Tag Archives: Isaiah 55:8-9

Neither Are Your Ways My Ways

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - Becoming Like Christ - Day 172 - Isaiah 55:8-9 - Neither Are Your Ways My Ways - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Becoming Like Christ – Day 172 – Isaiah 55:8-9 – Neither Are Your Ways My Ways – Growing As Disciples

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV)  

Thoughts And Ways

I know that my thoughts are not your thoughts. I know that my ways are not your ways. How have you come to know this to be true?  I have thought and said and done so many things that clearly were not in alignment with your will. I have suffered the natural results of pain and suffering as I have frequently relied on myself. So, my lessons have been painful. Your lessons have also been very valuable. That is true. As a result, I have no doubt that your thoughts and ways do not come naturally to me or to anyone else for that matter. What does come naturally to you? Thinking and speaking and acting in worldly ways comes naturally to me. I live in this world. It should come as no surprise to me that thinking and speaking and acting in worldly ways is the natural result of not relying on you. That is true.

How do you want to live differently? How will you come to rely on me? How will you seek to know my thoughts and ways? First, let me say that I know something to be true, without a doubt. What’s that? You want me to know your thoughts and ways. You have no desire to keep your thoughts and ways secret from me. I know that I will find you when I seek you with all my heart. Yes, you will. It will be my joy for you to come to know my thoughts and ways. I want you to be able to think my thoughts, speak my words and take my actions. So, you will passionately seek me? Yes, I will seek you with all my heart and mind and soul and strength. That will be very good. How will you seek me? Where will you meet with me? I will meet with you in your word. There you will speak to me. I will meet with you in prayer. There you will speak to me. I will meet with you in worship. There you will speak to me. You will speak to me even as I go and do your will. You will speak to me as I follow and serve you. Yes, I will speak to you in all these ways and at all these times. Yes, you will come to know my thoughts and my ways as you seek me with all your heart. Thank you, Lord.

Lord, I know that my thoughts and my ways are not your thoughts and ways. I know that left to myself I will think, speak and act in ways that are not pleasing to you. Help me to know your thoughts. Help me to walk in your ways. Guide my life by your word. Amen

Key Question… How has the Lord turned your life around by helping you to know His thoughts and walk in His ways?

Living It Out… Meet with the Lord in His word on a daily basis so you will be able to know His thoughts and walk in His ways.

Seeing It Happen… Have faith that the Lord will help you to know His thoughts and ways as you meet with Him in His word.

Get Ready To Share… Share with another person or your small group how the Lord has helped you to know His thoughts and ways.

Prayer To Bless Others… May you meet with God in His word so you can know His thoughts and ways.

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

Day 172 – Becoming Like Christ – Isaiah 55-8-9 – Neither Are Your Ways My Ways – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

Please consider sharing these devotionals with others through the social media you use.

Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.

By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                   Copying not permitted                      www.GrowingAsDisciples.com

My Ways Are Higher

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - Wisdom - Isaiah 55:8-9 - My Ways Are Higher - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Wisdom – Isaiah 55:8-9 – My Ways Are Higher – Growing As Disciples

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.   Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV)

How High?

Think about this for a moment. How high are the heavens above the earth? If you could look out into space and see the end of the universe, how far would that be? I have no idea. Is there even a place where the universe ends? That’s a good question for another time. Trying to think this way starts my head spinning. I can’t even imagine thoughts this large. If I could, my head would surely explode. My small mind and little thoughts cannot begin to contain what you know. Yes, that’s very true.

Why do you think that I have bothered to tell you that my thoughts and ways are so much higher than yours? Do you think I have a purpose in mind? I certainly know that you aren’t bragging about your knowledge and wisdom. Tell me what you think. I think you want me to know your thoughts and ways. You don’t want to keep them as a secret from me. No, I do not. It’s important for me to know that you have much larger thoughts and much better ways than I do. Why is that? Well, two things will happen. First, I will stop relying on my thoughts and ways when I realize how small and inferior they are. Then I will begin to desire your thoughts and ways because they are so much higher and better.

