Daily Devotion

[Pastor Joelle]

“I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may
reach to the end of the earth."
Isaiah 49:6b

One thing most of Israel never seemed to ‘get’ and that was that they
were chosen for a reason, for the sake of the whole world. They were
not some exclusive group, chosen because they were so special, chosen
so that they could sit around and boast and enjoy the benefits of
being God’s own for themselves. They were chosen to bring the light
and justice and love and mercy of God to “the ends of the earth” God
has always intended salvation for ALL PEOPLE.

Now lest we shake our heads and say “tch tch, how dare that naughty
Israel try to keep salvation to themselves” we have to recognize that
the church has pretty much done the same thing. We like to keep all
of God’s goodies to ourselves, inside our own comfy little
congregation.

The purpose of the church is not so you can worship with your own
little cozy group of friends. The purpose of the church is to bring
God’s love, forgiveness, compassion, mercy, peace, justice to ALL
people. People outside your social circle. Even people different
than you. Even people you don’t like.

God will not be kept locked up in church. God is out there in the
world and calling us to see and point him and his love out to those
out in the world. We are to be a light “that my salvation may reach
to the end of the earth”

Gracious God illumine our lives that we might be a light to the
nations, that your salvation may reach to the end of the earth. Amen.