“Hey!! Am I supposed to turn here?” I confess, “I am directionally dysfunctional.” When finding my way around a new location, my family members direct me where we need to go, usually with a map on their cell phone. That works fairly well for me. Without a map, I would be totally lost. It’s definitely more difficult to find my way around all by myself without any help. If only there was one straight path to follow, even I would be capable of reaching my destination. We are told in Luke 3:4 to prepare the way of the Lord, to make straight paths to Him—a way out—and it’s even straight!
Luke 3:4-6 prophesizes about John the Baptist, who declared the coming of the Messiah, Jesus. John was the messenger, the greatest of all prophets according to Jesus. He was the aid, giving directions on how to gain access to the salvation of God.
4 As it is written in the book of Isaiah the prophet:
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,[a]
make his paths straight.
5 Every valley shall be filled,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall become straight,
and the rough places shall become level ways,
6 and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”
So, what does this prophecy mean to us today? It means the same thing it did back when Jesus physically visited our earth. God is saying, “Hey!! Turn here and get on this straight path if you want to see my salvation.” John the Baptist was directing people to the salvation of God by proclaiming to his listeners the repentance of sin in their lives. His audience varied with different types of people, different walks of life, but the message remains constant: repent of your sins to get onto the path of God’s salvation.
Then Jesus arrived on the scene—the Lord Himself. He was baptized by John, and Jesus’ ministry began. He is the only sinless person to have walked on this earth. God the Father required a perfect sacrifice for the payment of sin. The punishment for sin is Death, so God’s plan was to have Jesus willingly die on a cross to remove the death penalty which enslaved the entire human race. And Jesus did just that, He endured the shame of dying on a cross, He paid the payment for the sins of the world—the sins of you and me. But that’s not the end of the story: the grave couldn’t hold Him, and He was raised to life on the third day in a new, resurrected body. This is the salvation offered by God from the sins of the world. This is the salvation of God mentioned in verse 6 above.
If you are searching for a way out of this burdensome life, a way out of this broken world caused by sin, then look toward the straight path of salvation that God has laid before us. A straight path offering the forgiveness of sin that is only offered by the One True God. All the work has been done already by our Savior, Jesus. If you need help to get on the straight path, ask God to put His arm around you, and He will lead you to His path. He not only provides the path for you to walk on, but He also walks along the path with you, every step of the way. He is just that good!
This was God’s mission assigned for the life of baby Jesus who laid in a manger on the first Christmas Eve. This is God’s plan for the way out of a broken, sin-filled world, should you choose to accept it. And by the way, there is no other way out to find God’s salvation.
In closing, a hymn that is close to my heart and I believe closely relates to my devotional by speaking about the follies of sin and the need for a Savior. It’s titled, “My Jesus, I Love Thee” written by William Ralph Featherston in the year of 1864:
My Jesus, I love Thee, I know Thou art mine;
For Thee all the follies of sin I resign;
My gracious Redeemer, my Savior art Thou;
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.
I love Thee because Thou hast first loved me,
And purchased my pardon on Calvary’s tree;
I love Thee for wearing the thorns on Thy brow;
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.
I’ll love Thee in life, I will love Thee in death,
And praise Thee as long as Thou lendest me breath;
And say when the death dew lies cold on my brow,
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.
In mansions of glory and endless delight,
I’ll ever adore Thee in heaven so bright;
I’ll sing with the glittering crown on my brow,
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.
God has laid out His path for your salvation. Jesus is the key, Although there are others who claim to bring salvation, they are merely false paths intended for you to lose your way. I pray you choose the straight path to the Only One True God.
Discussions to make God known 