Tag: Cayce Fletcher

The Beginning of Ministry

Matthew 3

Mark 1

Luke 3

Devotion by Cayce Fletcher (SC)

The past year, I just celebrated the big 3-0. With every new decade, life speeds up, and the long stretch of the future that seems endless at 18 starts to look shorter and shorter. 

I remember when I graduated from high school, I – and all my friends – wrestled endlessly with what to make of our lives. What college? What major? What city? What guy? It seemed like we needed to have it all figured out as soon as we walked across the graduation stage. 

But, as anyone who has a little life experience knows, life rarely goes as planned. What we thought would make up our lives at 18 rarely fits with what our life actually looks like at 30, 40, or 50. 

It always seemed strange to me that Jesus, with such a short life, waited to begin his ministry until 30. Here are some reasons why that could be. 

Traditionally, 30 was the age in Jewish culture of full maturity. It matches up with the pattern of scripture: David was 30 years old when he became king, Joseph was 30 when he entered the service of Pharaoh, the Levitical priests were 30 when they started their service, and so on (Ezekiel, King Saul, and maybe even Paul the Apostle). 

Jesus needed to wait to gain the experience and wisdom that comes with age. His authority and testimony depended on it. 

When I was younger, it seemed like if I had not decided on a thing by age 22 that opportunity would have passed me by for the rest of my life. Whether that’s a career or a specific ministry, it seems like I’m already too set in my ways to be able to make a change and start doing the thing. 

But, I’ve realized that is not how life works. Our lives are long and full of twists and turns. Joseph probably could not have dreamed of the many changes that would take place between his time among his flocks and entering the service of Pharaoh, but God knew and had a plan. 

Sometimes, I find myself falling into this trap today. If someone has moved on from the church or a friendship is broken, I often give up. I feel as though this will be how this person, this relationship, or this work will be for the rest of my life. 

We need to remember this: As long as we are willing to walk in obedience, it is never too late to start the work. God uses the time waiting and praying as preparation to help to mature our faith and grow our wisdom. 

What can we do in the waiting? 

We can pray, prepare, and trust – as we look to all those who had to wait to begin their ministry. We can trust that God, ‘who started a good work in us, will see it through to completion.’ 

Cayce Fletcher writes and podcasts at amorebeautifullifecollective.com. Check out the blog and other resources to help you create a life you love and cultivate your heart for God. This free resource here will help you take your Bible study one step further with a Bible reading tracker, Bible study reflection page, and more.  

Reflection Questions

  1. Why do you think Age 30 was so significant in God’s plan? What is special about this age? 
  2. What thing do you feel is ‘too late to change’? It could be a job, a personality trait, a failed relationship, or a church ministry. How could you pray for change for this thing? 
  3. How can we ‘wait well’? What are some practical steps we can take to make the most of our time of preparation? 

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The Gift of the Magi

Matthew 2

Luke 2:39-52

Devotion by Cayce Fletcher (SC)

When I was still teaching seventh-grade English, one of the stories that my students loved (much to my surprise) was “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry. In the story, a young couple needed to buy Christmas presents for each other, but like many young couples, they were severely lacking in funds to do so. In order to scrounge together what they needed for the perfect gift, they sold their most valuable possessions (hair in the girl’s case and an inherited pocket watch for the boy). 

At the end, to their dismay, the boy and the girl realized that the gifts they had purchased were useless, though very expensive. The boy had bought a comb for the girl who had shorn her hair. The girl had bought a chain for the boy who had sold his watch. 

As my students reached the end of the story, they would always laugh and shake their heads at the couple. But, the story ends with this famous quote: “Of all who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest. Everywhere they are wisest. They are the magi.” 

Today’s reading almost feels like Christmas in July (or well… September). In four separate stories of travels, we learn about Jesus’ boyhood. He receives the gifts from the Magi, takes off to Egypt for several years, returns and settles in Nazareth, and finally participates in an annual pilgrimage for the Jewish feast of Passover. 

My students may think that the boy and girl in the story are silly, but when we read the story of the Magi, we should be struck as well. These men left their countries to go on a years long journey. To where? They didn’t know. For what? They also didn’t know. 

