This week’s devotions are based on the Week 2 “A Savior Born for You! (WATCH HERE)
Road work.
For all seven years we have been in Texas, we have seen site preparation crews at work on different properties preparing the ground for the building of subdivisions. The first step usually is clear cutting all the vegetation on the land with maybe the exception of a few older oak trees. Then the graders and front loaders and bulldozers come into level out the areas where roads will be. In our area of Texas, this is not always the easiest because 4” under the top soil is limestone. So large jackhammers on the front of backhoes bang away to make the high places low and level. Eventually the work is done and the road is ready for traffic.
The process of preparing a roadbed is a lot of work, but the end result is one that has to be satisfying. Where only one could go with an offroad vehicle, now can be safely navigated by any passenger vehicle.
Spiritually speaking, this is the type of work that Isaiah prophesied John the Baptist would be part of. However, preparing hearts for the coming of Jesus probably was more challenging than leveling a piece of ground for a road. Yet, that was the task given to John the Baptist. Isaiah the prophet foretold his work in these words (Isaiah 40:3-5):
3 A voice of one calling: “In the desert prepare the way for the LORD;
make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.
5 And the glory of the LORD will be revealed,
and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
What makes the hard work worth it, is knowing what the end result will be. Spiritually, the hard work of spiritual change, repentance, and walking with the Lord can be very challenging. We love to hold on to our “pet” sins that come so naturally and easily. Like solid granite, the sin in our hearts can be hard to remove. Lust, pride, greed, revenge, laziness, etc. all can lurk within us. The jackhammer of God’s law can point out the sin and the consequences, but our sinful nature doesn’t give up easily. Yet, when the Spirit of God goes to work, it is possible to overcome these temptations and remove the guilt these sins create.
Why go through the hard work of repentance and heeding the law of God? Because the end result is worth it. “The glory of the LORD will be revealed.”
When my heart and mind is clouded by sin, I can’t see fully the love and grace of God. If sin continues to cloud my heart, I will miss out eternally on seeing the glory of God in heaven.
So the “road preparation” is not fun but necessary.
When we see God’s work on our heart as an act of his love to prepare our hearts to more fully receive and experience his grace and glory, it gives perspective to the hard work.
So let the Spirit go to work…making low the mountains and raising up the valleys.
Apply: What work is God doing on your heart to hammer out sin and help you see his glory more fully?
Prayer: Lord thank you for your love that is willing to tackle the sin in my heart and life and replacing it with your grace and forgiveness. AMEN