MY PATH TO GLORY

The path to glory is not necessarily glorious.

It hardly ever is. The path to fulfilling purpose and succeeding in life is often lined with trials, sufferings and contradictions. The path to glory is not the glory, it is simply a path, a route, a means to an end . . . and therefore it is not the focus.

Jesus, Master, you are the end that justifies my path in life. You are the glory, you are the ultimate. Becoming as you please is the glory! Oh Lord, please help me to focus on you and not the twists and turns on my path to becoming your will in life. Oh please help me take heed to myself, and to my expectations in treading this path to glory. For my path to glory may not lie in situations that look glorious!

My path to glory, like it was for David the son of Jesse, may lie in running mere errands of bearing victuals to those who hate me. Having to labour and sweat in order to see to the wellbeing of those who feel I will amount to nothing. The opportunity of triumph in battle may lie in agreeing to go on trips that I know my colleagues and elders will certainly misunderstand and misinterpret.

My path to glory, like it was for Joseph the son of Jacob, may lie in being stripped of the garment of love and cast into a dry pit. Sold almost naked, only to be resold like a cheap merchandise from one hand to the other.

The path to glory may make me the object of pity, sympathy and even sorrow . . . mourned, buried and given up as dead in the heart of those who love me. Living as a slave to serve the interest of others, yet witnessing God blessing men through my hands without anything that could be called mine.

The path to glory may see me tempted with sins, day and night, lied against, and even cast into prison without a chance to be heard. Yes, the path to glory may be one drab, dreary and difficult drill of drudgery after another. And I may be tempted to cry out to be delivered to tread an easier and broader path that beckons to me just a little yonder.

Yet, what is the alternative to this my path? To have remained at the vale of Hebron? In my father's favouristic love?

No! Lord, a father’s love and pampering may only ruin my destiny, for I may only but end up between his legs. I may only grow old, an arrogant spoilt brat speaking only of dreams and what I hope to be one day. No! Lord, a father’s love will only peak my life at the limits of what a man can provide.

Again, a master’s openly celebrated blind trust may only earn me the post of a chief servant; cutting me short from reaching the peak of God’s purpose for my life. I may die a household chieftain when the chance to save nations and generations after nourish and sustaining God’s people, awaits me.

So then . . . . the cruelty of even my brethren, the false accusation of a sin I have not committed, the cold floor and chains of a maximum prison; may be but all a divine ladder extended towards me by the hands of mercy, so as to climb to the place of honour and glory.

And I hear the Lord testify to my soul . . .

“Listen son and learn wisdom. Look at me and gain understanding. My path to glory was on the rough sand of suffering. I became the Captain of your salvation by the many things which I suffered on your behalf. My crown was not first that of Gold, but alas, of thorn it was.

I was like a tender plant, like a root shooting out from a dry ground. I had neither form nor comeliness. When men saw me, I had no beauty that should make them desire me. I was despised and rejected of them, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief; they hid as it were their faces from me and lightly esteemed me. But it was their griefs that I bore, it was their sorrows that I carried, yet they did consider me smitten, stricken and afflicted by God for my sins. But the truth is, I was wounded for your transgression, bruised for your iniquities; the chastisement of your peace was upon me; and it was my stripes that got you healed. Do remember son, that like a sheep you had gone astray, you had turned to your own way, but my father laid upon me your iniquity. It was for you I was oppressed and afflicted.

Then was I brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep, silent before her shearers, I did not even open my mouth. I was taken from prison and from judgement; I died without children, as it were, to continue my family. But who among the people realised that I was dying for their sins - that I was suffering their punishment? I did no wrong. I never deceived anyone; yet I was buried like a criminal, comforted only by a rich man’s grave.

But then . . . .

All of these were God’s good plans to crush me and fill me with grief, so that after my life have been made an offering for sin, I will have a multitude of children, and many heirs to join me in inheriting my Father.

When my Father saw all that was accomplished by my anguish, He was satisfied. So you see, those were the experiences that made me a righteous servant. That was the path I took that made it possible for many to be counted righteous, as I bore their sins. Therefore, I am given, by my father, the honours of one that is mighty and great, because I exposed myself to death. I bore the sins of many and interceded for sinners.

That was my path to glory! Yours may not be too different. Hence, fortify yourself with my grace, and go all through the path I have ordained for to lead you to your own glory with me" Now, here is the tragedy . . . . "not many do find this path to life and glory. Only but few that find it ever arrived safe at its end”

Help me, dear Lord, that I reject not the path you have carefully mapped out for me, no matter how rough it might be. Help me, dear Lord that I mournfully march on, on this my path that is destined to land me in Glory. Help me to accept all that's destined to propel me to life and peace.

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28
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A Poverty of the Heart!

