The Kings Highway

“Let us pass, I pray thee, through thy country: we will not pass through the fields, or through the vineyards, neither will we drink of the water of the wells: we will go by the king's high way, we will not turn to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy borders.”  Num. 20:17

    The “Kings High way” was the smoothest, best, and safest route for one to take to wherever he wished to go.  The High way was a road that was well traveled and it was fit for a king to ride on.  It was a good way, and the very best way to go.  In the Proverbs, we have a reference that describes this way perfectly:

“The highway of the upright is to depart from evil: he that keepeth his way preserveth his soul.”  Prov. 16:17

    The Kings highway is the way of righteousness; the “upright” travel there often.  The wicked was not allowed to travel there, and it seems that all had to have permission of the king to take that particular route.  The Israelites were steadfast, and determine not to turn aside; this is typical for those on the Kings High way. Isaiah makes it clear that this was the “right” way, the good way, and not open to the forward or perverse:

“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.”  Isa. 35:8

    We have the Kings permission; we have His blessing as we walk His way, we must not turn aside.   Many obstacles beset us; many trials prevent us from going on, but go on we must.  Let us be resolute, and steadfast as we walk the Kings highway. 

   

The Answer

Christ is the answer.

Some ask “What is the question?” perhaps in a derogatory manner.
The Answer:  Christ is the answer to all our problems; our needs are all met in Him.

Some might ask, “The answer to what?”
Answer: The answer to peace, joy, the answer to coping in life; to life eternal.

Others may even ask, “How can one man make that much difference?”
The answer: That “one man” is God in the flesh; with God, all things are possible.
He is/was the Creator of all things, how can he NOT be the answer?

Some ask “Why am I here?  What is my purpose in life?”
Christ is the answer to that too. He is our purpose; to glorify Him we were created.

Some have wondered, “Where is peace in life?”
The answer is in Christ.  He is the end of searching; the climax of our being. He is the answer to life; the answer to “Why am I here?”

Charity 1 Corinthians 13 It is interesting to note that the word "charity" is mentioned 9 times in this short chapter. Why nine? Because it shows the trinity in triplicate! The Father is all three in one; the Son is all three in one, and the Holy Spirit is all three in one. They are all the essence of love and what it is to us. No speech, no matter how grand it may seem, amounts to anything at all unless it is laced with charity. Benevolence, kindness, consideration, all these are entailed in charity. Charity is love, as God is love; it is more than mere giving of alms. Charity "outshines" all other gifts, and stands premier above all the rest. Notice that it is even put above faith! What an amazing thing this is. Charity is the paramount virtue in our lives; it entails compassion, praise, dedication, and all other good qualities all wrapped into one bundle. It is righteousness in action; it is a metaphor of grace; it is godliness in thinking; it is goodness in practice; it is sanctification in spirit, and many other things. It is the total package for the Christian. Paul emphasizes the place of charity, and the importance of it. No sacrifice is greater; no blessing is more to be desired; no act of kindness is equal to it. There is no greater duty; no greater joy; no greater virtue than charity. It is action as well as emotion, focused at God as well as man. It is a gift, most precious, Jesus incarnate! Here are just a few of the attributes of charity. It is the guiding factor in our Christian walk, (vs. 4-7). Here we have the attributes of charity; here we see its value. We have here the strength of charity (v. 8); it "never faileth" when properly applied. Though all other gifts run their course and lose their strength, charity never does. There has been much speculation as to what "that which is perfect" refers to, but keeping things in context, the subject here is charity. "That which is perfect" must be a perfect love, or charity, and since it stands above all else, it will outlast all else. Yes, charity is perfection; it is the essence of truth and everything good, and merits the highest praise. When charity comes, everything else will fade away. Here we see the rise to maturity. We need to realize that there is a time to "grow up" in charity, and not have a childish or ignorant picture of it. The exercise of charity is the utmost of maturity, and the apex of the Christian ideals. We may never completely attain to what charity is, but we ought to always be reaching toward it, and heading in the right direction toward it. These illustrations may help us to see a different side of charity, and to apply it in the proper way. Paul uses parables and illustrations in his teachings quite often, and he seems to be the epitome of teaching and what teachers are to be. Charity reveals what we really are. If we ever attain to the great height of charity, we will not know only in part, as we do through prophesy and knowledge, and such, but we will know fully and completely the workings of the love of God. Our view of life and self is somewhat cloudy right now, and vague, but we see through the humility of charity what we really are, "when that which is perfect is come", or when we finally do reach the goal of the virtue of charity. These seem to be the "big three" in the Christian walk, faith, hope, and charity, but look at the greatest of these (v. 13)! This is similar to David’s mighty men, there were three, but there was one that was even greater than the other two, and so it is with charity. Charity is love, but it is the very core of love, it is concentrated love, focused in a finer direction and a more concentrated area. Love is paramount to all things, everything comes out of love. Charity, like grace, is freely given; if it is not received freely and unmerited, it is not received at all. You cannot buy charity; it is not earned, lest it lose its essence; it is either free, or not at all. Love, according to man’s reckoning, is conditional; it is given to some, but withheld from others; charity is not so, it is given to all who will receive it.

