A suffering servant Isaiah 52:13-53:12

Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!  Jesu Jevu!

   It is the time of the year when EVERYONE (almost everyone) wants to jump on the band wagon to help the poor, the needy, the homeless.  Interestingly enough, they are not just poor, needy and homeless at Christmas time.  It is an ongoing event or crisis in their lives.

   Although you may get that feel good feeling at Christmas time, try it at different times throughout the year.  Try Feb. or March; they are still poor, needy and homeless.  However, we have to be cautious that we do not become "enablers" instead of assisting or helping.  If they remain in their same condition and try not to better themselves, then are you really helping?

  God gave to the prophet a dream to help the people; yet they stayed in their same attitude and did not move from where they were.  Then, and I say THEN GOD sent help for all the people.  Why?  Because the chosen ones, the ones God wanted to help did not look beyond themselves (in my opinion).  Who/what is the help?  Jesus Christ is the who and what!!!!
 Read Isaiah 52:13-53:12
  
^{Isaiah 53: 3} He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.   ⁴ Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.   ⁵ But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.   ⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
  Isaiah spoke this 600 years before the birth of Jesus.  Notice the aspects of Jesus: despised, rejected of men, man of sorrows and grief.   The people of this time would see it as HIS SINS, not that he came to take the sins of the world.
  Jesus carried our grief, our sorrows, was wounded for you and me, beaten and crucified and for what?  For the sins of you and me, the people of his time who had, as sheep, gone astray - going their own way.  Jesus took it all for you and for me!
  Wow!  Would you lay down your life for me?  I bet not - but Jesus did!  Love you all.
Soli Deo Gloria
Johnny