All they knew was this: “We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

O. Henry recognized that this was true devotion and love. To recklessly sacrifice to show devotion for something that we hold as truly valuable. The Magi are famously called ‘The Wise Men.’

But, what is true wisdom? 

It is not always playing it safe. It is not always acting in a way the world deems prudent. 

But, it is always rightly ordering our loves so that we can show devotion to the best thing. 

What does that look like? 

It is choosing to put our faith at the forefront of our lives, prioritizing it. We talk of priorities as a list of 3, 5, or even 10. But, really, the word means the thing we hold first. If our faith is placed first, everything else we do falls behind it. 

And, when we devote our lives to our faith, we may pursue the way of the Magi. We may sacrifice (maybe a little recklessly) in order to obey our God. Because we know that the path of obedience is sweet and good. It is worth giving up everything – even our most valuable possessions – for. 

Cayce Fletcher writes and podcasts at amorebeautifullifecollective.com. Check out the blog and other resources to help you create a life you love and cultivate your heart for God. This free resource here will help you take your Bible study one step further with a Bible reading tracker, Bible study reflection page, and more.  

Reflection Questions

  1. We often think of the Wise Men as being Wise because they were simply ‘learned.’ But, how were their actions also wise? 
  2. What is our first priority in our lives? How do we show this through our actions? 
  3. How can choosing to live wisely and righteously look like foolishness to the world? 

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Leaving a Legacy

1 Chr 22; Ps 30, 108-110

There’s nothing quite like the moment when you hold your little newborn baby in your arms. For months, you dreamed of when they would arrive, what they would look like, and the sweetness of that moment. But, your dreaming of the future doesn’t stop once you get home from the hospital. 

With every birthday, we imagine the future self that they will grow into. Some of our dreams are realized, and some are given up as life passes on. 

My husband has always wanted to be a Golf Player (with a capital G, capital P). When we learned we were pregnant with our first, he immediately said, ‘He can grow up and learned to be good at golf.’ Even if we don’t want to admit it, we all do this.

We all have dreams that we pass on to our children. Some of these dreams are our unrealized hopes for our own future. We think, “I can’t do this, but maybe my kids can.” Some of these dreams are our way of passing on our accomplishments. We build a family business and want our kids to continue that legacy. 

David had his own special dream that he wanted to pass down to his children that was a combination of both his unrealized hopes and his hard-won legacy. Since Solomon was young, David knew that his little boy would grow up to do what he wasn’t able to do: Build the temple. So, David spent his lifetime paving the way for Solomon, assembling together all the resources he would need to do something magnificent. 

My son is still young. No, we haven’t done golf lessons – yet. But, he has a few clubs to play with. There is still time for him to become that Golf Player that we dreamed of five years ago. 

But, as I read through David’s story, I’m moved to imagine a different kind of legacy that I want to pass on. I don’t just want to have dreams that center around things that would be ‘cool to do.’ My dreams for him are to build a legacy that would glorify God and impact the world.

How are we launching others to do good work for God? Are you helping those coming after you build a lasting legacy of glorifying God? 

-Cayce Fletcher

Cayce blogs at https://amorebeautifullifecollective.com about faith, family, and life. You’ll find encouragement for how to build intentional lives rooted in faith and beauty. Check out the latest post on the human nature of Jesus here. 

Reflection Questions

  1. What were some hopes and dreams that you wanted for yourself but have passed you by? 
  2. If you have kids, how have you tried to realize those dreams in your children? 
  3. What is the legacy you want to leave? How are you setting up the people who come after you to glorify God? 

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A Man After God’s Own Heart

Ps 5, 38, 41-42

One Sabbath day, Paul came to a synagogue in Antioch (a city in modern-day Turkey) and sat down to listen to the law and scriptures. After the reading was down, Paul got up and gave a sermon. Nestled in the middle of his speech is this interesting passage, “After [God] had removed [Saul], [God] raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.” (Acts 13:22)

How amazing it would be to be known as a man (or woman) after God’s own heart! Of all the epitaphs that we could put on our tombstones, this would be the highest praise. 

