Rebel 5

Isaiah 55:2

Christmas in years past has been a time of giving our children popular toys and games that they have wanted. They begged for this new gadget or that popular item. But there have been so many years where we bought the latest fad, the hottest item on the shelves, only to have the toy fall apart after just a few days, or be neglected by our children in short order because the FUN just didn’t last very long.

As our children have grown older the gifts have been just as much desired, but tend to be presents that will last. The gifts are fewer but are better investments.

In this passage from Isaiah we have a simple message from God. What question does God pose? What does God suggest instead?

Like the toys that are short-lived, the food at the holidays can be overly sweet and extra rich. Taking in too much of these empty calories can leave us all feeling sick instead of joyful.

The same can be true of our attitudes at Christmas. If the holiday is a celebration of things – what we can get, what we can buy, what we can surround ourselves with – then the season can leave us empty. If our efforts and work are all spent on the temporary decorations and rushing here and there, we can end up with an emptiness inside.

Rather than focus on temporary things, we ought to rebel against the temptation to spend and buy and fill our lives with empty items. Instead we should focus on the real gift of Christmas, Jesus Christ. In that gift from God are everlasting love and a soul-satisfying contentment that comes with the salvation Jesus provides.

God wants us to eat what is good, and He is not just talking about food. He is talking about taking in, consuming, holy and spiritual goodness, consuming the love and grace He offers. God wants us to stop wasting our labors on those things that are fleeting and momentary, and spend our time in more lasting endeavors such as strengthening our own faith and sharing love and caring with others.

DAILY CHALLENGE: What can you invest your time and energy in this year that will give you lasting satisfaction?

Financially Content 1

Isaiah 55:2

I grew up believing that my mother was the meanest person in the world. As a child my mother would never buy me toys and candy when she went to the store, no matter how much I whined and cried. It wasn’t until I was much older that I realized how poor we had been when I was young.

My mother did not buy me toys and candy because we couldn’t afford toys and candy. Instead, my mother made certain that our income was spent on necessary items – milk, bread, meat, potatoes, vegetables. I was never lavished with luxuries like toys and candy, but I was provided the very healthy and essential foods I needed.

In Isaiah God speaks to His people and invites us to enter into His abundance. What rhetorical question is asked? What is offered?

The Bible addresses many issues about life, including our finances. No matter what your income level is in our society, we all need to be aware of where we are spending our money. We are called not to waste our money on pointless efforts and on useless items. Instead, we should be careful with where we spend.

But beyond money, God encourages us to be aware of where our focus is, and what we value. Why should we invest time, money and effort in things that do nothing for our benefit? Why do we spend time in foolishness and not in spiritual endeavors?

Personal interests, frivolities, fun, entertainment all have their places and are certainly available for our pleasure. But we should not allow them to consume all of our lives. Just as we need to be judicious in where we spend our money, we need to consider where our heart and our thoughts are.

God does not want us to waste money or effort on those things which will not satisfy us or build us up. We are invited instead to enter into the kingdom of God and find the guidance and fulfillment we can find in our heavenly Father.

DAILY CHALLENGE: How much money have you spent this year on things that do not satisfy?