Walking the Highway of Holiness: Staying on the Path of the Gospel

Brothers and sisters, sometimes I look back at my own journey—the sheer grit it took to get through the MTC, the early days in the field, and even the moments when I felt like I was wandering off the main path. And I realize how much we take the 'good roads' for granted.

We talk about the miraculous things we’ve seen in the Church—the covenants kept, the Spirit felt during a missionary discussion, the strength found in our companions—but it’s easy to forget that these blessings are themselves part of a divinely engineered path. Today, I was pondering Isaiah 35:8, and it really struck me how much that verse speaks to the ongoing work of discipleship.

The Highway of Holiness

Isaiah 35:8 speaks of "The Highway of Holiness." Think about that phrase. In the ancient world, a good road was a monumental achievement. It meant trade, progress, and security. But the prophet wasn't talking about asphalt or concrete; he was pointing to something far more profound: the greatest engineering feat ever accomplished—a way from sin to Holiness, from death to life.

When we read that, we have to remember the context. This isn't a path we can build on our own merit, or even by paying our own way. The scripture is clear: "The unclean shall not pass over it." It requires cleansing. It requires the Atonement of our Savior.

This is where the work of the Savior becomes so central to our lives. We are invited onto this highway, but we must keep moving. The beautiful promise is found in the second half of the verse: "whoever walks this road although a fool shall not go astray."

That promise is such a comfort, isn't it? It means that even when we stumble—when we feel like fools because we haven't mastered a certain doctrine, or because we’re struggling with a personal temptation—as long as we are committed to walking the path laid out by the gospel, the Lord has guardrails in place. He keeps us from falling off.

As we continue our discipleship—whether we are preparing for full-time service, serving as returned missionaries, or simply striving to be better disciples in our homes—we need to remember that the journey is the destination. It’s not about reaching a perfect plateau; it’s about the steady, intentional walk.

A Bite-Sized Mission-Prep Skill

If you are currently in mission preparation, or even if you are already serving, here’s a small skill I want to share. When you feel yourself getting discouraged or tempted to take a detour because an investigator questions something difficult, pause. Remember the guardrails. Instead of trying to give the perfect answer immediately, try to guide the conversation back to the *promise* of the Atonement and the *process* of the gospel. You don't have to have all the answers; you just have to keep pointing them back to Christ and the path He established.

This journey requires us to be Christlike, and that means acknowledging where we need help, and trusting the process. It means keeping our eyes fixed on the destination: eternal life through Christ.

I encourage you all to spend some time in the LivingBook this week. If you’re studying Isaiah, look at the Social Scripture Study layer. Seeing how other disciples are highlighting passages and asking questions can be a real boost for your own personal scripture study. And if you need a guide through those tough doctrinal questions, remember that Davee is here to help walk you through the investigator’s perspective!

If you want to keep building up your knowledge and feel the Spirit guiding your study, I highly recommend checking out the Book Club options in HolyPlaces. Let’s keep building this Highway of Holiness together.

What part of the journey are you walking on today? Share it in the comments below!