiah during a time of moral decay in the nation of Israel. The chapter starts out with Messianic prophecies, then turns to expound on the greatness of God:

“Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,
or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?
Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,
or weighed the mountains on the scales
and the hills in a balance?” (Is. 40:12, NIV)

For those of you who may think the earth is flat, the prophet clarified this in verse 22, some 800 years before Christ:

“He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth…”

The chapter ends with a promise and encouragement for the faithful:

“Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:28-31, NIV)

I encourage you today to play your Christmas CD with Handel’s Messiah or find it online (here’s a You Tube link), pull out your Bible and take the next half hour to refresh yourself in the majesty of Isaiah 40!

Lisa Nordell-Detres is a mother of four, grandma to two boys with a third on the way (!), a pastor’s wife and has worked in the garment and customer service industries in southern California. Besides writing, Lisa enjoys cooking, sewing, organic gardening, hiking, skiing and doing most anything outside.

Lisa was born and raised in Denver, Colorado, studied Christian Apologetics at Simon Greenleaf University, holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Fashion Design from Woodbury University and an MBA from California State University at Northridge. Lisa, her husband and their youngest child now live in central Oregon.

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Yes, He Did!

-By Lisa Nordell-Detres

For nearly two thousand years, Christians have been celebrating Good Friday and Easter. One event, the execution of an innocent man, happens all too often while the other event only happened once. Two thousand years later, Jesus Christ is still the topic of much discussion and misunderstanding. Regardless of your personal opinion about Jesus, this man has some serious staying power!

“Who do men say that I am?” Jesus asked His followers. People still entertain that question today. For those who think that Jesus was a great teacher, you are right. Jesus taught the law of love, He taught the golden rule. Jesus also taught that He was one with God the Father and that He (Jesus) was the only way to get to God. Yes, He taught that. Some people think that Jesus was a prophet. They are also right; He prophesied that He would be crucified and then rise from the dead three days later. All of His prophesies came true with the exception of those that referred to the end of the world. Yes, Jesus accurately prophesied his own death, burial and resurrection.

Many people can’t believe that Jesus came back from the dead, but there is more than enough evidence to support this fact. There were hostile witnesses, the Roman Guards who were bribed to make up a story about what happened to Jesus’ body (Matthew 28:11-15). There were hundreds of eye witnesses to the risen Jesus (I Corinthians 15:3-8); even one of His own followers, Thomas, could not believe until he had seen Jesus alive (John 20:24-29).

Jesus changed peoples’ lives. Billions of lives, starting with His own followers, who cowered in an upper room after His death but then a few weeks later for the rest of their lives, boldly preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ. All but one were martyred for their faith in Christ. Despite the forces that have stood to exterminate Christians from early Rome until the worldwide persecution that millions of Christians face today, the Church continues to grow because Jesus is still changing lives. Yes, He does! If you let Him in, He will gently and lovingly change your life. Yes, He will!

Lisa Nordell-Detres is a mother of four, grandma to two boys, a pastor’s wife and has worked in the garment and customer service industries in southern California. Besides writing, Lisa enjoys cooking, sewing, organic gardening, hiking, skiing and doing most anything outside.

Lisa was born and raised in Denver, Colorado, holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Fashion Design from Woodbury University and an MBA from California State University at Northridge. Lisa, her husband and their youngest child now live in central Oregon.

Truth

By Lisa Nordell-Detres

There is a notion in our culture that there is no absolute truth. My first question in response is, “Do you know that to be absolutely true (that there is no absolute truth)?” My second question follows, “Is there a possibility that you could be wrong, thus allowing for the possibility that there is an absolute truth?” Once you wrap your head around this concept, the door is now open to introduce you to God, whose Word is truth (John 17:17).

People often speak of the truth when it benefits them, but try to hide from the truth when it hurts or puts them into uncomfortable situations. The interesting thing about the truth is that living a life of truth and honesty is so much freer than constantly trying to remember what lies you told and coming up with new lies to paper over the old stories.

Jesus told His followers in John 8:32, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” Who doesn’t want to be free? Most of us think that we are already free, but the freedom that comes when the heart and mind are opened up to the things of God is really quite remarkable.

The Bible says that we were all created with a purpose by a loving God (Psalm 139:13-16). That frees us from wondering where we came from and why we are here. The Bible says that even though we are imperfect and have done wrong in our lives, Jesus still chose to save us (Romans 5:8). If we verbally acknowledge Jesus and believe that God raised Him from the dead, we will be saved (Romans 10:9). This frees us from needing to figure out how to redeem ourselves, and frees us to live out a life of love and goodness for the sake of Jesus Christ. “If the Son (Jesus) makes you free, you shall be free indeed (John 8:36).”

Now, go out and enjoy your new found freedom!

Lisa Nordell-Detres is a mother of four, grandma to two boys, a pastor’s wife and has worked in the garment and customer service industries in southern California. Besides writing, Lisa enjoys cooking, sewing, organic gardening, hiking, skiing and doing most anything outside.

Lisa was born and raised in Denver, Colorado, holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Fashion Design from Woodbury University and an MBA from California State University at Northridge. Lisa, her husband and their youngest child now live in central Oregon.