“Prepare ye the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” Is. 40:3)
Dear Ones:
There are many ways that the Lord gets our attention, speaks to us, in order to bring us to faith in Him. Scripture says that He “draws,” or attracts us. But He also convicts us. What does this mean? It means specifically that His Spirit brings us to a realization, and conviction, that what He says is the truth, as opposed to opinions and speculations of men. He convicts us, not only of what sin IS (independent acts and thoughts from God), but of the fact that we are sinners, and we DO sin. It is important that we realize that SIN is an attitude and action against God, and has its detrimental out-working towards fellow human beings. The purpose of being convicted of sin by the Spirit of God, is to bring us face to face with God, and His reaction to it…and His solution for it. This is so very important, in order to bring us to be willing to see, and understand His way, His highway…a highway for God, so that He can, and will work in the heart of every individual who will truly seek Him.
Solomon wrote in Proverbs 1:7, “…The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” In Proverbs 14:27, he continues: “The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life.” It is a sad thing to say, but in our day and time, the “fear of the Lord,” that dominating, holy respect of God, has all but disappeared in the Christian’s mind. We have lost our vision of God as holy, “a consuming fire,” and Christ as, not only the Savior, but the Judge, who will bring to light every thought, word, and deed. The world will scoff and mock at this assertion, but what will it do when He comes again, or when facing death? Why does world react like this? It is because the majority of men have never honestly, truly set themselves to look at Him, and examine, not only His person, but His words. They have been swept up by the thoughts and opinions of the crowd, where there is NO fear of God, only the fear of man. And thus, they are, as Jesus said, “sheep without a Shepherd,” “…the blind leading the blind,” “…having no hope, and without God in the world.” The good news is that there is a WAY established by God, a highway…by which He will come and meet the individual heart. What is the beginning point in finding it?
The pursuit begins with the fear of God, the beginning of knowledge. That attitude of the respect of God above all respect of man, will bring us to this fact: “‘My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,’ saith the Lord.” (Is. 55:8) He then goes on to help us to grasp how much difference there is between God and man: “…As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways HIGHER than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” (v.9) So, the first thing is to ask ourselves, “Who do I fear (respect), and this, to the entrusting of my life on this earth and for eternity…men or God? If the answer is God, then it will be Him that I seek, His way, His HIGHWAY…for there is no other that leads to the Father…to knowing Him.
Dear Father, give us a clear vision of Yourself, Your holiness and wisdom. Enable us to direct our attention to the cross to SEE what You think of sin, for it was your ONLY way in dealing with “man’s independent ways and thoughts,” as opposed to Yourself. And grant us to grasp the overwhelming significance, and dominance, of Christ’s sacrifice in dealing with sin. Then we shall understand something of this heaven-bound highway. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad