Are You On The Journey To Deliverance?
Good Morning Friends,
When King Hezekiah received a message of an impending attack by Assyrian terrorists, he did not succumb to fear but instead shared the experience with God. Good King Hezekiah did not waste time worrying over it, he knew where to take things that were bigger than he was. He laid it all out before the Lord. We too can learn from the hard and long road of submitting to God’s plan. Are You On The Journey To Deliverance?
Scripture: When the king heard concerning King Tirhakah of Ethiopia, “See, he has set out to fight against you,” he sent messengers again to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus shall you speak to King Hezekiah of Judah: Do not let your God on whom you rely deceive you by promising that Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. See, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, destroying them utterly. Shall you be delivered? Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it; then Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord and spread it before the Lord. And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, and said: “O Lord the God of Israel, who are enthroned above the cherubim, you are God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, and have hurled their gods into the fire, though they were no gods but the work of human hands—wood and stone—and so they were destroyed. So now, O Lord our God, save us, I pray you, from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O Lord, are God alone.” Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I have heard your prayer to me about King Sennacherib of Assyria. This is the word that the Lord has spoken concerning him: She despises you, she scorns you— virgin daughter Zion; she tosses her head—behind your back, daughter Jerusalem. for from Jerusalem a remnant shall go out, and from Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. “Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into this city, shoot an arrow there, come before it with a shield, or cast up a siege-ramp against it. By the way that he came, by the same he shall return; he shall not come into this city, says the Lord. For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.” That very night the angel of the Lord set out and struck down one hundred eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians; when morning dawned, they were all dead bodies. Then King Sennacherib of Assyria left, went home, and lived at Nineveh.
2 Kings 19:9b-11, 14-21, 31-35a, 36 (NRSV)
“Do not give what is holy to dogs; and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under foot and turn and maul you. “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets. “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
Matthew 7:6, 12-14 (NRSV)
Message: We live in a time when people tend to choose their own version of reality. Too few follow the Golden Rule. Too many fail to guard what is holy. Too few take their concerns to God. Too few see the pricelessness of Christ. Part of the problem is that society’s methods of dealing with fear are not the ways of God. Discipline is required for those that would enter the Kingdom of God. The way of faith is narrow. Here religious acts here are not done for self-aggrandizement but to glorify God. So too, some religious teachings are to be shared in the presence of those who are ready to appreciate them. Friends, it is great to be inclusive but the path to deliverance is narrow. Unfortunately, we are told by society that the road is so wide that there may be many independent tracks in it, and the sinner may find his way along it without ever upsetting the satisfaction of the religious frauds who starve the souls of sinners. The moralist may pick a clean path all the way, while the immoral rascals may wade up to their knees in mire and others not think it odd. It is a broad road filled with what the world calls “Good People” and not just out right evil doers. The road is wide and will accommodate a wide assortment of people. This easy path, does not require any effort to travel. So, on the journey sinners might agree that they are opposed to God but they do not seek a better solution. This path is the way of the world. Included are many who said one day they will commit to Christ, but they never do. Yes, the way to Hell is paved with Good intentions. Many self-professing Christians are traveling the broad way and think they belong to Jesus, yet they missed the narrow road of true salvation. We cannot find the way on our own. We have no ability in and of ourselves to find God. We must find the door…the gate. So, God comes looking for us to show us what we must do, if we but come to God with our problems. God includes us, if we seek to include God. The yoke is easy but the way is hard.
Pray we stand on the firm foundation of Christ. Pray we realize that if the direction our life is achieved with little thought or intention, then we may be on the wrong road. Pray we realize that if there is no challenge then we are probably on the wrong road. Pray we realize that if we are doing what everyone else is doing and we are heading in the same direction, then we are probably on the wrong road. Pray we overcome our fears. Pray we face the challenge of change. Pray we realize that the devil is a liar. Pray we take the road less travelled. Pray God is with us on the journey. Pray we have the very presence of Christ within us. Pray we realize that the narrow way may have pitfalls. Pray we become more like Jesus each day and realize that we can make it with God’s help. Pray we become holy in service on the journey to deliverance.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 