Thursday, December 1, 2005
Luke 3:4-6 The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight. Every valley shall be filled And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough ways smooth; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God."
THE VOICE
When kings of old came to out of the way villages and towns the people welcomed their ruler with more than a ceremony, they didn't just roll out a new carpet, they made a new road -- a road "fit for a king".
In such terms then Isaiah couches his description of John the Baptist's call to prepare for the king. But the people knew as well as John did that what needed to be filled, straightened, leveled and made smooth was not some roadway into Jerusalem or any other city. For the place from which God rules His people, His throne, is not some royal city or earthly palace, but the human heart.
Now, people can and do welcome earthly leaders with grudging hearts outward honor and formal loyalty. But with God such a reception is no reception at all, but rather rejection. True reception of Christ in our Christmas worship and at His Second Coming is through heart reception now. That is, turning our hearts over to Him. He alone LORD and King, we His faithful subjects.
But there is no human being who is by nature able to do this. And even we in whom God has worked faith in Christ, continually struggle for an undivided allegiance to our Lord. For sin ever afflicts, fracturing our loyalty and eroding our commitment to the service of our Savior.
God must prepare the human heart if the Savior is to be received and honored in faith and life. This is true if we are talking about the initial change the Spirit works when through the gospel Word He converts the unbelieving sinner, turning a person from their sin to their Savior, or when we who already believe are led by the Spirit through the Word to repent of the sins that too easily beset and entrap us, and with sincere sorrow and humble faith turn to our Savior for forgiveness and strength to walk upright and free.
