For Reading and Meditation:      Isaiah 6:1-13The next aspect of God's nature and character we examine is that of His holiness. Even the most casual reader of the Scriptures cannot help but notice that God is portrayed in the Bible as uniquely and awesomely holy. In fact, there are more references to the holiness of God in Scripture than to any other aspect of His character. This ought to give us some indication of how important it is. But what do we mean when we say God is "holy"? There are three thoughts underlying the word "holy." First, the idea of separation, being withdrawn or apart. Second, brightness or brilliance. Third, moral majesty, purity, or cleanliness. It is interesting that those who came into direct contact with the Almighty in the Old Testament were inevitably overwhelmed by His moral majesty. Isaiah went into the Temple to pray at a time when his people were in grave difficulties. Uzziah, the king who had ruled for half a century, was dying and Assyria, a terrible and evil force, stood threateningly to the north. I feel sure that whatever answer Isaiah thought he would get as he opened up his heart to God, it was not the one he received. He was given a vision of a holy God that shook him to the core of his being. Why should this be? I think it was because the concept of God's holiness is the main lesson in His school, the divine prerequisite for admission to the inner heart of God, the most important qualification for learning from the Lord.Father, I must search my heart this day and ask myself: Do I know what it is to serve a holy God? Have I ever received a vision of the moral majesty and purity of the Divine? Deepen my understanding of all this I pray. In Jesus' Name. Amen.<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>Exodus 15:1-11</li><li>Psalm 99:9</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 Moses pose?</li><li>What did the psalmist affirm?</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

"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty " (v. 3)

For Reading and Meditation:      Mark 1:1-13Those who accept Scripture's teaching concerning God must be prepared to say that He is not only personal, but that He is a plurality of Persons also - a Trinity. The next aspect of God's character we must examine is His triune nature. The doctrine of the Trinity, that God is One yet three separate Persons, is not easy to understand, but it is clear in Scripture. The term "Trinity" nowhere appears in the Bible (it was first used by Tertullian around AD 210), but its roots are deeply embedded in the Word of God. It is mainly a revelation of the New Testament, but there are glimpses of the truth to be seen in the Old Testament also. "Let us make man in our image" (Genesis 1:26). To whom was God speaking at this stage? Some say the angels, but nowhere in Scripture are angels seen as being involved in the act of creation or as being on the same level as God. Read Colossians 1:16 and it will become clear to whom God was speaking. "Man has now become like one of us" (Genesis 3:22). In Isaiah 6:8 God says: "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" "Go to the Jordan," wrote Augustine, "and you find the Trinity. There at the baptism of Jesus the three Persons in the Godhead are simultaneously in evidence. The Father is heard speaking directly from heaven, the Son is seen being immersed in the river, and John the Baptist beholds the Spirit descending upon the Christ." Three in One and One in Three. On this truth we must stand, even though we may not fully understand.Blessed Trinity, Three in One and One in Three, I worship You this day in spirit and in truth. My spirit joins with Your Spirit, and Your truth, though sometimes darkness to my intellect, is nevertheless sunshine to my heart. Amen.<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>Matthew 28:16-20</li><li>John 14:26-27</li><li>John 15:26-27</li></ul></div>

<div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">Questions to Consider</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>How were the disciples to baptize new converts?</li><li>How did Jesus confirm the truth of the Trinity?</li></ul></div></div>

" Jesus  saw  the Spirit descending  And a voice came from heaven: 'You are my Son ' " (vv. 10-11)

For Reading and Meditation:      Psalm 24:1-10We spend one more day meditating on the words: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." The concluding words of this Beatitude are often misunderstood. Many believe them to have reference to the saints' eternal reward in heaven. Tennyson expressed this thought in his famous lines: "I hope to see my Pilot face to face when I have crossed the bar." The thought contained in this phrase, however, is not so much related to seeing God in heaven, but to seeing God now. Seeing God means seeing God in everything. Let me put it another way: not to see God is to fail to find the meaning of life and to see no purpose in anything. Such a condition, one must admit, produces an emotional overload on the personality that leads inevitably to despair. Some who fall prey to this mood can end up committing suicide. As one person commented: "Those who can't see the why have little energy to cope with the what." Seeing God is being acquainted with Him, sensing His acceptance, comprehending what it means to be forgiven and made anew. Raymond Cramer puts it beautifully when he says: "To the pure in heart, seeing God is viewing a stained glass window from the inside rather than the outside. The pure in heart are aware of a reality which most people miss. They are sure of God." Seeing God must be connected with purity of heart, for we must see and sense God first in our own inner being before we can see Him and sense Him elsewhere. See Him within and you will not fail to see Him without. Gracious and loving Father, I recognise that an uncleansed heart causes more ill health and more unhappiness than anything else. Help me take the prescription You have given me with a thankful heart. Amen.<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>Isaiah 6:1-8</li><li>Psalm 99:9</li><li>Hebrews 12:14</li><li>Revelation 15:4</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 Isaiah's experience?</li><li>What is a prerequisite for seeing the Lord?</li></ul></div></div>

"Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place?" (v. 3)

