Isaiah 59:1-8

Isaiah 59:1-8
English Standard Version (ESV)

 Whenever I cook something that ends up tasting badly, I always wonder why.  I didn't set out to create a culinary monstrosity -- but at some point things went sideways and the result was an inedible meal.  What happened?  Where did it go wrong?  And can it be fixed with barbecue sauce?
  In regards to the human situation, we know where things went wrong -- the instant humans chose to pursue their selfish intentions over God's will, we introduced sin into our lives, and rebellion against God's sovereignty has been going on for millenia.  God wants us to live in peace, but we pursue violence against God, against ourselves, against one another.
  The Good News is that there is a solution -- God's own Son, Jesus Christ, ascended a cross and absorbed the world's violence so that we might live in peace with God.  The separation is not permanent, but the veil is torn in two and we are reunited with God.
  The challenging thing is learning how to submit to Christ's Lordship.  To have a Savior is to admit that we cannot save ourselves, and it is hard to begin anew each day, to sustain that submission throughout our lives.  It's an easy thing to say at one point, but it's a hard road to walk day after day, moment after moment.  To let every thought be captive to the Lord -- that is a lifetime's work.
  Will you endure to the end?  It's so very tempting to be lazy, to choose comfort over faithfulness, to choose what is easy over what is right.  But Christ calls us to come and die so that we might find life.