ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (JANUARY 14, 2012)

By Grace: Key to a Treasure
Isaiah 33:1-6

"[The LORD] will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure."
(Isaiah 33:6)
Back in the 1990s, I studied Proverbs in some depth. The key to understanding any book of the Bible is the key of which Isaiah speaks here - "the fear of the LORD." To define its meaning, I developed an acronym using the word "fear." "F" stands for "faith." The key to a rich store of salvation is faith in Christ - trusting in His life, death, and resurrection.
"E" stands for "enjoyment." The Westminster Shorter Catechism states that we are to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Christ is to be our real and only source of satisfaction.
"A" stands for "active obedience." I will never understand the Bible unless I am eagerly willing to do what it says. Many scholars know the Bible intellectually, but do not know its Author because they've never sought to obey Him.
Finally, "R" stands for "reve-rential awe." Jesus is our great Friend by His grace. But He's not our buddy. We approach Him in His rich majesty and in the respect due to Almighty God. This treasure is ours by His grace alone.
INSIGHT
The "treasures" of this world are nothing compared to knowing the rich and everlasting treasure we have in Christ.
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Genesis 27-28
Psalm 14
Matthew 22

Isaiah 33:1-6
Distress and Help
1 Woe to you, O destroyer,
you who have not been destroyed!
Woe to you, O traitor,
you who have not been betrayed!
When you stop destroying,
you will be destroyed;
when you stop betraying,
you will be betrayed.
2 O LORD, be gracious to us;
we long for you.
Be our strength every morning,
our salvation in time of distress.
3 At the thunder of your voice, the peoples flee;
when you rise up, the nations scatter.
4 Your plunder, O nations, is harvested as by young locusts;
like a swarm of locusts men pounce on it.
5 The LORD is exalted, for he dwells on high;
he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness.
6 He will be the sure foundation for your times,
a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge;
the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure.[a]
Footnotes:
a. Isaiah 33:6 Or is a treasure from him

God's Grace (best email ever)

Sounds strange to say it - but God's grace is for us ordinary birds.....
Beautiful, read and enjoy.
God's Grace
I wonder how many people will delete this without reading it because of the title. It is a shame but this message is very true. Hope you are all as blessed as I was by this story.
There once was a man named George Thomas, preacher in a small Texas town. One Sunday morning he came to the Church building carrying a rusty, bent, old bird cage, and set it by the pulpit. Eyebrows were raised and, as if in response, the Preacher began to speak. . . .
"I was walking through town yesterday when I saw a young boy coming toward me swinging this bird cage. On the bottom of the cage were three little wild birds, shivering with cold and fright.
I stopped the lad and asked, "What do you have there, son?"
"Just some old birds," came the reply.
"What are you going to do with them?" I asked.
"Take
'em home and have fun with 'em," he answered. "I'm gonna tease 'em and pull out their feathers to make 'em fight. I'm gonna have a real good time."
"But you'll get tired of those birds sooner or later. What will you do then?"
"Oh, I got some cats," said the little boy. "They like birds. I'll take 'em to them."
The preacher was silent for a moment. "How much do you want for those birds, son?"
"Huh ?? !!! Why, you don't want them birds, mister. They're just plain old field birds. They don't sing. They ain't even pretty!"
"How much?" the preacher asked again.
The boy sized up the preacher as if he were crazy and said, "$10?"
The preacher reached in his pocket and took out a ten dollar bill. He placed it in the boy's hand. In a flash, the boy was gone. The preacher picked up the cage and gently carried it to the end of the alley where
there was a tree and a grassy spot. Setting the cage down, he opened the door, and by softly tapping the bars persuaded the birds out, setting them free. Well, that explained the empty bird cage on the pulpit, and then the preacher began to tell this story:
One day Satan and Jesus were having a conversation. Satan had just come from the Garden of Eden, and he was gloating and boasting. "Yes, sir, I just caught a world full of people down there. Set me a trap , used bait I knew they couldn't resist. Got 'em all!"
"What are you going to do with them?" Jesus asked.
Satan replied, "Oh, I'm gonna have fun! I'm gonna teach them how to marry and divorce each other, how to hate and abuse each other, how to drink and smoke and curse. I'm gonna teach them how to invent guns and bombs and kill each other. I'm really gonna have fun!"
"And what will you do when you
are done with them?"
Jesus asked .. "Oh, I'll kill 'em," Satan glared proudly.
"How much do you want for them?" Jesus asked.
"Oh, you don't want those people. They ain't no good. Why, you'll take them and they'll just hate you. They'll spit on you, curse you and kill you. You don't want those people!!"
"How much? He asked again.
Satan looked at Jesus and sneered, "All your blood, tears and your life."
Jesus said, "DONE!" Then He paid the price.
The preacher picked up the cage and walked from the pulpit.
I pray, for everyone who sends this on, whether to their entire address book or just a few, that God will bless them in a special way.
And for those that just deleted it......... And I KNOW there will be ...... ?
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO
DO?
I thank God everyday for my blessed life. I'm not rich, don't live in a mansion and don't have the nicest of material things, but, I have a roof over my head, clothes on my back, food on my table, a family that loves me and lifelong friends to get me through. I'd say I have a lot to be thankful for.