Title: Life and Senses
Contents
♡♥♡ Life and Senses / Isaiah 55:1-7
***Introduction
What do you think is the difference between life and death? Of course, the biggest difference would be ‘life’. However, in some respects, it cannot be said that all living beings are living. There are lives that cannot die, and there are people who live life without any consciousness like plant humans. I think it's the difference in 'senses' when considering both the life of the body and the spirit.
A person who has life has active 'senses', whether physically or spiritually. But a person without life has no sense. Living things feel both sorrow and joy, and they know how to be thrilled and angry. A dead body or spirit has neither enlightenment nor emotion nor anger. Especially, those who do not have spiritual life have no sense of the spirit at all because the heart of God is not communicated to them. Therefore, we are bound to live only in the life of the flesh. From this point of view, the greatest concern in the believer's life of faith is the life of the spirit and the spiritual sense.
When I was in the military, there was a signalman who supported our unit. This signalman was a private in charge of communication facilities when our unit was operating. However, the signalman went up to the telephone pole to work on the construction of the communication line and accidentally touched the high-voltage line, and his life was in jeopardy due to an electric shock.
After a few months, I was transferred to the division replenishment to be discharged. But there he met the correspondent. He said the life was saved because the electricity escaped by rupturing a weak part of his body. So, I was recovering to some extent and returning to the unit.
But he said he had lost the sensation in his right arm. When the armpit ruptures, the sensory line is irreparably damaged. He said he had arms, but he didn't feel them at all. He said that he would never know until he saw it with his own eyes, even if he bumped into his right arm or hand while walking down the street.
This is an example where a part of the body has lost sensation.
The text of this hour contains the cry of God's tender love through the prophet Isaiah. God's cry was once for those who had life and enjoyed the thrill of joy, but now they have turned away from God and commit sins and have lost their sense of spirit. In other words, he is teaching those who have lost their spiritual senses the way to recover.
When the sense of spirit disappears, the first symptoms that appear are resentment and irritability. This is because only physical phenomena can be seen and felt. The Israelites complained against Moses because there was no water in the wilderness, because the road was rough, and their anger reached the extreme because of the lack of food. God was angry with the foolish people who saw only physical phenomena, and in the end, they could not enter the promised land of Canaan (see 1 Corinthians 10). Conversely, when there is spiritual life, especially when the life force is strong, joy is full. Stephen was like that. Though he was stoned to death in agony, his face was bright with a bright brilliance and joy to see the Lord. In this way, the senses of the Spirit have joy and emotion from the Lord. In verse 2 of the text, it is said that the restoration of the senses through obedience to and following the word of God is “to gain pleasure.”
How, then, can we restore the sense of the spirit?
God declares to them, “Obey me, and your hearts will find joy; if you come to me and hear me, your souls will live.” In other words, the life of spirit and spiritual senses will be restored if we listen to, obey, and follow the word of God.
In the text, powerful commands such as ‘obey’, ‘seek’, ‘call’, ‘come back’ are used. This expresses God's earnest heart toward people, and at the same time shows a certain will. Another thing to say is that these times are not always there, but there are certain opportunities. In verse 6, He said, “A time to meet” and “A time when you are near.”
There is an American proverb that says, “Make hay while the sun shines.” This means that whatever you do, you have a chance to do it. A wise person is someone who knows how to take advantage of a good opportunity when it comes. Wouldn't that be especially important in matters pertaining to the life of the spirit?
Let's read verse 6 together. “Seek the Lord while he may be found. Call him while he is near.” Let's read it again in modern language. “When the Lord has come to meet you, come ye also to meet the Lord! Call on the Lord and seek him while the Lord is near!”
So when does God come to see us, or when is He near? This may be when the spiritual senses, or the spirit life, are in crisis. Combining the words of the Bible, it is clear that it is a time of crisis in life. Psalm 50:15 says, “Call on me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver you, and you will glorify me.” Another is when we grieve and feel pain for our sins. In Psalm 34:18, it is said, “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and he saves those who are crushed in spirit.” “I dwell in the high and holy place, and I also dwell with the contrite and humble of heart, to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite.”
All these sayings are for people to draw near to God. Coming to God, hearing His Word, making decisions, obeying and following His Word is the way to restore life and restore senses.
What are the symptoms of life recovery?
The change that comes from obeying God's Word is that life is restored and joy and joy are restored. Verse 2 says, “You will eat good things, and you will find joy in the fatness of your hearts.”
Throughout the Old and New Testaments, the phenomenon when God is with us is full of joy and joy. It was the time when the people who had returned from captivity heard the word of God and wept. Nehemiah 8:9-10. “When the people heard the words of the law, they all wept. Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “Do not mourn, nor weep, for today is holy to the Lord your God.” Nehemiah said again, “Go, eat the fat, and drink sweet things. Give it to those who do not have it ready. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Serving God is a joy. As I said in the morning, we do not serve God by force or by causing unnecessary suffering. 1 Peter 5:2-3. “Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God, not for unclean people, but with a cheerful will; Be this.”
In the end, all things in life come to you with pleasure.
How is your life now? Do you have peace of mind, full of gratitude, and joy in everything? This is evidence that the life force of the spirit is abundant. If this life continues, there will be no worries when the Lord comes. I pray that your life will always be filled with the life of the spirit and that your spiritual senses will be activated to enjoy the joy of the Lord.