“A godly man prefers grace before goods, and wisdom before the world.”
Richard Bernard
Happy New Year! Will you make resolutions for the new year? Will you make small changes that might yield big results? I am going to try and make a few small changes in my daily routines that will help me spiritually and physically. When I think of all the blessings that the Lord has given to The Road, my thoughts first dwell on the believers that are gathered in that place. We have so many thoughtful, prayerful, and Christ-centered volunteers at The Road. Thank you for all you have done in 2024. Thank you for serving the Lord in a multitude of ways both seen and unseen!
Today’s devotional thought comes from a recent sermon by Jason Werges, delivered at Blue Ridge Baptist Church in Independence:
Now in the four New Testament gospels, we know that the second person of the Trinity, the Lord Jesus Christ became flesh and dwelled among us. There are a few documented incidents where people did behold a glimpse of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, such as in Matthew 17:1-6, which describes the transfiguration. Hear this Word of the LORD from Matthew:
And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. 3 And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 5 He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. (Matthew 17:1-6)
The disciples fell on their faces and were terrified. So, brothers and sisters, today I ask you…have you beheld the power and glory of the LORD? Because it is impossible to behold even the slightest fraction of that glory and not be radically changed. You don’t even have to go to the sanctuary, like David did, to do it [see Psalm 63]. Just get alone with your Bible and fall on your face and pray that God would reveal himself to you, and that you aren’t leaving until he does! I heard a quote by British evangelical, Leonard Ravenhill. He said, “If I could crack the door of heaven one inch and let you look inside, you would never turn around.”
If this is true, then why do we spend so much time on things that don’t matter, and so little time seeking a vision of the power and glory of the LORD? Why do we exhaust so much effort building things that have no eternal significance, and so little time trying to catch a glimpse of heaven through the cracked open door? [end of sermon excerpt]
Thank you, Jason, for this encouraging word. May our 2025 not be so much about determining to chart a course toward self-improvement and more about seeking to behold the power and glory of the Lord.
Unto Him be glory,
Pastor Dale Smith
