a week ago i was walking around the farish district with a group of people picking up trash. lots of trash. beer bottles, chip bags, dirty clothes, etc...one of the kids walking with us said a few times "this stuff stinks so bad" and "there is so much trash, more trash and more trash" and we just kept picking it all up.
i have not been able to stop thinking about that. isaiah 65 is a chapter full of judgement AND salvation.
"I've made myself available to those who haven't bothered to ask. I'm here ready to be found by those who haven't bothered to look. I kept saying, I'm here, I'm right here, to a nation that ignored me. I reached out day after day to a people who turned their backs on me, people who make wrong turns, who insist on doing things their own way." God says "These people gag me, I can't stand their stench"
But. There is always a But when it comes to God. that's how awesomely gracious he is to us.
"But, just as one bad apple doesn't ruin the whole bushel, there are still plenty of good apples left. So, I will preserve those who obey me." and those that obey get this: full stomachs, rejoicing, full hearts, laughter.
what hit me that day walking and picking up trash and smelling it was .....that is the same thing God thought about me when i walked in sin. even though my sin was a stench to him, he was still there picking me up - so much trash. but he just kept right on picking me up. still does. he loves that crazy.
the beauty that comes from him picking us up and living in his truth is this, we give off a sweet scent rising to God, which is recognized by those on the way of salvation, an aroma redolent with life. i don't know about you, but i want to be sweet smellin.
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