But, we know that there is more to David’s life than just this statement. In fact, it seems a little incongruous to describe the man who sent Uriah to die because of his sin and who sent an Angel of the Lord on his people because of his decision to do a census as a man after God’s own heart. 

I think the Psalms we read today – the cries written from David’s own heart – show how he reflected the heart of God. 

In the Psalms, we see that: 

  • David understood that God loves righteousness and hates evil. David repeats the truth to himself that God does not delight in wickedness. When he comes to God in prayer, he describes his wickedness as wounds that stink and fester. This bleak picture demonstrates his view of sin: it is evil and something from which you should flee.
  • David understood the importance of confession. David’s harsh view of sin did not mean that he was blameless. We know that he slipped and fell multiple times and had to deal with the consequences of his actions. Still, when David veered from the good and right path, he recognized it and he turned back toward God. He didn’t minimize sin, and once he humbled himself, he didn’t stay in his sin. Instead, he confessed and repented. 
  • David longed for God. He longed for God’s temple, God’s favor, and God’s very presence. He longed for it as deer pants for streams of water. He describes his soul as thirsting for God. And we know that God is the author and sustainer of life. As the very best thing, he is the ultimate thing we should long for. 

To be a man after God’s own heart didn’t mean that David had to be perfectly sinless. No human is able to do that in this lifetime. Instead, being a man after God’s heart means that we are trying to make our heart – our priorities, desires, and understandings – match the heart of God. 

If we want to be people after God’s own heart, we should: 

  • Love righteousness, and hate evil 
  • Repent from our sins in humility
  • Place God as our utmost desire

How would you describe your heart today? 

-Cayce Fletcher

Cayce blogs at https://amorebeautifullifecollective.com about faith, family, and life. You’ll find encouragement for how to build intentional lives rooted in faith and beauty. Check out the latest post on the human nature of Jesus here. 

Reflection Questions

  1. David was anointed king after the downfall of Saul. How would you describe the difference between the heart of Saul and the heart of David? 
  2. What is your view of sin? How do you show your view of sin in your actions or your willingness to confess and seek repentance? 
  3. What does it mean to long for God ‘as a deer pants for streams of water’? Do you long for God in this way? How could you deepen your desire for God? 

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Living Wisely in a Wounded World

2 Sam 19-21

The Kingdom of Israel is in the midst of a terrible civil war. Brother had turned against brother and sons against their fathers. The battle was over. Absalom, the rebellious son, had been killed. 

At first glance, it seems like David should be rejoicing. He was king again over Israel. Instead, he was caught up in his grief.

 Joab told him in 2 Samuel 19:5-7, “You have today covered with shame the faces of all your servants, who have this day saved your life and the lives of your sons and your daughters and the lives of your wives and your concubines, because you love those who hate you and hate those who love you. For you have made it clear today that commanders and servants are nothing to you, for today I know that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead today, then you would be pleased. Now therefore arise, go out and speak kindly to your servants, for I swear by the Lord, if you do not go, not a man will stay with you this night, and this will be worse for you than all the evil that has come upon you from your youth until now.”

Then, David picked himself up out of the sackcloth and ashes and made his way back to Jerusalem to take back the throne. 

This passage strikes me in the way that David has to navigate the circumstances that appear. People grovel at his feet while double-crossing their masters. Political turmoil and intrigue roil underneath the surface as another revolt occurs. A famine stretches the land to its breaking point, and difficult decisions have to be made. 

David has to live wisely to save not only himself but also the entire nation from more war, brokenness, and suffering. 

And through it all, we see this: our choices carry weight.

What does wise living look like? 

  1. Wise Living means stepping out of our circumstances to fulfill our God-given role. Grieving is a necessary part of life. It has its place as we mourn those we love. But, we cannot stay in a place of grief forever. We have to move on and step into our calling. 
  2. Wise Living means pursuing reconciliation without compromising truth. As David worked to restore peace in Jerusalem, he had to act as judge over the people who supported him and revolted under him. Through it all, David was not led by vengeance. 
  3. Wise Living means recognizing the long-term consequences of sin. In a heartbreaking scene, we see how to pay the blood guilt of Saul a mother who had to lose her sons. Our sin can cause brokenness in our lives, our families’ lives, and the lives of future generations. 

