Daily Word
We must prepare the way so that the Lord could come in glory and fullness! II
Yesterday we started talking about God’s desire to demonstrate His glory and fullness in our lives; for this to happen we have to prepare our hearts and to prepare the way of the Lord. We have to cleanse our hearts from the things that God hates and cannot look upon.The following verses from the Scripture reveal the principle of preparation the way of the Lord.«In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the LORD; make His paths straight.’”» (Mathew, 3:1-3).
We must prepare the way so that the Lord could come in glory and fullness!
God has a way. He does not force Himself on people; He is the God of order. Until there will be a way prepared for God, He won’t come. Many of us would like for God to come, but He does not come without proper preparation. God goes where people are ready for His visitation. And when God comes, then all barriers are cast aside, the desert starts blooming, the mountains and hills are brought down, the valleys will be filled, the crooked places are made straight and the rough places are made smooth. God can show us the great picture of what He wants to do among us and through us as His people or the Church. But it will take a serious preparation and it will require of us to be very responsible.
What does it mean to fear God?
It means obeying His commandments, knowing who is the real Boss on the top of everything. Fearing God means the acknowledgement of His strength, His magnificence, His power, His holiness and therefore, respect and honour Him.Fear of God is a kind of salubrious fear, not a kind of phobia people needing a psychiatric treatment have. Fearing God we understand that He is going to judge us for our sins and it impacts our deeds.
Apart from Him there is no true satisfaction and happiness! III
We will continue about Solomon’s search for happiness, satisfaction and the meaning of life. We have already discussed that in the beginning of his life Solomon sought God and loved him, and God gave him wisdom and riches, happiness and fulfilment in life. But Solomon got caught up with superficial things of this world and started to follow other gods. Solomon started seeking for happiness and satisfaction in things and activities. He found only disappointment in them and then he turned back to his beginning.The story of Solomon is a lesson to all of us; it tells us that the meaning of life, happiness and satisfaction cannot be found anywhere but in God alone. So we need to develop and strengthen personal relationships with God.
Apart from Him there is no true satisfaction and happiness! II
Today we will look at some more areas of Solomon’s life where he tried to find happiness and satisfaction. Many people try to do that. Let’s look at the Scripture.«Therefore I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me, for all is vanity and grasping for the wind. Then I hated all my labor in which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who will come after me»(Ecclesiastes, 2:16-17).
Apart from Him there is no true satisfaction and happiness!
«There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death» (Proverbs, 16:25). A wise man learns from the mistakes of others. I believe that this message will help us stop and not take the wrong path, since it won’t give us any fulfilment.Yesterday we discussed the fact that Solomon tried to find happiness and satisfaction in pleasures of life. He realized that all these things are vanity and „grasping for the wind”. We saw the things Solomon sought as the source of enjoyment. First, he tried different delicacies. They brought satisfaction to Solomon’s body, but he soul remained empty and hungry.