God told me to write down in a book what the people are like, so that there would be a permanent record of how evil they are. They are always rebelling against God, always lying, always refusing to listen to the LORD's teachings. They tell the prophets to keep quiet. They say, "Don't talk to us about what's right. Tell us what we want to hear. Let us keep our illusions. Get out of our way and stop blocking our path. We don't want to hear about your holy God of Israel." But this is what the holy God of Israel says: "You ignore what I tell you and rely on violence and deceit. You are guilty. You are like a high wall with a crack running down it; suddenly you will collapse. You will be shattered like a clay pot, so badly broken that there is no piece big enough to pick up hot coals with or to dip water from a cistern." The Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says to the people, "Come back and quietly trust in me. Then you will be strong and secure." But you refuse to do it. (Isaiah 30:8-15)

It's a miracle that anybody gets saved. He plucks us out of the fire, it's nothing we did or deserve, it's all Him. That's very easy to forget, because I'm so steeped in sin. I was thinking of a cup of tea - the teabag is the sin, and I'm steeped in it to the point of being flavored and colored by it. How can I be turned back into pure water? No natural process will do it. Only distillation can turn tea back to pure water. That may not be the best analogy for sanctification, but for the moment, it's working for me... I guess that makes the act of removing the tea bag from the mug, salvation. Well, I'll have to think it over. I bet if I google this, someone else has fully developed the idea. [grin] In any event, my theme for today is gratitude - what the Lord has done for me, from salvation right up until the breath I just inhaled. He is gracious and merciful.