Evil Upon Evil “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Gen. 6:5) Today I feel as Lot must have felt, My soul is vexed daily with the evil of this world. Even the city I live in is said to be the crime capital of the world, or the country at least. With mayhem on every side, anarchy and political betrayal rampant in our government, and untold murders and molestations, it is no wonder the Lord is displeased with our country. It seems as if evil is piled up on top of evil creating a vast mountain that reaches far beyond our scope of understanding, and it is rapidly getting worse! It sure makes one long for heaven that much sooner, but the Lord is with His people. He will deliver us from evil, and we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. It seems that we live among constant trouble, and few are the reprieves of joy, but there is hope in the Lord. The heart of man is desperately wicked, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9) We all know the truth of this verse, but the really scary thing is that the heart is deceitful “above all things”, friends, that is scary. The heart of man is the most wicked thing in the world--no, in the universe, and we all have one inside us! Evil seems to grow; it is progressive in the fact that one evil act promotes another, and that another, and on the cycle goes. Only the blood of Jesus can remedy it, and only faith in Him will wash our sin away, and cleanse the putrid heart within. Let us all, as Christians, hate the evil, and love the good (Amos 5:15), and obtain the favor of the Lord. “Ye that love the Lord hate evil.” Psa. 97:10

Leadership Observations: Every man is either a leader or a follower; neither is anything without the other. A leader cannot be a true leader until he has followers; every leader needs followers. Every follower needs a leader too. The two work together for the betterment of one another; as a follower builds the leader, so the leaders draws more followers. One must conclude then that a follower is as important as the leader. Good leaders make followers, they gather them unto themselves. Every follower then, makes his leader stronger by merely following. To be a good leader, one must first have been a good follower; Good followers make the best leaders. It behooves us then, whether we are followers of leaders, to be the best we can be. As followers, we must work to promote the leader, so that when we become a leader, we can build new followers--and so the cycle goes. A leader is not a “pusher”, he leads from the front, and not from behind. Any leader that has to push his men into action is not a qualified leader, but a “wolf in sheep’s clothing”. Ambition makes a man want to be a leader, but it takes more than ambition to lead; zeal is fine, and a good quality to have, but zeal does not make a man a leader. We often confuse the issue, and elect a leader because of his ambition or zeal, but when we learn to look at his history, we can more rightly judge his abilities. A knowledge of the “battle” and knowing his enemy is important, but it is not leadership in itself; a leader becomes a number of good qualities, developed through experience and wisdom. A wise leader is a good listener. Leaders, take care of your followers, they are a ladder to your success. They will remain loyal to you when you desperately need loyalty, and that is an important commodity for followers. Respect is a two-way street; too many leaders demand respect because they have the title, and not because they are worthy of it. Work to make yourself worthy of their respect, and in return, respect them; like love, loyalty is reciprocated easily when given liberally.

Battlefields and broken bodies We have built great and magnificent buildings over past battlefields; we have erected sub-divisions, and built roads over parking lots of generations long gone. We have done wonders in the heavens and in the earth, but life has rolled over us all, and we have been cast upon the dung heaps of life. Today we tread over battlefields and bones long passed away, never stopping to give them a thought or a prayer, and still life goes on. It marches onward, as a great banner of evil and good; it marches on to a battlefield of a different sort, war waged on the brim of existence only to discover that age-old spirit that chases us all through life--the spirit of death. A continual struggle exists between the two, the one giving, and the other taking, and still life trudges on seeking more life, all the while ruining that which it has given until it is swallowed up by death. Yes, life squeezes a man until he dies, and then discards him in six foot of ground…and the end is not yet…. Some day, oh some glorious day, the Reaper will come and glean the wheat from the tares, and those that are found faithful will enjoy sweet rapture forever with the Lord. Let us remember those “glory days” when knights gave their lives in service for their country; when men bravely fought for the control of their own land, and for those who have fallen by the wayside. Let us remember those who fought on foreign soil so that America could be free from toil, and those who stayed home and fought from the factories and plants to feed the soldiers way off in who-knows-where. Let us give thanks for the pioneers that forged a path through the wilderness for others to follow, “trailblazers” they were, and for those who gave of themselves to serve the wounded soldiers at home and abroad. Yea, as we tread these turmoil-filled streets, let us consider how many thousands, yea, millions have went on before us, and made us what we are, and our country what it is today…and we walk over their graves! Give thanks, oh people, give thanks for the battles that led the way…for you…for me. May we step carefully and cautiously as we tread these not-so-hallowed streets and consider those forgotten men and women who believed in Truth, and went with faith forward into battle, to battle good and evil first-hand; let us thank the Lord for them, and whisper a prayer for their ancestors, of which may be our friends and neighbors. Mostly, my friends, give thanks for Calvary where the ultimate battle has taken place--for us.

The power of the cross

It is: 1. The power of God (1 Cor. 1:18) Salvation It is His means of reaching man. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) Muslims worship a dead god; Hindu’s worship an idol; Only One God is the True God… “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (Jn. 14:6) 2. It is Redeeming power (Rev. 5:9) It is God’s way of ridding us of sin, by His blood. “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:” (Gal. 3:13) 3. It’s reconciliation (Eph. 2:16) “And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:” Christ did away with hatred. And united us in the Father. 4. It is Peace (Col. 1:20) “And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.” Peace cancels out fear: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (Jn. 14:27) 5. It’s quickening power (1 Peter 3:18) “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:” We too are “quickened by the Spirit” in Christ. “Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)” (Eph. 2:5) 6. It is Keeping power (1 Peter 1:5) 7. It is soul winning power (Mt. 28:18, 19) 8. It’s healing power (1 Peter 2:24) 9. It is An offense (1 Peter 2:8) The preaching thereof is “foolishness” to some. 10.It is Eternal power Rom. (16:25) The power of the cross is seen in our lives in many ways; it motivates us toward righteous living as it provides new life in Christ.