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Daily Reading: December 18th

#DailyDevotion Don’t reject the Way of Holiness. It is Jesus.

December 18th

Read Is 34:1–2, 8—35:10

Isa 35:1-10 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; (2) it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the LORD, the majesty of our God. (3) Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. (4) Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.”… (10) And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

The comparison of what will happen to Edom and what will happen to Zion are stark. Edom being that which the Lord hates. The Lord hates Edom because it is the world which does not trust in His Christ, our Lord Jesus. So Edom will be utterly destroyed at the Lord Jesus Christ’s return. Surely, now is the time of repentance. The Lord Jesus has sent his disciples into the world proclaiming the day of the Lord and the kingdom of our God. Now the pardons from God are given out. Free forgiveness for all our sins, guilt, iniquities and evil is available for all. Yes, it is for all. But for those who reject the gift, know this, they have rejected the One who won and bought that gift for them with his own blood. If they don’t want to be with Jesus for all eternity with his love and the Father’s love, there is only one other place left. That is the wasteland of the lake of fire for all eternity.

But for those who hear and receive the gift with gladness; there is love, grace, forgiveness and every good thing, most especial Jesus and our Father. Jesus has come once to give us a sign of his kingdom. The deaf heard, the blind saw, the lame leaped for joy. The outcast were brought in and the poor heard the good news. When Jesus comes again, he comes with vengeance and he will recompense those who rejected him and those who received him.

Those who received him will gain a place, Zion. Its highway is Holiness. No harm shall ever come to those who pass on that way. It will be a place of plenty and every good thing shall be found there. We who have been ransomed by the Lord who trusted in this ransom shall come on that day with singing, everlasting joy shall be upon us. We shall obtain gladness and joy and sorrow and sighing shall flee away because we shall see our God as he is and we shall be like him and we shall know what it is like to be one with our God in Christ Jesus.

Lord Jesus Christ, grant us faith in the ransom you have provided for us that we may enter into Zion on the highway of your Holiness. In your name we pray. Amen.

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Rev. Guillaume J. S. Williams, Sr.

The Reverend Guillaume Williams is the Pastor of Hope Lutheran Chapel of Osage Beach, Missouri. His pastoral ministry with Hope began in 2005 where he preaches the Christ crucified.

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