Wise Living is a radical decision in this world, but ultimately, it leads to righteousness. How are you pursuing wisdom in this broken world today? 

-Cayce Fletcher

Cayce blogs at https://amorebeautifullifecollective.com about faith, family, and life. You’ll find encouragement for how to build intentional lives rooted in faith and beauty. Check out the latest post on the human nature of Jesus here. 

Reflection Questions

  1. What decisions am I making today that will shape the next season of my life or family?
  2. Where is God calling me to seek reconciliation, even when it’s complicated
  3. How might I carry my grief with both honesty and courage?

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What are you looking towards?

OLD TESTAMENT: Isaiah 16-18

POETRY: Psalm 106

NEW TESTAMENT: Hebrews 6

One of the most memorable sermon illustrations that I’ve heard is about someone who is driving a car. If their eyes are on the road, they can direct the car wherever they choose (as long as the road and traffic patterns allow). But, how often have we been driving and our eyes drift from the road to something else? Maybe it’s something on the side of the road or a passenger in the back asking a question. Maybe we need to grab something from our purse or check our phone (even though that’s illegal in most states). 

In a split second, we can go from being on the right path to being in a ditch on the side of the road. This is why the push against texting and driving is so strong. We may choose to ignore the facts, but in 2022 alone, over 3,000 people died just from texting while driving. This is because “Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for 5 seconds. At 55 mph, that’s like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed.”

When you take your eyes off the road, you begin to veer off course. This can lead to destruction and harm. 

This is true literally when we are driving a car, but it is also spiritually true when we are thinking about our walk with God. The Bible often speaks of where our eyes are fixed to describe the spiritual health of our hearts. If our eyes are turned to God, we will be walking towards him. But, all too often, our eyes get focused on other things – jobs, pleasures, stresses, idols – and when this happens, we begin to veer off course. 

Isaiah 17:7-8 says, “In that day people will look to their Maker and turn their eyes to the Holy One of Israel. They will not look to the altars, the work of their hands, and they will have no regard for the Asherah poles and the incense altars their fingers have made.”

At the time, Israel had their gaze fixed off-course. They had turned towards idols, with their Asherah poles and incense altars. That focus led their hearts away from God and ultimately ended in destruction. They were headed towards a spiritual crash. 

God spoke off a day in the future when the Israelites course would be righted. Instead of turning to their false gods, they would look to their creator God. They would be headed on the right and good path. 

When this happens, the ultimate destination is one that is filled with hope for the good things of God. Isaiah 16:4-5 describes, “The oppressor will come to an end, and destruction will cease; the aggressor will vanish from the land. In love a throne will be established; in faithfulness, a man will sit on it— one from the house of David – one who in judging seeks justice and speeds the cause of righteousness.”

We know that this is our hope too. We have a glorious hope in the kingdom, when Jesus is seated on the throne. There will be justice, righteousness, love, and faithfulness. We wait for that day. We long for it. 

So where are your eyes fixed? Are they fixed on idols, pleasures, or cares of this world? Or are they turned towards your Maker? 

-Cayce Fletcher

Cayce Fletcher is a teacher-turned-SAHM mom of two. She blogs and podcasts at A More Beautiful Life Collective where she focuses on how you can create a life you love and cultivate your heart for God. Currently, she is working through a systematic theology series on her podcast. You can find her latest post on Bibliology here. 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. What are some of the things that lead to ‘distracted driving’ in your spiritual walk? How do your eyes get taken off of God? 
  2. Where are you currently looking now? Are you looking to God? Or somewhere else? 
  3. How does Jesus fulfill the prophecy in Isaiah 16:4-5? How does this fill you with hope for the future?
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What spiritual food are you eating?

OLD TESTAMENT: Isaiah 13-15

POETRY: Psalm 106

NEW TESTAMENT: Hebrews 5

Growing up, I was one of the youngest out of both my family and all my cousins. I changed my first diaper when I was in college when my oldest niece was born. To say I was inexperienced around kids is probably an understatement. Because of this, parenthood has also meant lots of research about what it to actually do. Sleep routines, bathtimes, mealtimes, and independent play. There’s a lot that you need to learn even if it seems like it would be common sense. 

