When I went away to college, Mama sold the tall, yellow house on Dartmouth Street that I had lived in since birth, and she and my little brother moved into a small one level home that was easier for her to take care of. This was before the days of cell phones that give us instant directions to anyplace we want to go, so the first time I went back home to visit Mama she had to give me directions to get there. Can you imagine if she had said, "If you are sincere, you will find your way home." Or how about, "If you just follow your heart you will find your way home." Or, "If you are a good enough person, you will find your way home." That would make no sense! Mama had moved to a specific house with a specific address in a specific location and I needed specific directions to get there.
When sin entered the world through Adam and Eve's disobedience, mankind lost the way to their true Home. The place that we have always belonged is in the presence of our Father God. Thank God that He already had a plan in place for us to be able to get back to His home and heart where we belong. He sent His perfect and sinless Son to earth as a human baby born of a virgin. Jesus lived a sinless life. He died on the cross in our place, the once and for all spotless lamb sacrifice, foretold through the atonement sacrifices of the Old Testament. God's Word says that Jesus defeated death, hell and the grave and He rose again. He appeared to his disciples and hundreds of other people after His resurrection-a fact that many of them refused to deny and renounce in spite of facing the consequences of martyrdom. Before Jesus ascended back to heaven, where He is at His Father's right hand until He returns to planet earth, He told His followers, "I go to prepare a place for you, that where I am there you may be also."
In our culture we are considered to be bigots if we say there is only One Way to God, One Way to eternal life. The truth is, either Jesus was/is Who He said He is and what He said is the truth or He was a raving lunatic. He claimed to be the Son of God AND He claimed to be the only way home to our Father. Either that is true, or He was deranged. If He truly is the Son of God, and I believe with all of my heart that He truly is, then we best listen to Him when He tells us there is only one way to God. Our good intentions won't get us there. Our efforts at self righteousness won't get us there. Following our heart won't get us there. There is only One Way home to our Father God, and that is through His Son Jesus, through receiving Him as both Savior and Lord. God isn't being cruel by being truthful with us about there being only One Way to Him, anymore than my mama was being cruel by giving me specific directions home. What would be cruel is if God left us on our own to find the way. He's a good Father, and He wants us with Him, so much so that He made sure to give us specific directions. That's good news for us and good news that we should not be ashamed to share with others. God reconciled us to Himself, made a way for us to get back home with Him where we belong, and the name of that way is Jesus.
God as the ultimate GPS for us to find our way Home. I love it!
ReplyDeleteGod gives us the ultimate gift of what we need but it is up to us to accept it.
ReplyDelete