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You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay, that the thing made should say of its maker, “He did not make me” . . .? Isaiah 29:16 I’ve often said that my drug addiction has not been my greatest mistake in life. My most egregious error has simply been that…
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. . . This people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me . . . Isaiah 29:13 I find myself disliking today’s passage, as it reminds me of my own hypocrisy, past and present. When I read about those who follow God only with empty…
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As when a thirsty man dreams, and behold, he is drinking, and awakes faint, with his thirst not quenched . . . Isaiah 29:8 You are not alone. I understand what you’re going through. I know the struggle. There is tremendous power in those words. Struggling alone is exponentially more miserable than sharing a burden with…
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My soul yearns for you in the night; my spirit within me earnestly seeks you. Isaiah 26:9 Someone recently asked me what I do when the craving for a pill returns. I had to think, because it has been so long since I’ve felt that desire. Honestly, the thought of taking a pill is now abhorrent…
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He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces . . . Isaiah 25:8 I have difficulty with finding motivation in tomorrow, which is a significant life problem for me. When faced with pleasure now, even though it means some loss or pain later, it’s natural for…
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Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger . . . I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity . . . Isaiah 13:9-11 Four years ago, this week, I was in my first few days of chemical dependency treatment. This means I have been…
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Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples . . . Isaiah 12:4 I go to a specific type of gym, where the participants – me included – can be a little fanatical. We tend to like it so much, that we cannot help but talk about it…
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Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine . . . Isaiah 5:22 I exercise for an hour or two (almost) every day and sometimes, I’m tempted to think that I’m pretty athletic. Recently though, I had the opportunity to observe those whom I would call professional – or heroic- athletes. These individuals obviously spend…
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Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness . . . Isaiah 5:20 It is not uncommon for me to meet the drug addict who insists that he should have opiate pain medications. He will agree that, in general, addicts should not have opiates,…
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Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow . . . Isaiah 1:18 As painful as the consequences of my destructive behavior have been, Isaiah, in today’s passage, provides the perspective that I must start off with every day: In my ultimate,…
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