Reading your Bible for today September 2

September 2: Isaiah 56:9-12

KJV Key Verse: Isaiah 56:11
11 Yea, they are greedy* dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.

Devotion:
There were times in the days of the prophets (much like there are now) where faithful men of God would warn of the judgements of God which were looming in the wings waiting to come in. But this passage goes a bit further and warns of the lack of readiness of the nation to defend itself from anything evil, wicked or against God. If we are to be ready to face anything the devil can throw at us, then we have to be already walking with God. We need to be able to find strength and protection within His arms whilst we walk by His side.

But in order to do that, we have to have a few things in our lives... Obviously, we need to have God in our lives. Not just on Sundays when we can fall asleep in church, but always. We need to be in constant touch with Him. We need to have His word in our lives to be able to teach us and guide us. We need to have The Holy Spirit within us to give us support and explain things to us. But even then, we still do need someone who is willing to look over us and give us guidance when we stray.

Just like sheep grazing in the fields, we continue to walk towards what we think is the best grazing. We think we know best because we can see what we see – how can our eyes lie? What we cannot see are the dangers which are hidden from our eyes. Pretty obvious! If we cannot see it, we don't think of the danger as being there. Yet as long as we have another looking over us, giving us extra guidance and teaching us more than we know, then we will never see those dangers. Having faithful and just leaders, pastors and teachers is part of that life which we need to make sure we are prepared for all circumstances.

Points to Ponder:
How many of your teachers do you see as faithful and just?

How often do you look to you church leaders for guidance?