What Lasts—FOREVER!
“A voice is calling,
(Isaiah 40: 3-8 NASB)
‘Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness;
Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.
Let every valley be lifted up,
And every mountain and hill be made low;
And let the rough ground become a plain,
And the rugged terrain a broad valley;
Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed,
And all flesh will see it together;
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
A voice says, ‘Call out.’
Then he answered, ‘What shall I call out?’
All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.
The grass withers, the flower fades,
When the breath of the LORD blows upon it;
Surely the people are grass.
The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever.”
Years ago, I received the opportunity to teach freshman and sophomore English at a nearby high school. While there are many memories that could come from that experience, one that comes to mind is the study of Jack London’s novel Call of the Wild set in the wilderness, gold mining camps of early 20th Century California. The terrain was rugged; the characters were weather-worn; the friendships made were strong; and the relationships between man and his beast ran deep. My non-reading students loved the adventure, the dog fights, and the hunting-like plotline. My book-loving students tolerated the genre, the action, characters, plot, and theme. What I (the instructor) noticed most was the way all of the readers were drawn to the ‘gold.’
Now, I have never been a ‘miner’ for real gold; however, for sure, I did ‘mine’ for precious gemstones in a trough set up at Cumberland Falls once when my daughter was small. As the water passed through the narrow passageway, washing over the sediment, separating the sand from the stones, I must admit how much fun it was to see the gemstones suddenly appear.
(On a side-note, the fact that her parents had previously purchased the bag of gemstones, scattered them throughout the trough, and then started the waterflow so that our child could ‘mine’ for her treasure NEVER SEEMED TO CROSS OUR YOUNG DAUGHTER’S MIND.)
- She enjoyed the adventure.
We enjoyed the memory made.
- She enjoyed the pre-purchased gemstones.
We enjoyed the exciting sound of her enthusiasm.
“A voice is calling,
(Isaiah 40—verses 3 & 4)
‘Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness;
Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.
Let every valley be lifted up,
And every mountain and hill be made low;
And let the rough ground become a plain,
And the rugged terrain a broad valley;
- For others to hear the story of Jesus, we must cry out to them & clear the way.
- For the lost to see Jesus, we must oftentimes remove the debris, making smooth the way.
- For those who do not yet know Christ Jesus as their Savior, we must be open to questions, ready for Gospel conversations, and in a constant prayer-call with the Holy Spirit leading the way.
“Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed,
(Isaiah 40—verses 5 & 6)
And all flesh will see it together;
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
A voice says, ‘Call out.’
Then he answered, ‘What shall I call out?’
All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.”
- When God’s child walks with Him in obedience, others will see JESUS!
- When God’s child speaks of his testimony, of the way the Lord changed his heart, others will come to know CHRIST as their LORD!
- When God’s child lives on mission, others will come to receive GOD’S AMAZING GRACE!
“The grass withers, the flower fades,
(Isaiah 40—verses 7 & 8)
When the breath of the LORD blows upon it;
Surely the people are grass.
The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever.”
- People are dying lost, without Jesus, every single day!
- God’s Word says God Himself numbers our days, even before He gives us the first one!
- Surely, people are so weak, withering away as time marches by, BUT Hallelujah, GOD IS FAITHFULLY STRONG!
- Yes, Hallelujah! Praise God!
As my freshman and sophomore students finished the final pages of London’s Call of the Wild, it was easy to sense the feeling of accomplishment that permeated the room. My non-readers read a whole book! Praise the Lord. My avid readers experienced a text different from their typical, chosen genre. Amazingly, across the entire classroom came the sense of trekking through the wild, calling out for someone to hear our voices, and the wonderful emotion of finding our precious, sought-after gold.
What Lasts—FOREVER!
- Our Lives once we know Jesus as our Savior!
- Our Eternity once we accept God as our Father!
- Our Testimony as we go into the wild, going wherever the Holy Spirit leads!
- The Word of God—endures forevermore!
Let us who believe, never stop seeking to know our Lord more & more.
Let us who believe, never cease searching God’s Word, His treasure given to us.
Let us who believe, never forget what it felt like when we were lost & without God’s Hope.
The prophet Isaiah ends his discourse about THE GREATNESS OF GOD in this manner—
“Do you not know?
(Isaiah 40: 28-31 NASB)
Have you not heard?
The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth
Does not become weary or tired.
His understanding is inscrutable.
He gives strength to the weary,
And to him who lacks might He increases power.
Though youths grow weary and tired,
And vigorous young men stumble badly,
Yet those who wait for the LORD
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.”