Does My Life Help Others Believe,Follow, and Grow in Christ?

       In my morning Bible reading, I found my eyes upon the 24th chapter of Isaiah, and after reviewing my highlights, I realized the strong message that emerged.  If you are not familiar with this passage, even the heading added by the editors is revealing, “Judgment on the Whole World.”  It doesn’t make for light reading.     Here are the passages that consumed my mind as I studied God’s Word. 

Passage

Verse
Isaiah 24:1
Behold, the Lord will empty the earth and make it desolate, and he will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants.
Isaiah 24:3
The earth shall be utterly empty and utterly plundered; for the Lord has spoken this word.
Isaiah 24:6
Therefore, a curse devours the earth, and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt; therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are scorched, and few men are left.
Isaiah 24:18
He who flees at the sound of the terror shall fall into the pit, and he who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the snare.  For the windows of heaven are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble.
Isaiah 24:21
On that day, the Lord will punish the host of heaven, in heaven, and the kings of the earth, on the earth.
Isaiah 24:23
Then the moon will be confounded and the sun ashamed, for the Lord of hosts reigns on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and his glory will be before his elders.

    



These passages were followed on the heels of Hebrews 12.  My highlights revealed how the Holy Spirit guided my understanding of today's reading.  As the world's fate is determined, am I living in a way pleasing to the LORD?  

Passage

Verse
Hebrews 12:1-2
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:11
For the moment, all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Hebrews 12:25
See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven.
Hebrews 12:28-29
Therefore, let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire.


     A friend shared her own homily reflecting on these same passages.  Her conclusion:  “Does my life help others believe, follow and grow in Christ?”  Ultimately that is what matters most.  As we walk with the LORD, each of us must take a look at whether we are living as God instructed, and by doing so, we offer light in the darkness.  Hebrews 12:14 says, “Strive for peace with everyone, and for holiness without which no one will see the LORD.”  If our hearts are not breaking for the lost, we fail to see our calling.  It is not to judge but proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.
     
      
    

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