"A voice of one calling: 'In the desert prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.'" (Isaiah 40:3-5)
The prophet Isaiah refers, in this passage, to the "desert" and the "wilderness" in which the people were living. As we said on Sunday, the spiritual climate for the nation of Israel was a bumpy one at best. The periods of great revival and faithfulness to their God were generally followed by periods of rebellion and idolatry. They would become so evil in their rebellion that God would allow captivity or bondage or some other hardship to bring them to their senses. They would repent and seek God, for a little while at least!
It seems to me that we are in a desert/wilderness today. Our nation certainly displays signs of that. For a country that perhaps has more Bibles per capita than any nation on earth, we are spiritually destitute. We have abandoned the God of the Bible and chosen instead to become a nation of secular humanists. Divorce is on the rise. Abortion has become the norm. Church attendance is down. Our fellow Americans affirm that there are "many roads to heaven." It reminds me of the days of Noah when everyone was kind of doing as they pleased. If you recall, that didn't turn out very well, did it?
With that in mind, it seems that we are truly to be "different" in such a way that we prepare the way of the Lord by pointing to the Lord.
"But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." (I Peter 2:9)
Are you living your life in such a way that those around you--family, friends, neighbors--see you pointing to the Lord? You may not be running around with a sign that says, "Repent! The end of the world is coming!" but the way you live your life can speak LOUDLY and CLEARLY the message of your life.
Actually, it is probably more correct to say that your life DOES speak loudly and clearly about something. The question is, what does it say? The way you live your life tells those around you what your priorities are, what you value, what you believe, and about your God. They are watching. Don't ever be mistaken about that.
They are noticing
- Where you spend your time and money
- How you treat those around you
- If you live a life of integrity
- If you are walking your talk
So I leave you with the questions I gave you yesterday. How are you preparing the way of the Lord in people's lives? Can you specify how YOUR LIFE is helping someone else to be more open to the ways of the Son of God? How will revival touch this (or that) person because of the influence of the Risen Lord in your life?
Talk to me! I want to hear what your thoughts are!
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