Isaiah 6:1-13Isaiah knew the very day and hour when he saw this wonderful vision. It was in the year that king Uzziah died. The vision had made such an impression on his mind - that he never could forget it. It had meant so much to him as an experience, that he could never cease to look back to the day as his spiritual birthday.That was a memorable year. Uzziah was one of the greatest of Judah's kings. He had reigned fifty years with high honor, and then suddenly he was smitten with leprosy. He had gone into the temple and attempted with his own hands to burn incense. On his forehead appeared at once the white spot which was the mark of divine judgment, and the king was thrust out and dwelt in a leper house until his death. The year in which king Uzziah died, was therefore more than a date. That was the year of Isaiah's vision .There are one or two dates in nearly every earnest life, which are always remembered. Sometimes it is a loss or a sorrow which has made its indelible record. Sometimes it is the coming of a great joy into the heart - the first meeting with a new friend, for example. Sometimes it is the day when Christ was revealed too the heart. We may be very sure that Andrew and John never forgot the day when they first saw Jesus and when He took them to His own lodgings for a long talk. It is good for us to keep records of the great days in our life.The prophet in his vision, saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up. It is a great thing when such a vision as this fills one's life. Too often it is this world - which most largely blocks the soul's view. Men see visions of wealth, power, fame, or pleasure - but see not a gleam of heaven nor a hint of the shining of God's face. But earthly visions do not exalt our life. They make us no better. When we have visions like Isaiah's, in which God fills all our field of view - we are lifted up in spirit, in character, in hope and joy. One who sees God - is never the same man afterwards. He is set apart now for holy life and service. He is dominated ever after by a new influence. He has seen God - he must therefore be holy; he must walk softly and reverently; he must be true to God.There is something unusual and very impressive in the description of the seraphim in this vision. "Each one had six wings!" Wings are for flight - it is the mission of angelic beings to fly on God's errands. The six wings would seem to signify special readiness to do God's will. But they suggest here, more than their normal use - to fly.The modern Christian would probably use them all for flying - and would be intensely active. We live in an age when everything inspires to activity. We are apt to run, perhaps too greatly, with our 'wings'.But we should notice that two of the seraphim's wings were used in covering his face when before God - teaching reverence. Two of them also were used in covering his feet - humility. The other two were used in flying - activity. Reverence and humility - are quite as important qualities in God's service as activity!The song of the seraphim, as they veiled their faces and covered their feet, indicated praise, worship. One choir sang, "Holy, holy, holy, is Almighty Jehovah!" and the other responded, "The whole earth is full of His glory!" What we owe to God always is holiness, for everywhere is His glory. Yet many people never see any of God's glory in the earth. They think of glory as something bright and dazzling, like the burning bush, the pillar of fire, or the transfiguration. But there is as much glory in a tree laden with sweet blossoms - as there was in the flaming bush at Horeb; and as much glory in a face shining brightly with love - as there was in Stephen's. We read of Christ's first miracle that He thus "manifested His glory." It was the glory of kindness and helpfulness which this miracle showed. Everywhere God's glory shines in all nature - and in all true Christian living, in lowly homes where prayer is offered.The prophet stood now face to face with God, and the effect on him was a sense of his own sinfulness. "Then said I: Woe is me I for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips! For my eyes have seen the King, Almighty Jehovah!" We do not know our own unworthiness until we have had a glimpse of God. In the light of the divine holiness - we see our own unholiness!One of the most remarkable incidents in the Gospels, is that in which Peter begged Jesus to depart from him. It was after a great miracle. Peter was awed by the manifestations of power in Jesus. Only a divine being could do such work. The effect on him was that he shrank away from the presence of such a holy being! He was not worthy to stand before Christ. "Depart from me - for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" When the light of God's face shines into our heart - we see how unworthy we are. All pride and self-conceit vanish - when we stand in the presence of the divine glory.The mercy of God is ever instant in its response to human penitence and confession. "Then one of the seraphim flew unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar; and he touched my mouth with it, and said: Lo, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away, and your sin forgiven!" The act of bringing the coal and touching the prophet's lips, was very suggestive. The altar was the place of sacrifice. It was holy fire that burned there. All this must be kept in mind as we think of the meaning of this act. Not any common coal of fire would have done. It represented fire from heaven, the fire of the Holy Spirit. As the coal touched the lips of the prophet - they were made pure and clean.No sooner had the prophet's lips been cleansed - than the call for service came. "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" God is always wanting errand - runners. Angels fly swiftly and eagerly. There is not an angel in glory, who would not gladly come to earth on any mission, however lowly.A legend tells of one of the highest angels sent to earth one day with two commissions - to deliver a king from the power of some temptation; and to help a little struggling ant home with its burden of food. The latter errand was done just as dutifully and joyously by the great angel - as the former. But God wants men as well as angels for messengers in this world. He is always asking this question, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?"

A unique type of devotional from the writings of James Russell Miller, published between 1908 and 1913.

Devotional Hours Within the Bible

Isaiah 6:1-13

Isaiah's Call to Service

8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? ”And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

Then I heard the voice<cr>1</cr> of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send?<cr>2</cr> And who will go for us?<cr>3</cr> ”<pb/>And I said, “Here am I.<cr>4</cr> Send me!”

Isaiah 6:8

 8 Then I heard the voice   of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send?   And who will go for us?  ” And I said, “Here am I.   Send me!”

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

 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? ”And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

 Then I heard the voice   of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send?   And who will go for us?  ” And I said, “Here am I.   Send me!”

Bible Verse of the Day

March 23, 2023

Isaiah 6:8 NIV

Verse by Verse Bible Study

More on the web

Group of Brands