Good Morning Friends,
Maneuvering in the very diverse variety of what we call churches is not easy, for the leadership is bound to protect the interests of their denomination with some degree of legalism. The scandal of our Christian faith is twofold but related in this regard. First, it is embarrassing that we are so divided. And second it is shameful how pathetic we are at making disciples. Religious leaders understandably want to protect their power. It is human nature. But to do so at the cost of not making disciples is more than lame. It can be a wasteland. Thankfully Isaiah gives us a picture of a safe passage for people seeking to become sanctified and a pathway to what transforms even in our social bubbles. He also reminds us of the need for patience in the hunt and harvest. And here we discover that there are lots of places on journey that need to be smoothed out including people’s pothole attitudes. So, whether or not you are traveling this season in the traditional sense, I ask a question about the journey inward. Are We Following The Right Star On The Highway To Holiness?
Scripture: The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God. Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are of a fearful heart, “Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you.” Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp, the grass shall become reeds and rushes. A highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Holy Way; the unclean shall not travel on it, but it shall be for God’s people; no traveler, not even fools, shall go astray. No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there. And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Isaiah 35:1-10 (NRSV)
One day, while he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting nearby (they had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem); and the power of the Lord was with him to heal. Just then some men came, carrying a paralyzed man on a bed. They were trying to bring him in and lay him before Jesus; but finding no way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the middle of the crowd in front of Jesus. When he saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.” Then the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, “Who is this who is speaking blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” When Jesus perceived their questionings, he answered them, “Why do you raise such questions in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” —he said to the one who was paralyzed— “I say to you, stand up and take your bed and go to your home.” Immediately he stood up before them, took what he had been lying on, and went to his home, glorifying God. Amazement seized all of them, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen strange things today.”
Luke 5:17-26 (NRSV)
Message: There’s a popular thought in Christianity, that while we are to be living in the world, we are not to be of the world. We are to forgive. What this means is that we are not supposed to be living our lives in accordance with what the world says or even some pastors, but rather by what the Lord says, which is the focus of today’s topic. At the core of it is discovering the path of hope that is holiness, for without holiness there is no revival and there is no renewal. We are paralyzed or worse do evil. The reality is that people undergo many changes in their lives to make themselves relevant to society in hopes of belonging to something greater than themselves and what we call the church mirrors this reality. For example, the Advent Season we celebrate now was not practiced until the 4th and 5th centuries. Before then the focus was on Lent and Easter. But both have ties to pagan celebrations. Maybe it is part of a grand plan for redemption but maybe it was a cultural subversion of the Biblical faith. I really wonder about this. I have listened to what is being taught, read what is being written, and witnessed how those who call themselves Christians are living, and what has become evident is that the institutional church has in most of its expressions made the Christian journey rather dull and boring to appear more holy. Oh, there are moments when we have inspiring music. But the daily dance is a bit awkward. The core of the problem is that we do not take discipleship training seriously. We each desperately need people and friends working together and set apart for God. We desperately need more people living a life of service for God bringing people to Christ. We need more people conforming to and becoming like Christ in service to the vulnerable. That is the journey. And we need each other to succeed.
And So, Christians should not place God’s expectations of them on others, but we should serve God by serving others. Hopefully our path to holiness will become smoother as we seek to smooth the path for others, filling in the potholes of perception, so that we all might be separate from sin and set apart for God and His kingdom purposes. Of course, we will fail but what we might experience in this process is surprising comfort and assurance. We start to hate sin but not the sinners. Friends, we all have been called to be holy and to believe that God desires for us all to walk in obedience. And we need friends…we need disciples…we need committed teams working together strategically to bring those in need to Jesus.
So, honestly, we should not be blaming anyone for the situation we are in…even ourselves. The power for change rests with God. But we can seek and strive to be better. Then the glory road might become a highway to holiness and active service to God to help people to become more like Christ. That is the process of holiness. And the beauty is that when we seek to know God more than just believe in God, we engage God in overseeing our growth in a way that points with patience and calm endurance that is the point of Christmas…the Light we can all follow headed on a righteous road to honor a child born in Bethlehem.
Pray the wait is worth it. Pray we peruse patience. Pray we take sin seriously. Pray we do not have a self-centered attitude that takes our focus off God. Pray we work for the Lord until the job is completed. Pray we have a vision of a future where people see God and understand the way made straight. Pray we realize that victory requires persistence. Pray we let the fruit ripen. Pray we do not reject Jesus. Pray for the joy, love, peace, and contentment that is found on the journey along the Holy and Heavenly Highway of Hope. Pray for God’s reign. Pray we trust God’s judgment. Pray we share in the restoration and relief that comes in sharing in the hope of God’s future kingdom and glory. Pray for those who do not think they are getting their fair share. Pray we have courage. Pray we do not fear. Pray that we rejoice with hope. Pray we wake up to God’s holiness, amazed, forgiven and healed to walk on the highway of holiness. Pray we help each other on the journey.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 