Present & Future

I was reading Isaiah today...and in light of not yet having children, and on-going disucssions about our future I was encouraged.


Isaiah 60
People Returning for the Reunion
1-7 "Get out of bed, Jerusalem! Wake up. Put your face in the sunlight.
God's bright glory has risen for you.  The whole earth is wrapped in darkness, all people sunk in deep darkness, But God rises on you, his sunrise glory breaks over you.  Nations will come to your light,
kings to your sunburst brightness.  Look up! Look around!  Watch as they gather, watch as they approach you: Your sons coming from great distances, your daughters carried by their nannies.
When you see them coming you'll smile—big smiles!  Your heart will swell and, yes, burst!
All those people returning by sea for the reunion, a rich harvest of exiles gathered in from the nations!
And then streams of camel caravans as far as the eye can see, young camels of nomads in Midian and Ephah, Pouring in from the south from Sheba, loaded with gold and frankincense, preaching the praises of God.  And yes, a great roundup of flocks from the nomads in Kedar and Nebaioth,
Welcome gifts for worship at my altar as I bathe my glorious Temple in splendor.


This is an awesome picture of the future...I want to be a part of this, I want my influence to be so that others too are a part of this.  Although we may never have children, our sons and daughters (people who we can & have invluenced) are the people who we can see also walking towards God's future party.  This should put a smile on our face!  Our influence is important and far reaching, lets use it for the future.


Isaiah 59                                                                                                                                                  We Long for Light but Sink into Darkness                                                                                               ^9-11Which means that we're a far cry from fair dealing, and we're not even close to right living. We long for light but sink into darkness, long for brightness but stumble through the night.  Like the blind, we inch along a wall, groping eyeless in the dark.  We shuffle our way in broad daylight, like the dead, but somehow walking.  We're no better off than bears, groaning, and no worse off than doves, moaning.  We look for justice—not a sign of it; for salvation—not so much as a hint.
This is the present...we long for justice, righteousness, truth, honesty and we need salvation.  God is missing in action.  But it is our job to bring these things into our world.  We long for light, and need to walk toward it, and bring other people with us.


²¹"As for me," God says, "this is my covenant with them: My Spirit that I've placed upon you and the words that I've given you to speak, they're not going to leave your mouths nor the mouths of your children nor the mouths of your grandchildren. You will keep repeating these words and won't ever stop." God's orders.


This is my call...this is my purpose in life.  Maybe not biological children, but my influence is far-reaching.  I am an agent of change to the coming generations.