The Only Highway Worth Traveling
“A highway will be there, a roadway,
(The Book of Isaiah 35: 8-10 NASB)
And it will be called the Highway of Holiness.
The unclean will not travel on it,
But it will be for him who walks that way,
And fools will not wander on it.
No lion will be there,
Nor will any vicious beast go up on it;
These will not be found there.
But the redeemed will walk there,
And the ransomed of the LORD will return
And come with joyful shouting to Zion,
With everlasting joy upon their heads,
They will find gladness and joy,
And sorrow and sighing will flee away.”
Have you ever paused to consider: What does it really mean to be God’s child?
Plant yourself there, in that question, and allow your mind to go deep.
If you know—
- That you know you have accepted JESUS as your SAVIOR & LORD, then you know the TRUTH of GOD! & If you also known that you—
- Are walking in “the way,” the only way to know GOD through JESUS CHRIST! &
- Have been redeemed & your sin-debt has been cancelled by the shed blood of JESUS!
Then, beyond a shadow of doubt—
- You are traversing through this life—on your way home to heaven!
- You are filled with everlasting joy & gladness because—you will spend eternity within the presence of God!
- You are to be on-mission, living for Jesus, doing the work His Holy Spirit leads you to do—as you walk toward your heavenly home! &
- You are to lay down your sins daily—as you seek God’s forgiveness & walk with Jesus!
However—
- If you are “the unclean” & if you are still an unbeliever, meaning that you DO NOT BELIEVE IN—JESUS’ WORK THAT HE DID ON THE CROSS AS THE SACRIFICIAL LAMB! &
- If you DO NOT BELIEVE IN—JESUS’ RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD!
Then—
- You will NOT be able to consider what you have not received.
- You will NOT be able to ponder what it means to have a heavenly Father.
- You will NOT be a believer in Jesus.
- You will NOT be one who Jesus has saved. &
- You will NOT be one who has been redeemed for all eternity.
Truly, there are two types of people—
- Those who are lost (the unbelieving), who have not received forgiveness of their sins, WHO DO NOT YET KNOW JESUS in an intimate relationship, as their Savior.
And THOSE
2. Yes, THOSE
- who have been saved (the found),
- who have received the forgiveness of Jesus for their sins,
- who have received an invitation to walk in intimate conversation (prayer) with Jesus as their Lord, &
- who have received the promise, the assurance of God’s Holy Spirit as a pledge, as a statement of fact, from ALMIGHTY GOD who declares—“YOU ARE MINE, MY CHILD!”
The apostle Paul wrote to the believers living in Rome, to provide encouragement and to remind them of how they were to live.
“So then, brethren, we are under obligation,
not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—
for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die;
but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
- For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
- For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”
The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,
and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ,
if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
(The Letter of Paul to the Romans 8: 12-18 NASB)
OUR DYING TO SELF!
No one likes to suffer, but we must.
The Word of God speaks it so, telling us how we must daily die to our own selfishness—“to live according to the flesh—for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; . . .”
Truly, death to selfish desires is NEVER EASY, but we must (DIE) to LIVE FOR JESUS!
Let us not get this wrong, for this is NOT a onetime action but a day-by-day of laying down what our heart desires and picking up the lighter load that Jesus Himself offers to us.
- Yes, it is true—The hardship is not found in walking with Jesus.
- It is also true—We must live as a disciple and follower of Jesus.
THE SUFFRAGE IS FOUND IN LIVING IN THE FLESH!
THE SUFFRAGE IS FOUND IN WALKING WITHIN THE LIES OF THE DEVIL!
It is true that sometimes Christians focus so much on the HOPE we have in CHRIST JESUS, that we downplay the reality of suffering which brings us into a close relationship with JESUS our SAVIOR.
Each morning, we must decide:
- Are we going to walk with Jesus today?—OR—Are we not?
- Are we going to praise God for what He has done?—OR—Will we walk silently through our day?
- Are we going to testify to the lost, telling our story of salvation?—OR—Will we remain tight-lipped?
- Are we going to walk “the Highway of Holiness” doing as the Holy Spirit leads us?—OR—Are we going to just do what we want to do?
- Are we going to walk as “the redeemed & the ransomed of the Lord” joining God where He is at work?—OR—Will we keep a tunnel-visioned-type of focus, not seeing anything but what we have planned for our day?
The prophet Isaiah wrote to remind the children of Israel exactly what it meant to “BE FOUND IN GOD!”
Today, we are reminded, as the children of God, as “him who walks that way,” the way of JESUS CHRIST, HOW we are to WALK, to LIVE, to BE THE CHURCH the world needs to see.
We must want what Jesus wants!
We must want to experience the Kingdom of God growing larger!
We must want to be serving as the hands & feet of Jesus!
We must want to be found READY & ABOUT OUR FATHER’S BUSINESS WHEN JESUS COMES!
There are two melodies that speak well the truth of how every child of God must traverse throughout the days the Lord gives us to live.
First, the melody “Walk With Jesus” by Consumed By Fire & secondly, the melody by Ben Fuller “If I Got Jesus” both remind us—those who believe—exactly what we have.
“ALL WE HAVE—IF WE HAVE JESUS!”