Work Site not Work Crew

S - "There is someone shouting in the desert: 'Prepare the way for the Lord. Make the road straight for him. Every valley will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be made flat. Crooked roads will be made straight, and rough roads will be made smooth. Then everyone will see how God will save his people.'" (Luke 3:4-6 TLJ)

O - This Isaiah prophecy (Isaiah 40:3-5) is assigned to John the Baptist as he engaged his assignment from God.  He did prepare the way for Jesus and yet, exactly how did the valleys fill and mountains flatten?  In what way were the crooked made straight and the rough smooth?  Religion teaches that by pedigree (tradition) and performance (our "righteous" activities) such things happen.  Heaven completely disagrees.  How does God save people? The truth is He does the work … He saves us we don't and can't save ourselves.  Jesus, who is the Lord, makes the crooked road straight, fills in the valleys and makes flat the mountains and hills.  He makes the rough road smooth. God does the making; we do the welcoming and following.  Heaven has not set out to make any of us better.  Instead, Jesus comes to completely transform us.  Like Heaven, we are to depend on him.  Like heaven, we are to completely embrace him.  He is the way. He is life.  He is how God saves people. 

A - The verb connected with each work zone is "will be".  There is no doubt that the transformations happen. This is because of who is doing the work.  Like Jesus with his Father, we work with him not for him. The straight road I engage is my unqualified agreement with his person and everything he already has in mind to do. Even this recognition requires his activity, his help.  I am invited into the work he is doing, not primarily as a member of the work crew but primarily as the work site.  As for the others around me?  If I am embracing his work in me he is already working through me.  If I try and work on others for him I'm actually not helping at all.  Heaven doesn't want my help just my cooperation. This is how God saves me.   

P - God who is working everything for good,

I embrace, accept and fully engage the person of Jesus and everything he wants to do IN me.  I welcome your work unto the transformation of my life into all you already have in mind.  Please work in me.  I accept that I'm the construction zone not the construction crew.  I believe you! Thank you for all you already have in mind.  My answer is yes.

Steve