““For I know their works and their thoughts. It shall be that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come and see My glory.” Isaiah 66:18 NKJV
Reflection: how can we participate in spreading the gospel among the nations?
It is amazing, when you stop think about it. The good news about Jesus Christ cannot be stopped. It is a simple message, with profound and eternal implications. Even through the centuries of horrific persecution and suffering of followers, it continues to spread and has reached to the ends of the earth, across the nations. It is a bit like a wildfire burning through a forest. The fire just keeps on gaining momentum, taking different directions as the wind blows. The dry and dead brush, and even large, majestic trees that appear healthy, burn to the ground, giving way to the new growth. The old has to give way for the new to grow, which is reflective of the gospel of Jesus Christ. That transformation, giving up or burning up old, to make way for new is not easy; it might even be painful.
We read of the day of the Lord, “When you see this, your heart shall rejoice, And your bones shall flourish like grass; The hand of the Lord shall be known to His servants, And His indignation to His enemies. For behold, the Lord will come with fire And with His chariots, like a whirlwind, To render His anger with fury, And His rebuke with flames of fire.” Isaiah 66:14-15 NKJV. And Malachi saw the duality of fire of the Lord ““But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire And like launderers’ soap.” Malachi 3:2 NKJV
In our focus verses today, we see the work the Lord among the nations, ““For I know their works and their thoughts. It shall be that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come and see My glory. I will set a sign among them; and those among them who escape I will send to the nations: to Tarshish and Pul and Lud, who draw the bow, and Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands afar off who have not heard My fame nor seen My glory. And they shall declare My glory among the Gentiles. Then they shall bring all your brethren for an offering to the Lord out of all nations, on horses and in chariots and in litters, on mules and on camels, to My holy mountain Jerusalem,” says the Lord, “as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the Lord. And I will also take some of them for priests and Levites,” says the Lord.” Isaiah 66:18-21 NKJV
This plan, to spread the truth, the gospel of Christ who is the glory of the Lord, is still going on. It is how Jesus instructed His followers, to go to all nations with the good news “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.” Matthew 28:18-20 NKJV. So how can we do that? How can each of us participate in spreading the gospel, doing what the Lord commissioned us to do? How can each of us reach more people? It will take all of us, who follow Christ.
After about 6 months of study, we have come now to the end of this amazing book of Isaiah. I am now going to put a challenge before you. It is a simple challenge, doesn’t take much effort nor time. Currently, these daily devotionals are read 30-50 times a day, which is great. But it has stayed the same for about a year. So I would like to see this doubling by the end of this year. And we can only achieve that together. So here is the challenge: If you find these devotionals helpful and edifying for yourself, then spread them. Simply forward the link to others you know. Maybe someone in your family; a child, a parent, an aunt, uncle or cousin. Perhaps a couple of your friends. Or a neighbor. Perhaps even a colleague. It will only take a few seconds each day to help spread the good news of Jesus.
By doing so, we help the Lord in the gathering of all nations and tongues, to come and see His glory.
