{"id":21298,"date":"2017-02-17T00:10:54","date_gmt":"2017-02-17T08:10:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lccredding.com\/lcc\/?p=10078"},"modified":"2017-02-17T00:10:54","modified_gmt":"2017-02-17T08:10:54","slug":"february-17-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/2017\/02\/17\/february-17-2017\/","title":{"rendered":"February 17, 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

“Moreover the Lord said to me, ‘Take a large scroll, and write on it with a man\u2019s pen\u2026 And I will take for Myself faithful witnesses to record\u2026'”\u00a0<\/em>Isaiah 8:1-2<\/span><\/p>\n

Witnesses<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

In my office where I meet daily with the Lord, I am surrounded by books written by Christian authors. They line my bookshelves and desk. When I consult these books, I feel I am going to hear what a dear friend has to say to me. Tozer, Spurgeon, Wiersbe. Beth Moore, Kay Arthur, John Piper, Oswald Sanders, Joni Eareckson Tada, Randy Alcorn, Brennan Manning, Brother Lawrence, Phillip Keller, Charles Stanley, Elizabeth Elliott, Jack Hayford, Chuck Smith. There are dozens more.<\/span><\/p>\n

This great cloud of witnesses surrounds me as I seek the Lord in prayer and in His Word, and as I journal what He impresses upon me. Their presence by virtue of their writings are an inspiration. I know where these witnesses stand with the Lord. They have testified of His goodness and grace, His power and majesty, His beauty, and the intimacy of their relationships with Him. They witnessed (saw and\/or heard) the Lord, and I witness their lives through their words.<\/span><\/p>\n

In today\u2019s text, God is telling Isaiah to write some things with a pen. He is going to tell Isaiah many things, for Isaiah is told to get a large scroll. He will also take other faithful witnesses to record some events. Since they are faithful witnesses, they will accurately write what they see and hear. They will give testimony to what God has said and done. In other words, whatever they witness, they will write. I, in turn, witness their lives by reading their writings.<\/span><\/p>\n

In Hebrews 12:1, which speaks of being surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses (the heroes of the faith), this is the actual meaning: not that these who are in heaven are watching us, but that their lives are witnesses to us of how to be overcomers. We can go to any one of them, read their stories in the Word, and receive their witness or testimony.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So it is with the books on my shelf\u2014including the Bible. These authors witness to me. May we find friends among Christian authors who, no matter when they lived, know the same God we know, wrestle with the same questions we ask, feel the same emotions, have the same needs\u2014and give the same witness of a loving, forgiving, almighty God.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur faithful Father, we give thanks for the witness of those who surround us. You have given us not only examples to follow, but lives we can relate to. May we live our lives as witnesses so that others may see and enter in. In Jesus\u2019 Name, Amen.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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