And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. (Isaiah 35:8)
Good Morning. I pray that your day goes well. To get to the point for those who do not like to read long pieces of literature, my thought for the day is that heaven is an exclusive place and I am placing emphasis on the prefix, “EX”. That’s it. That’s the thought.
For those who do not mind a few more minutes, read on.
The comfort I took in the exclusivity of heaven was generated because I had a dream last night and I woke up this morning with it still on my mind. The dream reminded me of so many unfair, unnecessary and hurtful things that were done in my life and God took revenge off of the table for me and every other Christian. So it is comforting that people ultimately get justice.
Technically speaking, the verse out of which this chapter is taken is not about heaven. It is about the Messiah’s reign on earth which takes place long after the rapture to heaven, so it is not difficult to understand that the spiritual conditions that exist during Messiah’s reign on earth will be similar, if not identical to the conditions in heaven.
I put this verse in the King James language because the beauty of the language is just irreplacable. I can hear my pentecostal pastor and the elders quoting it with such passion that a highway shall be there and a way and it shall be called, “The way of holiness.”
Strangely, before I wrote this, I literally wept. Yes, the prophet Jeremiah and I must be kin because he was prone to weeping. Anyway, I wept because I thought of a few instances in my life where doors of opportunity were slammed shut because people did not like the color of my skin. I thought about the two ladies who had the power to hire me, who stood smiling at me, but it was a devil’s smile. I didn’t get the job because I was black while others had gotten in without reservation. I thought about the teacher who probably called them and gave them heads up that I was coming to apply. I thought about the lady at work who thought it was okay to not open her mouth and speak with me when all I was doing was my job. I thought about a woman worker in a famous camera store who ignored me, while I was browsing, but as soon as a white man came in and started browsing and she immediately asked if she could help him. A friend of mine helped me with that the other day when he said:
“When thangs like that happen make sho that a seed of bitterness is not planted in yo’ heart.”
I thanked him for that. People who think that they can do anything they want and still get a free pass are in for a rude awakening if they do not repent and believe the gospel.
As I get ready to move forward into my day let me clarify on the tears that I referred to earlier. What I was feeling during those tears was not self-pity, even though it may sound that way. It was actually sorrow over the existence of the sin and the unnecessary devastation and hurtfulness that it causes in every crack and corner of the globe. God hates sin and as much as I can hate it while still be in the flesh, I do too.
Anyway, sin and sinners will be excluded from heaven. https://www.oneplace.com/ministries/grace-to-you/read/articles/jesus-the-only-way-to-heaven-9299.html
Life Step Ministries 