Where do you think your desire to know my thoughts and ways has come from? My desire has not come from within me. As I have stumbled through life by relying on my thoughts and ways, I have seen their futility. I have come to grip with the fact that my thoughts and ways are broken. They don’t work and don’t lead me to where I want to go. In the painful discovery of my broken thoughts and ways, I cried out to you. I asked for your help. I asked you to show yourself to me. I asked you to lead and guide my life. I gave myself completely to you. I said that I was willing to set aside my thoughts and my ways so that I could follow you. Have I answered your prayer? Yes, you have.

Do you still, even now, desire my thoughts and ways? Yes, now just as much and more than ever. Do you think that I will continue to reveal my thoughts and show you my ways? Yes, I’m positive that you will. When will I do that? You will do that one step and one day at a time. Why do I reveal myself to you in that way? You know that I could not handle more than that. Yes, that’s true. When else do you think I will reveal my thoughts and ways to you? You will reveal yourself to me as I seek you with all my heart. Yes, I will. Is that what you are now doing? Yes Lord, it is. Thank you for drawing me to you. I want to know your thoughts and follow your ways.

Lord, there is nothing that I desire more in life than to know you. My heart, mind, eyes and ears are focused on you. I am filled with a hunger and thirst for you. I want to know your thoughts. I want to live according to your ways.  Amen

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

Wisdom – Isaiah 55-8-9 – My Ways Higher – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

Please consider sharing these devotionals with others through the social media you use.

Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.

By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                   Copying not permitted                      www.GrowingAsDisciples.com

My Ways

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - Becoming Like Christ - Day 172 - Isaiah 55:8-9 - My Ways - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Becoming Like Christ – Day 172 – Isaiah 55:8-9 – My Ways – Growing As Disciples

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV)  

Thoughts And Ways

I know that my thoughts are not your thoughts. I know that my ways are not your ways. How have you come to know this to be true?  I have thought and said and done so many things that clearly were not in alignment with your will. I have suffered the natural results of pain and suffering as I have frequently relied on myself. So, my lessons have been painful. Your lessons have also been very valuable. That is true. As a result, I have no doubt that your thoughts and ways do not come naturally to me or to anyone else for that matter. What does come naturally to you? Thinking and speaking and acting in worldly ways comes naturally to me. I live in this world. It should come as no surprise to me that thinking and speaking and acting in worldly ways is the natural result of not relying on you. That is true.

How do you want to live differently? How will you come to rely on me? How will you seek to know my thoughts and ways? First, let me say that I know something to be true, without a doubt. What’s that? You want me to know your thoughts and ways. You have no desire to keep your thoughts and ways secret from me. I know that I will find you when I seek you with all my heart. Yes, you will. It will be my joy for you to come to know my thoughts and ways. I want you to be able to think my thoughts, speak my words and take my actions. So, you will passionately seek me? Yes, I will seek you with all my heart and mind and soul and strength. That will be very good. How will you seek me? Where will you meet with me? I will meet with you in your word. There you will speak to me. I will meet with you in prayer. There you will speak to me. I will meet with you in worship. There you will speak to me. You will speak to me even as I go and do your will. You will speak to me as I follow and serve you. Yes, I will speak to you in all these ways and at all these times. Yes, you will come to know my thoughts and my ways as you seek me with all your heart. Thank you, Lord.

Lord, I know that my thoughts and my ways are not your thoughts and ways. I know that left to myself I will think, speak and act in ways that are not pleasing to you. Help me to know your thoughts. Help me to walk in your ways. Guide my life by your word. Amen

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

Day 172 – Becoming Like Christ – Isaiah 55-8-9 – My Ways – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

Please consider sharing these devotionals with others through the social media you use.

Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.

By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                   Copying not permitted                      www.GrowingAsDisciples.com