<p>A great preacher whom I heard a few years ago said that the word "renew" in  <span class="scriptRef" ref="isa+40:31">Isaiah 40:31</span> really meant "exchange"; so the text should read, "They that wait upon the Lord shall exchange their strength." Oddly enough I do not now remember how he developed his sermon or just how he applied the text, but I have been thinking lately that the man had hit upon a very important idea; namely, that a large part of Christian experience consists of exchanging something worse for something better, a blessed and delightful bargain indeed. At the foundation of the Christian life lies vicarious atonement, which in essence is a transfer of guilt from the sinner to the Saviour. I well know how vigorously this idea is attacked by non-Christians, but I also know that the wise of this world in their pride often miss the treasures which the simple-hearted find on their knees; and I also remember the words of the apostle; "He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him"  (<span class="scriptRef" ref="2co+5:21">2 Corinthians 5:21</span>). This is too plain to miss for anyone who is not willfully blind: Christ by His death on the cross made it possible for the sinner to exchange his sin for Christ's righteousness. It's that simple. No one is compelled to accept it, but at least that is what it means. And that is only the beginning. Almost everything thereafter is an exchange of the worse for the better. Next after the exchange of sin for righteousness is that of wrath for acceptance. Today the wrath of God abides upon a sinning and impenitent man; tomorrow God's smile rests upon him. He is the same man, but not quite, for he is now a new man in Christ Jesus. By penitence and faith he has exchanged the place of condemnation for the Father's house. He was rejected in himself but is now accepted in the Beloved, and this not by human means but by an act of divine grace.</p><p>
</p>

A.W. Tozer's materials are a mainstay in Evangelical churches in our day and he is one of the most quoted authors. He was a prophet in his day and his writings are even more influential in our day. One of his books: The Pursuit of God, has had over 1 million copies sold world-wide.

Morning and Evening with A.W. Tozer

Priceless Exchange

<p><span class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold">For Reading and Meditation:</span><br><span class="italic">     <span class="scriptRef" ref="isa+40:21-31">Isaiah 40:21-31</span></span></p><p>T he man-centered focus that is creeping into today's Church must be resisted at all costs. Such matters as disciplining children, marital problems and establishing proper priorities should be addressed also, but we must be careful that "market forces" do not mold our theology. People may want to know about these issues, but what they need, primarily, is to know God. It could be argued that our problems are so acute because we are deficient in our knowledge of God. The context in which we think and feel is so limited that it is no wonder our souls feel stifled and claustrophobic. One preacher describes our condition in this way: "We are like Peter trying to walk on the water but becoming so engrossed in the winds and the waves that we lose sight of the all-sufficient Christ who is right there beside us. The immediate environment has blotted out the sense of the eternal." This is why I have chosen today's reading from the magnificent book of Isaiah. The prophet does what a doctor would do upon visiting a patient with a minor sickness and finding the windows shut fast and the room lacking in oxygen. He would throw open the windows and invite the patient to inhale the purer air. "Take a deep breath of the oxygen of the Spirit," Isaiah is saying in effect. "See how great and powerful God is. Set your problems in the context of His might and omnipotence." We become like the thing we focus on. If we center on man rather than God then we ought not be surprised if we finish up off center - eccentric.</p><p class="center-it italic bold mlr40 mtb20">O God, save me from being an off-center Christian and thus an eccentric Christian - the true meaning of that term. May my primary focus be always on You. Grant it, dear Lord. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.</p><div class="tl-lightgrey mt20 pt20 flexbox-row-wrap jc-around"><div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">AdditionalVerses</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="2co+4:13-18">2 Corinthians 4:13-18</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="heb+3:1">Hebrews 3:1</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="heb+12:2">Hebrews 12:2</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="ps+141:8">Psalm 141:8</span></li></ul></div>

<div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">Questions to Consider</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>What was Paul's focus?</li><li>What is the exhortation of the writer of Hebrews?</li></ul></div></div>

Let a little light into your soul every day with this wonderful devotional from English pastor Selwyn Hughes.

Every Day Light with Selwyn Hughes

"He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers." (v. 22)

<p><span class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold">For Reading and Meditation:</span><br><span class="italic">     <span class="scriptRef" ref="mt+8:18-34">Matthew 8:18-34</span></span></p><p>Have you ever wondered why Jesus is never referred to as Jesus the Great? We speak of Alexander the Great, Charles the Great, and Peter the Great but never Jesus the Great. And why? Because He dwells in a sphere where no real comparisons are possible. It simply doesn't seem right to use the designation "the Great" of our Lord as we would of others. Our Lord has no peers, no rivals, and no successors. He is so different from every other leader, so unique, so superior, that He qualifies for a place on His own. The things He said about God are not the same as the sayings of any other religious teacher. The claims He made for Himself are unparalleled. His analysis of human society goes deeper and is more devastating than that pronounced by any other man. The challenges and demands He made on His followers are more searching than those put forward by anyone - past and present. As James Francis said of Him: "He never wrote a book, never held an office, never had a family, never went to college, never did any of the things that usually accompany greatness. But ... He is the centerpiece of the human race and the leader of its column of progress. "I am within the mark when I say that all the armies that have ever marched, all the navies that were ever built, all the parliaments that have ever sat, all the kings that have ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of people upon this earth as powerfully as has that one solitary life." </p><p class="center-it italic bold mlr40 mtb20">Jesus, my Lord and my God, all the descriptions of You fall short of defining Your real glory and worth. Yet my soul recognizes, even though it cannot put it into words, the glory that belongs to You by sovereign right. I love You Lord Jesus. With all my heart. Amen.</p><div class="tl-lightgrey mt20 pt20 flexbox-row-wrap jc-around"><div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">AdditionalVerses</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="isa+40:1-31">Isaiah 40:1-31</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="ps+89:6">Psalm 89:6</span></li><li><span class="scriptRef" ref="joh+1:34">John 1:34</span></li></ul></div>

