Our sinfulness, as a nation, has put us in a
difficult spot but…that’s not the end of it. Isaiah says the time will come that
in the last days
the mountain of the house of the Lord will be established as the chief of the
mountains and all the nations will discover what believers have
known all along: That we should “walk in his paths”.
And…He will judge between the nations. He
will decide, for all of us, how things should be…to the degree that conflict
will be a thing of the past. We will “hammer our swords into plowshares and our spears into
pruning hooks” and never again will we study war.
Finally, Christ will be Lord of all…
But then, look around. How many of our nation’s
(or, world’s) leaders do we believe would actually humble themselves and cede
that kind of power to somebody else? What about ourselves? Would we? What
sounds good on paper might be a tight fit when we actually try to squeeze
ourselves into God’s plan.
My dad used to say to me “you can do this because you think it’s a good idea or because I think
it’s a good idea. Either way, you’re going to do it.” I think his point was
simple: If we approach our lives with maturity…and take responsibility for our
actions…we seem to be more content with the outcome. Isaiah intimates a similar
thought when he suggests “come, house of Jacob, and let us walk in the light of the Lord”. By
implication he’s suggesting it may be more palatable to begin making necessary
corrections on our own rather than wait until these changes are imposed on us.
So…the “light
at the end of the tunnel” that looks a lot like Jesus will be preceded by a
“day of reckoning” against everyone
who is too important to conform.
I understand. We look around at what the
world has to offer…treasure beyond measure. We tell ourselves it’s not wrong to
pursue it…and maybe it’s not. The problem is, the world is also filled with idolatry
and self-worship. It’s not easy to pursue the one without being tarnished by
the other. So, we muck around in the sewer because we believe all that glitters
really “is” gold.
But, we’re “whistling past the graveyard”. When that day comes, Christ alone
will be exalted. The things we currently worship will be of no consequence. Christ’s
power will be so complete it will make us all tremble.
I, for one, agree with Isaiah. I’m going to “walk in the light
of the Lord” now…while I have time and space to grow comfortable
into it. The alternative, which many will choose, is not nearly so sanguine.
Live
boldly out there today…
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