As you read through the Bible, it can be easy to gloss over passages that reference parenthood when you are a teen and young adult. It’s not until you are a parenthood constantly trying to keep your two-year-old out of harm’s way that the significance of the passage “an infant will put its hand in a cobra’s den” really makes sense (Is. 11:8).

Today, we read a passage that also really only starts to show its true significance when you’ve been around children during their baby years. Every child is born helpless, needing constant love, care, and literal physical support. When they are born, they can only eat milk. In fact, if you tried to give your newborn an apple or even a banana they may very well choke. Their baby tummies may not be able to digest it, and they may end up having poor nutrition because they get more calories without the rich nutrients delivered by milk. 

You only start feeding solids after several months of development so that babies can grow bit by bit into the food that they eat. There’s lots of different (and conflicting) advice about the methods and timing for introducing solids, but to keep it simple if you’ve never been around young kids going through this transition, the move from milk to solids is momentous and requires thought and care. Some parents I’ve talked to have even put it off into the child’s seventh or eighth month because of the lifestyle change it requires. However, it is a very necessary step towards a mature adult. 

Today, we read in Hebrews 5:11-14, “We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” 

In our Christian walk, we want to strive for holiness and righteousness. We want to be mature in our faith. In James 1:4, we read that we want to be ‘mature and complete’ in our faith, not lacking anything. 

The writer of Hebrews was pretty critical of the letter’s recipients. Instead of calling them mature, they were called newborns in the faith who lived on milk, not solid food. What is the milk of the faith? 

The beginning of Hebrews 6 tells us: “Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And God permitting, we will do so.”

When we read the judgments in the books of prophecy of the Old Testament, we can often feel a little overwhelmed. But, we want to grow and become mature in faith. This only happens if we are consistent and diligent in our study of God’s word and live out the things that we read. We have to move beyond the basics and move towards solid food. This means dealing with difficult passages, theological concepts, and ethical questions. 

This solid food will help us to become wise. It will help us to have discernment as we deal with an increasingly difficult, complex, and uncertain cultural moment. It will help us to be able to distinguish good from evil and choose the right paths for our lives. 

-Cayce Fletcher

Cayce Fletcher is a teacher-turned-SAHM mom of two. She blogs and podcasts at A More Beautiful Life Collective where she focuses on how you can create a life you love and cultivate your heart for God. Currently, she is working through a systematic theology series on her podcast. You can find her latest post on Bibliology here. 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. Read through the list of teachings that is the milk of the Christian faith. Does this list surprise you? Would you add anything to this list? 
  2. Do you think you are currently needing spiritual milk or solid food? 
  3. What steps can you take to grow and mature in your faith? 
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Feasting on a Dish of Hope

OLD TESTAMENT: Isaiah 10-12

POETRY: Psalm 106

NEW TESTAMENT: Hebrews 4

A skill that I picked up from my teaching days was the complement sandwich. Whenever you needed to email a parent or correct a student, you nestled your criticism between two things that were good. It was a way of taking ‘a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down.’ There have been studies that it takes 5 positive interactions to overcome 1 negative interaction. From marriage to parenting to work relationships, we have to fight to notice the good so that we don’t become too negative with our words. 

Interestingly, as I read through the first few chapters of Isaiah, I noticed that God does the same thing with his prophecies. The people of Israel and Judah were told in no uncertain terms that they needed to repent and turn back to God, or they would face destruction. As we’ve read, this is a pretty bleak picture. 

Isaiah 10:16-18 says, “The Light of Israel will become a fire, their Holy One a flame; in a single day it will burn and consume his thorns and his briers. The splendor of his forests and fertile fields, it will completely destroyed, as when a sick person wastes away. And the remaining trees of his forests will be so few that a child could write them down.”

When we read this, it’s easy to think of God just as the vengeful and wrathful God that sometimes culture depicts him as. And, it’s true that God is a just God; this destruction happened in the past and will happen again in the last days. 

