So Much Good Stuff From Isaiah

“So Much Good Stuff from Isaiah – The Prophet”

As I was working on getting the materials ready for the Thanksgiving Food Baskets for this year, I was reminded what this is all about as I read our G.U.I.L.D. motto our loud – “Is it not to share your food with the hungry… when you see the naked, to clothe him?  Isaiah 58:7

Thanksgiving is probably my favorite of the holidays because it forces me to just take the time to stop and think about how much I have to be thankful for.  How wonderful it is at this time of the year to remember the number of people in our lives that we’re so thankful to know.  For some, this time of the year is very difficult for them because they may be going through a season in their lives where they don’t feel there is that much for which to be thankful.  That’s where I think that we, as Christian brothers and sisters, come into the mix.  It is the very time we, because we are thankful for all that we have - food, clothing, shelter, family, friends, freedom, cars, and the list goes on, that it’s only natural we should want to and do bless others.  We can take a lesson from our elementary school students and their parents here at Grace Harbor School who are doing exactly that.  They are collecting much needed staple items of all sorts, assembling them in Ziploc plastic bags, and placing them in their cars, so that they have supplies readily accessible to pass out to homeless people they come across.  I’m sure that it pleases God that we don’t take our name lightly – we are truly a “harbor of grace” for those that need to see Him in action.

One of my devotionals (A Woman’s Daily Prayer Book) this week was based on another “good stuff” Isaiah verse – “Learn to do good, seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.” Isaiah 1:17  The author  noted, and I wholeheartedly agree, that “learning to do good for the sake of others is one of life’s most fulfilling endeavors”.

As it was her prayer in that devotional, which I will share you, in its entirety, is the hope that it will be the prayer of many of you, and that it speaks to your hearts:

            “Lord, teach me how to help and defend the vulnerable people around

me – the children the sick, the infirm, the elderly, the poor.  They are

easily taken advantage of by those more powerful than they are, but I

know you have a special place in your heart for them.  Help me not to

look the other way, when intervening would be inconvenient or

scary. Grant me your wisdom, insight, and grace to effectively help

wherever and whenever I can.” Amen

I will not have the chance to share another devotional before Thanksgiving, so I will take this opportunity to wish all of God’s children a blessings-filled Thanksgiving.  We welcome you to join us every Sunday at Grace Harbor for Children’s Sunday School and Adult Bible Study at 9:00 a.m. and Sunday Worship Service at 10:00 a.m.

Love In Him,

Charlotte