When we come to God in our lives, we begin to look at ourselves in a different way. The Holy Spirit within us begins to gently point out some of our thoughts, actions and habits that do not line up with Christ-centered living. If we are willing, He then helps us to change, inch by inch and piece by piece, as we surrender these shortcomings to Him.
This does not mean we will no longer have any fun. Ideally, we will experience a lot MORE fun, just in a more positive way, and with a lot less destruction of ourselves and others along the way.
One of the first things we often notice that needs to change is our speech. It becomes pretty obvious after we have turned to God that a habitual foul mouth or constant stream of unclean words will not lead to a peaceful atmosphere. With the Lord’s help, we (sometimes slowly) begin to clean up these habits.
What about some of the more subtle things we do that are harmful to our spirituality and to the well-being of others? The prophet Isaiah wrote about some of these, which are common to many of us.
9…“If you take away the yoke from your midst,
The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness… Isaiah 58:9b (NKJV)
There are many types of yokes that people bear, some of which were described in the previous meditation from Isaiah 58. But one that comes to my mind here is the control that we might try to put on others. That is one type of harmful yoke that I CAN remove.
There are many ways we might try to control people, including manipulation, intimidation, or silent scorn. We can use various forms of fear to try to keep their behavior in line with our desires and wishes. These techniques may work for a while, but eventually they will fail, and cause quite a bit of harm, leading to resentment from all parties.
When we surrender our hearts and behaviors to God, we will begin to observe miraculous results in ourselves, and even in the response of others to us. Some may begin to see healing in their damaged relationships over the course of time. Of course, the ultimate results are in God’s hands and in the will others, but He will try to mend them. These relationships may not return to everything we were hoping for, but He will change us and bring us to a point of acceptance and peace about any improvement, or lack of it.
Other types of negative actions that Isaiah brings up are pointing our finger at people – having a direct, angry confrontation with someone – and speaking wickedness, which is most often done behind someone’s back. The author Steven Covey points out that if we are in a roomful of people and they are talking negative about someone who is not present, it is likely the same way they will start talking about us as soon as we leave.
In the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew chapters 5-7, Jesus says quite a bit about the correct way to handle conflicts with others, and doing so in loving way. He also says that we will ultimately be judged by God in the same manner that we judge others. Now that is a scary thought! But remember, only Jesus is perfect, the rest of us can only claim progress.
If, with God’s help, we can begin to put some of these various bad habits behind us, and begin to extend blessings to others, meeting their needs and aiding their afflictions, rather than to putting them down, or more commonly, just ignoring them, this is what Isaiah says the Lord will do for us:
10 If you extend your soul to the hungry
And satisfy the afflicted soul,
Then your light shall dawn in the darkness,
And your darkness shall be as the noonday.
11 The Lord will guide you continually,
And satisfy your soul in drought,
And strengthen your bones;
You shall be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
12 Those from among you
Shall build the old waste places;
You shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach,
The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In. Isaiah 58:10-12 (NKJV)
Through Isaiah, the Lord tells us that if we seek to follow Him, He will be our Light whenever and wherever we are surrounded by darkness, and an unfailing spring of water whenever we are parched by drought. We will bring blessings and hope to those around us who are living in empty darkness. As God’s blessings spread throughout the community, generations of despair can be undone, one person at a time. It will be as if we are rebuilding the streets and repairing the walls for peaceful habitation– we will be called “Repairers of the Breach” and “Restorers of Streets to Dwell In”. God will share credit for His healing of the community with us, His representatives and global ambassadors for Christ. May the healing begin with us as we surrender our harmful ways to Him and let Him use us for His kingdom work.
Many days, these lofty goals will appear to be an impossible task. But with God, all things are possible, in accordance with His will and His word. He has the power to restore our streets, healing one broken soul at a time.
Reflection
What needs cleaning up in my life today?
What next step can I take to be a blessing to others?
Lord, I confess that there is much that needs to be cleaned up within me. Help me to surrender to You, bit by bit, and give up my attempts to control or judge those around me. Use me to rebuild the spiritual health of the community, one broken soul at a time, beginning with those You have placed in my life around me. We ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Have a beautiful, blessed day in the Lord today.
Daily Meditations from the Genealogy of Jesus 