But, to just describe God in this way misses the full picture of who he is. With all of our readings this week, we haven’t been left with destruction. In the midst of these prophecies, there is always hope. God may not give his criticisms in a compliment sandwich, but he does serve up a solid dish of hope. 

Right after God describes the destruction coming in Isaiah 10:18, he then describes how a remnant will be left that will be led by the shoot from the stump of Jesse (Is. 11). We then have this beautiful picture of what the coming kingdom looks like. 

Some of the descriptions of the kingdom that we get: 

  • A king who is righteous, faithful, and good
  • Characterized by peace and nonviolence, not just between the nations but also between predator and prey
  • An Earth that is full of the knowledge of the Lord 
  • Nations that have left between jealousy and strife and are full of brotherly love towards each other 

As we read through Isaiah, we should feel convicted to look deeply at our lives and be sure that we are living them righteously. But, we should also be reminded of the ever-lasting faithfulness and love of our Father. Yes, God is a holy, just God, but he also is a loving God who has good things in store for us. 

With each picture of hope, we are moved to praise just like Isaiah. We say along with him, “Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation” (Is. 12:2-3).

-Cayce Fletcher

Cayce Fletcher is a teacher-turned-SAHM mom of two. She blogs and podcasts at A More Beautiful Life Collective where she focuses on how you can create a life you love and cultivate your heart for God. Currently, she is working through a systematic theology series on her podcast. You can find her latest post on Bibliology here. 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. A common theme throughout Isaiah is the tendency of the people to oppress the poor, widow, and fatherless. James 1:27 says that pure religion is to take care of these people. Describe God’s heart for those who are oppressed. How are you serving them in your life? 
  2. Do you view God as a wrathful judge or a loving Father (or a little of both)? How do you think the world views God? What is the correct view of God? 
  3. How do the prophecies of the kingdom that we read in Isaiah move you to praise? 
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Walk Worthy

OLD TESTAMENT: Isaiah 6-7

POETRY: Psalm 106

NEW TESTAMENT: Hebrews 2

Have you ever been the bearer of bad news? Or had to confront someone for a wrong that they did – either to you or to someone else? 

It never feels good to deal with confrontation, though some of us handle it better than others. Your hands may get clammy, your stomach may be tied up in knots, and your heart may be racing. The worst is when you’ve said what you’ve wanted to say, but instead of the other person accepting it, they try to respond with a retort or an argument telling you why you’re wrong. 

At that point, what do you do? Turn your tail and run? Forget about it? Give up on the conversation? 

Isaiah had his fair share of confrontations over the years he spent prophesying to Judah. Already we’ve read some pretty harsh words that he had for the people. Today, we got a glimpse of the Lord’s calling of Isaiah. 

Some people you should know: 

  • Isaiah: Prophet to Judah for 40 years, who may have also been a priest. 
  • King Uzziah (also called Azariah): A good king of Judah who was prideful in his final years. After attempting to offer incense in the temple, he got leprosy and died in disgrace.
  • King Jotham: The son of Uzziah. Another good king who led battles and won with the help of God. However, during his reign, the people acted corruptly. 
  • King Ahaz: The son of Jotham. A wicked king of Judah. He destroyed the temple bit by bit and acted sacrilegiously. 

After King Uzziah died, Isaiah saw a vision of the Lord while he was working in the temple. God calls him to go and tell the people this message in Isaiah 6:9-10: “‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ 10 Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise, they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

Talk about a message of confrontation! Isaiah has the response that most of us would have: “But, how long do I need to keep saying this?” To which, God responds, ‘Until destruction is brought upon Judah.’

Isaiah had a hard mission. Not only did he have to communicate a difficult message, but he was also often called to a difficult lifestyle (at one point he had to walk around naked and barefoot as a sign to the people). He had to bear the weight of the message of destruction that he was called to. Still, Isaiah walked ready and willing to the calling that he had received. 

We also have been commanded to live on mission. Ephesians 4:1 says, “​​I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.” Our calling may not have not been through visions of grandeur like Isaiah, but we have been called to Christ for a purpose. 

Sometimes, living on mission will require us to get a little uncomfortable. We may have to live differently than those around us. We may have to speak about the truth that we have received. We may also have to fight against temptations and stumbling blocks that appear in our paths. 

