A Tasty Morsel

Nothing gives me more joy than discovering a Bible verse that is layered with depth and Truth. Digging into it is like mining for precious gems.

Tonight I am scheduled to attend a conference seminar on.... (frankly, I am not sure). All I know for sure is.... I'm not going. The walls of the motel are so thin, I can actually hear the seminar music bleeding through the walls. So technically, I should get 1/2 credit for attending.

At the foot of my bed is a 1/2 eaten pizza and a pile of books begging to be read. Who am I to refuse them. I wish I could say, "The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak" but truth.... my spirit and my flesh are voting to finish the pizza and lose myself in a pile of books. So....

Back to my story, I was chugging through one of the books on my "dying to read list" and ran across Isaiah 35:8-10:

And a great road will go through that once deserted land.
    It will be named the Highway of Holiness.
Evil-minded people will never travel on it.
    It will be only for those who walk in God’s ways;
    fools will never walk there.
Lions will not lurk along its course,
    nor any other ferocious beasts.
There will be no other dangers.
    Only the redeemed will walk on it.
Those who have been ransomed by the Lord will return.
    They will enter Jerusalem singing,
    crowned with everlasting joy.
Sorrow and mourning will disappear,
    and they will be filled with joy and gladness.

This is like a rich piece of cake that demands small bites. And those small bites demand to be savored. You know, the delicacies that make your eyes roll back in your head and that fleeting thought of, "I could die right now and have no regrets" kind of flavor.

I will refrain from preaching a sermon right now because..... well, I can't take up an offering.... so, where is the motivation?
(that was humor folks, relax)

Think about these verses, roll them around in your brain. They are rich.

Line 1: The "great road" is God's plan of Salvation for mankind.

Line 2: The "highway of holiness" is where God's children will travel to meet with their Heavenly Father.

Line 3: "Evil minded people" refuse to repent of their sin and accept God's free gift of Salvation.

Line 4: "only for those" who have believed in their heart that God raised His Son from the dead and make Him LORD of their lives.

I could keep going like this through this whole passage.
This was written about 700 years BEFORE Jesus was born.

Isaiah knew that God had a plan, from eternity past, that would address man's sin problem. (read Isaiah 53)

Isaiah knew that God's plan would be life changing and that not everyone would trust Jesus Christ as Savior.

Your spiritual take-away is:
"Do you know Jesus Christ as your Savior?"

“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus
and you will be saved,
along with everyone in your household.”
And they shared the word of the Lord
with him and with all who lived in his household.
Acts 16:30-32

“You can enter God’s Kingdom
only through the narrow gate.
The highway to hell is broad,
and its gate is wide
for the many who choose that way.
But the gateway to life is very narrow
and the road is difficult,
and only a few ever find it."
Matthew 7:13-14