Make a Straight Path

 

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

MAKE A STRAIGHT PATH

Matt 3:1-3

3:1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea 2 and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." 3 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: "A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'"  

NIV

In those days doesn’t really do it justice for Matthew has just skipped some thirty years of time in the life of Jesus. However, we do know from the gospel of Luke that John the Baptist was born about the same time or just a few months or so ahead of Jesus. John’s birth was a miracle as it was foretold to Zechariah by a messenger of God in answer to his prayer. But He was struck dumb until the birth of his son and as he was told, he named him John. We are going to get to how John looked later and his dietary intake, but for now let us consider that he had a special mission, one that God foretold hundreds of years ago through the prophet Isaiah. John’s call upon his life, the very purpose of his life was to be a voice calling people to repent and declaring or preparing the way for the Lord, telling people to make straight paths for him. That had to mean to make a straight path in their hearts for Jesus, for that is where he needs to be in every person’s life. We cannot make a path in this world for Jesus, although in some sense we can make a straight path for him by declaring the message of the gospel. We can also make a straight path for him within our own hearts. There are too many in this world who have established crooked and twisted paths full of deception and deceit. But we have been called to make a straight path, both in this world and in our own hearts. John was just one voice and that is all we have just one voice. John used his voice to prepare the way for the Lord. Should we not also use our voice to prepare a way for the Lord? Can we just live out our days in selfish ambitions? Can we just live our daily lives thinking of simply our needs, our self-fulfillment, and our plans for our golden years? How can we not be about the business of our Lord, saving people from their sins? How can we sit by while people we know are on that wide crooked, twisted road to hell, when there is a straight path, although it is narrow, right to the gates of heaven? Still, we are not all called to preach the word to the unsaved. Surely God has brought up evangelists over the years for that purpose. However, if we think of our heart only, then we need to be aware the path is straight, or if it has a few twists and turns within. Have we put up any barriers at all? Are we trying to hide away some areas of our heart from Jesus, although that would seem difficult as he knows our heart better than we do? However, should we not make straight the way for him into our hearts, and perhaps we should also be making headway in this world for the Lord. When we use that definition of grace, as we have, being the divine influence on our heart and how that is reflected in our lives, we must understand that as we reflect Jesus to the world, we are making straight a way for the Lord. The Apostle Paul also noted that we are always being made in the likeness of Jesus with ever-increasing glory, that is we are always increasing in reflecting his glory, each day we reflect more and more. By doing this we are making straight a path for the Lord both in our heart and in this world.