Feb 18 - Isaiah 11:1

A shoot shall come out

from the stump of Jesse,

and a branch shall grow

out of his roots.

Isaiah 11:1

When I get my verse each day, they often come two at a time. Isaiah 11:1 was the first one for today.

This verse is usually a Christmas verse. Writing a few hundred years after the reign of King David, Isaiah wasn't pointing backward, remembering that Jesse was the father of David. Rather, he was pointing forward to the coming of Messiah. Isaiah was predicting that from the stump of Jesse and the line of David would come the Messiah.

The second verse was John 15:5. Before talking about abiding in him and bearing much fruit, "Christ says, 'I am the vine, you are the branches.'"

Watch the pattern. From the stump of Jesse comes David. From the roots of David comes Jesus the Messiah. From the vine of Jesus comes you and me.

God's been planting, sewing, weaving, and growing all of creation so that you can be his treasured branch and bear sweet and glorious fruit for his kingdom.

So notice the pattern. From Jesse's stump comes David. From David's roots come Jesus. From Jesus' vine comes you and me. From you and me come whom?!

In Christ's Love,

a guy who doesn't want

to break the chain