DCLM Daily Manna 19 March 2022
TOPIC: Doom For Boasters
KEY VERSE:
“Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? or shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? as if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself, as if it were no wood.” – (Isaiah 10:15)
DCLM Daily Manna 19 March 2022 OUTLINE
Several years ago, two believers were wondering why the Lord, in the book of Jeremiah, would refer to the heathen king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, as “my servant”. How would the righteous Judge of the world call an ungodly monarch His servant? They failed to observe a significant aspect of the ways of God who can reach out to all – the godly and the godless – to fulfil His will.
But when He gave power to the Assyrian Empire to punish His people, Israel, for their transgressions, they became boastful of the might of their military in the victory over Israel. They were ignorant of the fact that God was displeased with the corrupt and unjust system prevalent in Israel in those days and decided to use a godless kingdom to chastise them.
The bane of degenerate man is to overestimate his achievements and successes and undermine God’s input in his affairs. He relegates his Maker to the background and brings damnation upon himself as the devil and his agents take over in the absence of the Lord. Boastful man chanting the singsong of self-sufficiency heads for doom if he does not repent.
God’s expectation after He has used us for His purpose is to appreciate Him while recognising our limitations. We must be thankful that among the billions in the world, He chooses to redeem and make us fully active in His service. True Christians would not let Satan deceive them that their success in ministry or secular exploits is the outcome of their personal effort or ingenuity. Believers have yielded instruments of great exploits in God’s hands.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
The Lord demands humility from believers.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Jeremiah 43-45
