Road work is something that seems to plague modern civilization. For many of us, just the sight of the orange diamond sign sends a wave of frustration and panic into what would normally have been a fairly uneventful drive. Family vacations can become quite stressful as those all-too-familiar signs begin to warn of road work ahead. If you’re like my family where our adventures to visit family takes us through larger cities such as Nashville and Knoxville (Tennessee) and Jackson (Mississippi), it seems as if those signs are a permanent part of the landscape. On a recent trip to visit family, I began to wonder if others can see such signs as road work ahead as we journey through our faith. I once heard an old country preacher explain during a sermon that if a person isn’t growing, they are dying.
Road work ahead: our spiritual growth is ongoing
For those of you who follow this blog on Facebook, a few weeks ago I shared how I had gotten rid of about fourteen inches of CDs. I love music and still have a variety of music that includes everything from classical to heavy metal – or at least I had. Since about November of 2015, the Holy Spirit began leading me into a direction that at first I resisted: get rid of music I knew was holding me back from spiritual growth. At that time, my Bible reading had taken me to Psalms, but one verse seemed to leap off the page at me: I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me (Psalms 101:3). As I continued reading that morning, I felt the tugging of the Holy Spirit urging and pleading with me. I didn’t listen to the CDs when my daughter was home because I didn’t want her exposed to the lyrics on them. I justified keeping them because I liked the music, but as the Holy Spirit began working on my heart I realized that if I didn’t want my daughter to listen to them, I probably shouldn’t listen to them either.
As we begin to grow and mature in our faith the Holy Spirit begins to do road work on the path that our life will take us. Jesus told us about the work of the Holy Spirit during His earthly ministry: But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you (John 14:26). Once we have received Jesus as our personal savior, the Holy Spirit begins its work to mold us into the new creation God wants us to be. Where the Holy Spirit began a work on my heart to rid myself of music I shouldn’t listen to, He may be doing a work in your life calling you to give up something else, such as a toxic relationship, a habit or addiction, a television show, or yes, even some sort of music. When we are obedient to the leadership of the Holy Spirit we actually please the Lord: And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams (1 Samuel 15:22). Yes, I had complete free will to either obey or reject the leadership of the Holy Spirit; if I sincerely desire to place the Lord’s will above my own, then the choice becomes simple.
Rest assured, if you are a child of God, even if you do not see it, there are areas of your life, as there still are in mine, where the Holy Spirit will lead us to change. It relates directly to what the apostle Paul strove to teach the early Christians in Corinth: Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty (2 Corinthians 6:14-18). What Paul is describing in this passage is that God calls us to prepare for road work in our lives. He tells us to be ready for it!
Road work ahead is proof the Lord really cares
Each year, the local department of transportation evaluates roadways and traffic patterns around the cities within its jurisdiction. From these periodic evaluations, decisions are made to widen some roads, redirect traffic flow from others, to build new routes, and in some cases, to stop service and maintenance to others. This accurately describes what the Holy Spirit does in the life of a believer. As uncomfortable as road work can be for the traveler, it can also be uncomfortable in the life of a Christian. The Bible clearly teaches this in two verses: Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee (Deuteronomy 8:5) and For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth (Hebrews 12:6). The work of the Holy Spirit within our lives is proof of the love of the Lord towards us. The Lord would not waste the effort to correct, to mold, to direct the life of someone who rejects Him. Even Hosea the prophet testified to this: My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children (Hosea 4:6).
We continue to grow spiritually and should look forward to the growth with great excitement. Yes, there are going to be growing pains and there will be times when it seems that we are being asked to surrender more than our share. Just keep in mind that each of us are on a different path in our walk of faith with the Lord.
As many of you know, I do mention the spiritual revival I had in 2006 quite often. It is not because I am proud of what I did back then, but because I am amazed at the long-suffering, guidance, concern, and kindness of God for me. In 2006, while facing some real spiritual battles and going through my Ph.D. program, I came across three verses that would change my life: But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul (Deuteronomy 4:29), Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you (Hosea 10:12), and That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us (Acts 17:27).
