“A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight paths for him. Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. And all mankind will see God’s salvation.’ ” (Luke 3: 4-6, Isaiah 40: 3-5 NIV)
All mankind
All mankind will see God’s salvation through each one of His believers. We are made in the image of Christ. We are not only to have His silhouette, we are to have His heart and mind as well. What is important to Christ, is to be important to each one of us. Time for self-evaluation. How close do we line up in this comparison? What level of faith do we have?
Faith
Through our salvation and relationship with Christ, we build our faith into greater faith to believe all things are possible. We are told it only takes mustard seed size faith to move a mountain. What type of mountains are in your way? We must believe and trust God for our faith to work for us. What type of valley’s exist? Is this more like a pit or a slight dip? Whatever the case, God is here to empower you to have courage to rise to a level surface. Sometimes, we are just everywhere. Crooked roads is a nice way to say chaos. We need God’s help to focus. As we grow in our faith, we gain knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. Implement each of these tools for a nice straight path. God is certain to smooth out rough edges during time in the fire, refining fire.
Instruction
Zechariah and Elizabeth were instructed by the Lord to name their miracle baby, John. Zechariah doubted and showed his lack of faith. He became mute til time he named his son, John. The angel of the Lord informed his parents John was to never take wine or other fermented drinks. He was filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. He was to go on before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah. God equipped John the Baptist before his birth to prepare people for Jesus’s arrival.
Purpose
What purpose surfaces with greater definition and stronger faith the more you seek God? What natural talent does God want to refine to prepare you for greater works? Yes! You! As we mentioned Monday, discipline is never pleasant. However, once we surrender our will to God’s will, we experience incredible peace. Are you ready? John the Baptist embraced his calling with power and confidence. We can too! We have work to do. Jesus needs us in His image more now than ever.
Be encouraged!
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