<div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">Questions to Consider</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>What question did Isaiah pose?</li><li>What was John's testimony?</li></ul></div></div>

"The men were amazed and asked, 'What kind of man is this?' " (v. 27) 

<p>It is regarded as one of the saddest facts in our condition, that the objects which interest and attract us, have no power to perpetuate their own attractiveness; and the mind obtaining what it passionately sought, and by degrees getting accustomed to its particular features of beauty, loses day by day something of its own delight in them. Fascination can get no victory that is not stolen from it again by time. And this is said to be an inevitable, Nemesis-like fact in our finite condition. Transport must give way to an inferior sentiment. Well for us, it is said, if, by a judicious and well-timed moderation of our desires, we sink into contentment and are satisfied with that condition of the soul, while the extravagancy of our former admiration sails away, like a painted bubble, to the skies. </p><p>We do not believe that this is a divinely-appointed element in our condition. An enemy hath done this. He wishes us to be as gods, and to lead a life of independence, and this is the paradise into which he brought us out of Eden. While we are swayed by him, while sin mingles so largely with the fabric of our earthly condition, while we are without God in the world, and seek the things of the world without reference to their connection with God, it is undoubtedly so. Beauty vanishes, and excellence by familiarity loses its power to captivate. We are taken up by hope into some cloud heaven, and have the choice perhaps of descending abruptly and disastrously, or of gliding down to earth by an imperceptible declivity. </p><p>Is there no remedy? Must the imaginative, aesthetic, aspiring portion of our nature hasten to shrivel up, and leave us to sober hopes, disciplined desires, and dwarfed expectations? Not so. What we need is an object whose excellence is ever fed, ever augmented by supplies from an infinite source; whose perfections seen are only introductory to other perfections to be seen; in the contemplation of whom our admiration can never overtake the limit of the admirable, for there is no limit. We need a divine object; and having this, we need not fear to cry, " excelsior!" Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and soul, and mind, is the first and great commandment. Delight thyself in the Lord, and he shall grant thee the desires of thy heart. They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles. </p>

A daily devotional written by a Baptist Missionary to India, Reverend George Bowen (1816-1888) over 150 years ago.

Bowen's Daily Meditations

'' They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength." ― Isaiah 40:31. 

<p>The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? § He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. § My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.<br><br>If God is for us, who can be against us? § The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? § Through You we will push down our enemies; through Your name we will trample those who rise up against us. § We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.<br><br>Arise and begin working, and the Lord be with you.</p>

Daily Light on the Daily Path or Daily Light is a Christian daily devotional scripture reading published by Bagster & Sons about 1875. It has been reprinted continually since then. It consists of brief groupings of scripture passages which speak to prominent Biblical themes—two themes (morning and evening) for each day of the year. It appends no commentary, but simply allows scripture to speak for itself.

Morning Daily Light

 Be strong and of good courage. 

<p>In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the Angel of His Presence saved them; in His love and in His pity He redeemed them; and He bore them and carried them. § He whom You love is sick. § “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” … Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. § I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.<br><br>We do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. § In Him we live and move and have our being. § He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. § The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.</p>

Evening Daily Light

 The Lord will strengthen him on his bed of illness; You will sustain him on his sickbed. 

<p>When I am weak, then I am strong. § My God shall be My strength. § He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. § Let him take hold of My strength.<br><br>Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you. § The arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob.<br><br>I will not let You go unless You bless me!<br><br>You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. § Plead my cause, O Lord, with those who strive with me; fight against those who fight against me. Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for my help.</p>

 Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. 

<p><span class="bible-text "> <sup class="verse-num poetry-line">31 </sup><poetry>but those who hope   in the <smallCap>Lord</smallCap><br/><indent>will renew their strength.  </indent><br/>They will soar on wings like eagles;  <br/><indent>they will run and not grow weary,</indent><br/><indent>they will walk and not be faint.  </indent></poetry> </span></p>

but those who hope<cr>1</cr>  in the <smallCap>Lord</smallCap><br/><indent>will renew their strength.<cr>2</cr> </indent><br/>They will soar on wings like eagles;<cr>3</cr> <br/><indent>they will run and not grow weary,</indent><br/><indent>they will walk and not be faint.<cr>4</cr> </indent>

Isaiah 40:31

 31 but those who hope   in the Lord will renew their strength.   They will soar on wings like eagles;   they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.  

From Wikipedia: 

The New International Version (NIV) is an English translation of the Bible first published in 1978 by Biblica (formerly the International Bible Society). The NIV was published to meet the need for a modern translation done by Bible scholars using the earliest, highest quality manuscripts available. Of equal importance was that the Bible be expressed in broadly understood modern English.

The NIV is published by Zondervan in the United States and Hodder & Stoughton in the UK. The NIV was updated in 1984 and 2011 and has become one of the most popular and best-selling modern translations.

OT: Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia; additional sources;
NT: UBS Greek New Testament; Novum Testamentum Graece; additional sources;

New International Version

 but those who hope   in the Lord will renew their strength.   They will soar on wings like eagles;   they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.  

<p><span class="bible-text "><poetry>but those who hope   in the <smallCap>Lord</smallCap><br/><indent>will renew their strength.  </indent><br/>They will soar on wings like eagles;  <br/><indent>they will run and not grow weary,</indent><br/><indent>they will walk and not be faint.  </indent></poetry> </span></p>

Bible Verse of the Day

January 1, 2023

Isaiah 40:31 NIV

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