Isaiah 13-15

How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!

You said in your heart, "I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High."

But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit.

This is a reminder that God is the highest authority above all things seen and unseen, including Satan. Let us not be afraid of failure, but always keep going on with Jesus.

Isaiah 7-9

The LORD spoke to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people. He said:

"Do not call conspiracy everything that these people call conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread, and he will be a sanctuary; but for both houses of Israel he will be a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare. Many of them will stumble; they will fall and be broken, they will be snared and captured."

I was reminded by this passage that if I do not keep my eyes on Jesus and diligently seek him with humility and discipline, I can easily be swayed to believe in the ways of the world.

If I truly fear God out of my love and reverence for him, he will be the only one I have to fear. Nothing else can touch me. He will, indeed, be my sanctuary.

But if I do not seek God, decide to sin, and do not repent of my sins, then I will be like the two houses of Israel in this passage. If I choose to continue living in sin and not repent of my ways, God will not allow my life to go smoothly. Although this makes God seem unloving, I fully believe God does this out of love. Otherwise, I will not feel the need to turn back to him when I sin.

God's love is real. Jesus Christ, God's own son, has died for my sins. So whenever I truly repent and decide to follow him again, he remembers my sins no more.

We are so blessed. How great is our God:)

Matthew 25-28

While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. "Why this waste?" they asked. "This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor." Aware of this, Jesus said to them, "Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."

When I read this passage, I thought to myself, "Wow, I want to be like this woman touching Jesus' heart." Jesus was so moved by her heart for him. She knew who Jesus was. She knew that he was going to be crucified. And she gave him everything - all her possession, her service, and, most importantly, her heart. Knowing such a loving heart, Jesus was pleased with her.

I've been praying that God would restore my first love for him. And he's been giving me the desire to seek him. God is so faithful in answering our prayers.

Is there anything we refuse to give onto God? Let us be like this woman who gave her all to Jesus.