I Am The Way!
“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me.”
John 14:6 (NLT)
What separates Christianity from all major religions of the world? Why do Christians not even classify their faith as a religion? Because the way is a person. Jesus Christ is the way. He is our path to the Father. He not only shows us the way, He is the way. While religion may offer a path, God gave us a person – Himself! Jesus Christ, the God man is The Way! This reminds me of the story of a missionary trying to reach a remote village in the thick jungle. He hired a guide to take him there. Soon, the path became so overgrown it seemed they were lost in the thick of the jungle, but the guide continued to use his machete to cut away the underbrush and lead the way. Frightened, the missionary said to the guide, “I cannot see the path anymore!” The guide turned around and said, “I am the path!”
Before Christ followers were even called Christians, they were referred to as followers of the Way throughout the early days of the church in the book of Acts. When confronted by the religious leaders challenging the exclusivity of Christ, Peter responded, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12 (NIV)
Rather than criticizing how limited it sounds to have only one way, we should be grateful that God provided a sure way to get to Him. While some may think the way is too narrow, the truth is that it is wide enough for the whole world. Because the way is a person, faith becomes a personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ. Religion is about what man does to be acceptable to God. Christianity is about what Jesus did to make us right with God. Through His death, we can be reconciled with God, and through His life, we are saved - daily delivered from sin’s dominion in our lives! When we come to God by way of Christ, we receive His life! Jesus is the life! He restores the very life of God within us that was lost when Adam sinned. Paul would say, “For me to live is Christ.” Philippians 1:21.
The way is a person, Jesus Christ. The truth is a person. Jesus is the reality of all of God’s promises. He is the truth that sets us free because He is the life. The emphasis of Christianity is on relationship, not rules. Because Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, we can share that life with Jesus now on earth that we will share with Him forever in heaven! Paul put it like this, “Christ's life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with Him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not ‘mine,’ but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Galatians 2:20 (MSG)
Because the way is a person, God invites you and me into a personal relationship with Him! We can leave the way of sin, addiction, and death and experience the grace of His forgiveness and the power of His resurrection life! Jesus is The Way, the Truth, and The Life! John put it like this in 1 John 5:12 (NLT), “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.” His life is both eternal and abundant! Do you have that life? If not, the way is in Christ! He is the life you and I need! In Him, we find a quality of life with no other explanation but God, the Creator, restored in His creature, man, making us a new creation in Christ!
Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.
Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.