Our goal should be to walk worthy. What does a worthy life look like? It is a life that is committed. A life that is holy and set apart. A life that is bold and confident. A life that recognizes the great gift we have been given. 

The next time you face some confrontation because of your faith just remember, God is with you. We can stand firm in the calling that we have received. 

-Cayce Fletcher

Cayce Fletcher is a teacher-turned-SAHM mom of two. She blogs and podcasts at A More Beautiful Life Collective where she focuses on how you can create a life you love and cultivate your heart for God. Currently, she is working through a systematic theology series on her podcast. You can find her latest post on Bibliology here. 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. How is God described in Isaiah 6? This is one of the most descriptive pictures of him sitting on his throne. How does this picture change the way you view God? 
  2. How would you describe your calling? What is your purpose or mission? 
  3. How would you describe ‘walking in a manner worthy of the calling you received?’ Do you walk worthy now? What might you need to change about your life to make it more worthy? 
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What should we do in this backward world? 

OLD TESTAMENT: Isaiah 3-5

POETRY: Psalm 106

NEW TESTAMENT: Hebrews 1

How many of you feel like we are living in a backward world today? What we think should be happening doesn’t happen. We see injustices abound. Regardless of your political party or worldview, there is something clearly not right about our current world, something broken. 

Think in your mind of one instance that shows this backwardness, this brokenness. It may have to do with the upcoming presidential election, health scares, social problems, or wars and rumors of wars. But, the thing in your mind is indicative to you that the world isn’t as it should be. And, it’s a reason why we wait for the kingdom when everything that is wrong will be made right. 

Isaiah is doing something similar in this section of his prophecy. Isaiah 3 details several instances where someone who should be paying honor to someone more deserving instead is receiving honor. This happens in three different ways: 

  • Isaiah 3:4-5 – “I will make mere youths their officials; children will rule over them. The young will rise up against the old”
  • Isaiah 3:6 – “The nobody against the honored.”
  • Isaiah 3:12 – “ Women rule over them.”

Now, before these verses start to offend anyone, let’s just think about what they are saying (and be sure to read the full chapter for context). In this time of destruction, there is a genuine lack of leadership. It gets so bad that anyone with a cloak is being grabbed and made the leader of the people (an honor to which that cloak-wearing brother says ‘No thanks’). 

As the people bicker and fight with one another and inept leaders try to make something out of the ‘heap of ruins,’ God sits on his throne. The true sovereign leader of the people still reigns, and the destruction is coming because he is issuing judgments from his throne.  

He says in Isaiah 5:20, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.”

God makes proclamations against the people who oppress his people, those who harm the poor, and the proud. After his judgments are passed, he gives a hopeful picture of the ‘branch that will be beautiful and glorious’ that will be left for those who are still faithful to him. The sins are washed away and fortunes are restored. Israel is brought back to life. 

We often look to our earthly leaders to make this current world right. We know that there is brokenness in the world, so we are quick to grab anyone who seems like a remotely good fit for a leader and put them in power. Meanwhile, there are plenty of power-hungry leaders around, who pass laws and oppress people. Who perpetuates injustice. People who should not be in charge and yet they are. 

What should we do in this backward world? 

Well, we can rest in the truth that the true leader of the world is not one that we elect or put in charge. The true leader of the world is God. He is reigning now, and he will also put everything that is wrong to right in the future age when the kingdom is brought to Earth. 

So the next time you feel afraid or lost, you can trust in God. He is the one who is really in charge, and he is the perfect leader.

-Cayce Fletcher

Cayce Fletcher is a teacher-turned-SAHM mom of two. She blogs and podcasts at A More Beautiful Life Collective where she focuses on how you can create a life you love and cultivate your heart for God. Currently, she is working through a systematic theology series on her podcast. You can find her latest post on Bibliology here. 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. What is the significance of the child being the leader? Do you think the child is the leader of our current society? 
  2. What is the danger of being haughty or prideful? Why would this be something God would punish? 
  3. Reread Isaiah 5:20. How have you seen people call evil good and good evil? How can you guard against doing this yourself?
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