Isaiah 51:7-8
“Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings. For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation from generation to generation."
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There is that subtle conflict that faces a man doing his best to follow the ways of righteousness and order his life according to the laws of God.
Deep in his heart he knows that what he is doing is the correct thing. It is the lasting and eternally profitable thing to do. But then the rest of the multitudes around him are making fun of him as if he is the stupid one.
They make him feel as if he doesn't know what he knows. They deride him as if he's behind, he's backward... he's outdated. The pressure often comes from the fact that he is alone and they are a multitude. He alone sees the value of what he is standing upon; all the others see value in something else. Worse still, the multitude can readily point to the benefits of their own way but he has to tell one long, lonely story of someone else, somewhere who benefited from this his own righteous way. And he and his principles look unreal, unreliable and in all sense unreasonable. That is the problem. That is the pressure. That is the source of the "fear" that God was talking about.

Yes, the righteous way is a lonely way.
The godly route is a narrow route, it doesn't accommodate the multitude.
It doesn't, most times, accommodate “collleaguing”! It doesn't allow conferencing!
No! It doesn't allow comparisons and competition with mates and acquaintances. Those that must go that way must look straight on . . . focussed, only on Jesus and His demands. And that is a real pressure on mortal minds like ours.

Many times we wonder if God "understands" this pressure. Many times we wish He will just allow us go the multitude way . . . and, as God, still bring His will to come to pass, after all He can do all things. Can He not?
Why doesn't God work through the normal easy way of least resistance that the world and her multitude normally advocate? Simply because, God is not a man! And he is not like the sons of men that will eventually buckle under pressure! He knows the way of the multitude is the way of man . . . slippery and untrustworthy! He knows that one day, these same confident boasting crowds of men will come around to repent and say "I'm sorry, I goofed, after all, I'm only a man". So instead of bending to our cry to save us from the pressure of shame and kindred resistance, He simply looks us in the face and says . . . .

Isaiah 51:12-13
“I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass; And forgettest the Lord thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor?"
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Who are you . . . that you should be afraid?
I think that is where the problem is. I think that is the real issue! Most righteous men do not realise who they are. They probably know the value of the principles they try to live by, but they do not know the real value of being a righteous man!
That's why God asks the question . . . "who are you? Or better still . . . "who do you think you are?" Let's get the question is simpler English . . .

Isaiah 51:12-13 - Bible in Basic English
“I, even I, am your comforter: are you so poor in heart as to be in fear of man who will come to an end, and of the son of man who will be like grass? And you have given no thought to the Lord your Maker, by whom the heavens were stretched out, and the earth placed on its base; and you went all day in fear of the wrath of the cruel one, when he was making ready for your destruction. And where is the wrath of the cruel one?"
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Are you so poor in heart? Are you so unaware of the riches of Grace available to the righteous man? Are you so in disconnect from the reservoir of divine resources available in God and available to whosoever follows Him?

Why are we so poor in heart? . . . And has so undervalued our heritage? Why do we fear the multitude . . .? and shrink under their mockery and reviling? Is it not because we have lost sight of who we are and lost sight of who our God is? Is it not because we have forgotten His antecedents? The Fear of man is poverty of a kind, a poverty of the heart!

Our poverty in heart is a reflection of our poverty of memory.
The simple matter is that we forget.
We forgot our Red Sea and the "standing wall of water" for us to pass!
We forgot that He did it again in Jordan by another way . . . So He can be trusted to do it again and again in a million and one ways, if He says so!
We forgot the Manna which our fathers freely ate and knew not how it came!
We forgot the water flowing from the Rock inside an acclaimed Desert!
We forgot the pillar of cloud by day, for shade; and the pillar of fire by night, for protection!
We forgot, we forget. That's the problem. We always forget! And so we focus on the wrong things and fear the wrong person!

Why fear man if you fear God?!
Why succumb to Man's pressure if you have yielded to God's command?!
Why shrink under the multitude's reproach, if you have accepted God's assurances?!

Our poverty of heart is often also a poverty of faith and confidence in God!
We believe men more than we believe God. We fear more than we have faith.
Meanwhile, Fear is faith in the opposite direction.
Fear and Faith are equal and opposite.
Faith says, "I believe God is able to do what He has promised.
Fear says, "I believe the Devil is able to do what he has threatened.
Fear is the exact reciprocal of Faith.
As Fear is increasing, Faith is decreasing.
As Faith wells up in the believer's heart, Fear ebbs out from his thoughts and emotions! As you feed your fear with the words of men, you starve your Faith of the Words of God. So, really, its up to the righteous man to decide what to allow to fill his mind.

So, let's do a turnaround today!
Lets give honour to WHOM honour is due and fear to WHOM fear is due!
Let's change the focus of our heart and redirect the thoughts of our meditation.
Let's dwell on the law of God hidden in our hearts. Let's dwell on the righteous principles we already know. And the fear and the reproach of the multitude will soon lose their pressure on us.

