“Come, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good…
Incline your ear, and come to me;
hear, that your soul may live…
“Seek the Lord while he may be found;
call upon him while he is near;
let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
“As the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
“For you shall go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
shall break forth into singing,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.” Isaiah 55:1-3a,6-12
The invitation is clear, somewhat. Come, buy and eat! makes sense in a consumer society, yet without money or price brings with the call a conundrum. How can I purchase such satisfaction without normal means of exchange? God’s ways are different and higher. He deals on another plane altogether, and to be sated the way He promises I must adjust to His methods of transaction. Where man’s accustomed to spending monetary treasure to procure things that satisfy, the Lord elevates that concept to a higher dimension. Give up your thinking and ways, spend your time and invest your attention on Mine.
Making the transition from worldly to divine commerce takes will and effort. The Spirit at salvation introduces a new way of living: Christ living in us. When He’s supreme, we learn to deal and interact in a spiritual dimension rather than being limited to trivialities of earth. Where our bent was to satisfy temporal appetites, sanctification refines our desires toward eternal pursuits. The Lord and His word bring satisfaction and delight that are otherworldly and substantial. (Genesis 3:1-6; Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 5:8)
What is my normal method of daily exchange? Make money-spend money, take here-give there? Trade compliments, insults, favors, or grudges? Am I wholly focused on pursuing and achieving my dreams, yet feel empty the end of each day?
What could change in my heart and mind if I spent differently, and reordered my attention and affection for things more lasting? How limited is my vision for soul appetites? How willing am I to exchange the currency of sarcasm and complaint for kindness and gratitude?
Lord, keep me coming to Thee for true satisfaction, living wholeheartedly as your child, for Your purposes and glory.
As the rain and snow 