Isaiah 8:12-14
“Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid.
Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.
And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem."
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IF YOU ARE SERIOUS, THEN ACT LIKE IT!

Colossians 3:1 “He Is Your Life” - Message Translation
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1. So if you're serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides.
2 Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ--that's where the action is. See things from his perspective.
3 Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life--even though invisible to spectators--is with Christ in God. He is your life.

So, if I am really serious about being spiritual, about being a Christian; if I am serious about being a mouth for God and serious about being His servant . . . then I must ACT LIKE IT! I must consciously live like that. It doesn't happen in a dream . . !

No! My son! It doesn't happen in a dream. It doesn't just happen. It doesn't just fall on a man. It takes the will of that man. It takes conscious effort. It takes a deep commitment to live that kind of life. If you want it, you must will it, just remember that ONLY I, THE LORD CAN make it happen!
Living a holy and spiritual life takes a deliberate exercise of the individual's will even though that man must not think that it is purely by his own will.
It is not just your will, because your will is not strong enough, neither is it self sufficient in all the resources needed to live the Christian life and be My servant. Moreover, it cannot be by just the will of man, lest any man should boast. YET, YOUR WILL IS THE CHANNEL THROUGH WHICH ALL OF SUCH MY RESOURCES FOR LIVING THE SPIRITUAL LIFE ARE GOING TO PASS.

If I want to live victorious and provide the platform and the atmosphere to be my channel of revival, I must consciously live like it. I cannot just relax and give myself to whatever comes along and hope to turn out spiritual. In this evil and adulterous generation, what easily comes along will always be evil and adulterous. It will always be contrary to the will of God. It will always drag me down . . . to the earth, earthward, carnal and worldly!

Colossians 3:2 “Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ--that's where the action is. See things from his perspective.” - Message Translation
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I cannot just be going on, doing and getting involved in everything or giving myself to anything that comes along and hope that somehow, I will remain spiritual. No! That will constantly lead me to death, death of my spiritual life.
I cannot just listen to every talk and chatter of worldly colleagues and hope that somehow their discussion will lead to God and spiritual things. In this high tech sophisticated, self loving world, discussions hardly go that way!
I cannot just laze around the TV, watching movies or even CNN and hope that the desire to pray will come spontaneously! If they don't fill you with lust from watching loosely dressed women, they will most certainly fill you with fear from scenes of suicide bombings!
I cannot just eat and drink and be merry at every opportunity and think that spiritual power that comes from abstinence and fasting will attend my ministerial effort. Only they that seek Him, find Him!
If I leave my biblical knowledge and understanding of God to just what I hear from the pulpit on Sunday or the occasional message on Radio, I deceive myself if I think the Word of Christ will richly dwell in me in all wisdom.
I cannot just shuffle, lazily along, eyes to the ground and on things of the earth, simply getting into everything and anything that comes my way and hope to live the resurrection life of Jesus. No! It doesn't happen that way!

Oh Lord, pls help me!

If I want a Devotion, I must devote myself! . . . Consistency in life doesn't just happen.
If I want a Meditative heart, I must pause, withdraw and meditate! . . . Thoughts of God won't always barge in on my earthful thoughts!
If I want my mind filled with the things of God, then I must SET my heart, TUNE my thoughts and KEEP my mind STAYED on God and His desires!

I must look up.
I must lift up my eyes, my heart, my thoughts, my focus, my desires, my pre-occupation . . . from things around me, from the immediately visible and reachable . . . . and reach for the heights, for Heaven, for God and for His issues. And having attained it, I must keep my thoughts there!

Isaiah 26:3-4 “People with their minds set on you, you keep completely whole, Steady on their feet, because they keep at it and don't quit. Depend on GOD and keep at it because in the LORD GOD you have a sure thing.” - Message Translation
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Lord! Pls set my mind on You.
Keep my thoughts on You.
Keep me at it, relentless and unyielding to pressures around, till I am completely consumed in thoughts of You, Your program and Your purpose for my life!

Keep me keeping at it. Not quitting. Depending on the Lord!
These instructions are the antidote to gradual backsliding into carnality and worldliness. No one just lies down and become spiritual. No one becomes spiritual by default. I must consciously pursue spirituality. I must strain to keep exercising my spirit. I must keep keeping at it.

Oh Father! Keep me at the things that will keep me spiritual!
Keep me at diligent all-day Meditation.
Keep me at voracious Word study.
Keep me at pursuing consuming burdens of Prayer.
Keep me at pursuing the spirit of Praise and Worship.
Keep me at pursuing deeply convicting utterance in Preaching.
Keep me at pursuing passion for raising up lives in Discipleship.
Keep me at pursuing! Lord!