Names of God Series: Led by the Way, the Truth, and the Life

 By: Rebekah Hargraves

Photo Courtesy of: Ales Krivec

"Jesus told him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'"

~John 14:6

In our series on the names of God, we now come to another descriptive name of Jesus - The Way, The Truth, and The Life. In a day and age in which we are told there are "many paths to heaven" and that the gods of other religions and the God of the Bible are the same, it is important for us to revisit this key name of Jesus, for He truly is the only path to God and the only way to salvation.

If we are believers, we already know this to be true. We may have read John 14:6 a million times and even memorized it years ago. Therefore, it can be all too easy for us to sometimes just quickly brush past this passage that may have become old hat for us by now. But I encourage all of us to not make this mistake and to instead pay extra attention to a passage we may have failed to actually think deeply about in quite some time. Hebrews tells us that God's Word is alive and active, which means that as we revisit an age old passage such as this one, the Spirit is able to open our eyes to an aspect of it we never really thought of before. Perhaps that will be the case for us today as we break it apart and dive into it step by step as opposed to just looking at it as a whole.

Jesus is....

The Way.

The Greek word translated "way" is "hodos" and means way, journey, or path; can also mean a "way of thinking, feeling or deciding". So not only is Jesus our path to heaven, the way by which we get there, but He is also a different way of thinking, feeling, and deciding for us. What this means is that not only do we trust in Jesus for salvation, but that we allow Him and His ways to change us and how we operate. It is not enough to place faith in Jesus - we have to live like we have done so. We are called to change our ways of thinking, feeling, and deciding in order for them to align with the ways of Jesus. This is an aspect of this passage that we often miss.

The Truth.

This aspect of Who Jesus is goes along quite nicely with our call to think differently, for we are called to no longer hold allegiance to what we've always thought and believed and instead are now called to take every thought captive to what is actually true according to God and Scripture. The Greek word translated "truth" is "alētheia" and literally pertains to the truth of God and reality according to Him. His truth is ultimate truth, and we are called to reframe what our opinions might be on truth and instead submit to what God says is true and believe it as such.

The Life.

The Greek word translated "life" is "zoe" and pertains to "one who is possessed of vitality", "every living soul", "the absolute fulness of life, both essential and ethical, which belongs to God", and "life real and genuine, a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed". Not only is Jesus the way to eternal life, but He is also the giver of abundant life here and now, as well. This does not mean we are promised health, wealth, and prosperity here. But it does mean that we are blessed because we have access to Life Himself and, as such, are able to live in the abundance of the joy, grace, peace, comfort, encouragement, and help He offers. That is true life indeed!

Reflection Questions

1) Was there anything about today's breakdown of this verse that stood out to you or opened your eyes to a truth in a new way?

2) What encourages you the most about what Jesus says about Himself in this verse?

3) Why is it important for us to revisit this passage from time to time, especially in the day in which we live?

Life's Whirlwinds & Storms

 By: Joanne Viola

Recently these words by Chuck Swindoll crossed my path a few times:

“When I ask people when they really grew spiritually, they never describe an easy time. Never.”

For each of us, some life storms may very well be God-appointed storms.

“The Lord has His way in the whirlwind and in the storm, 
And the clouds are the dust of His feet.” 
(Nahum 1:3, NKJV) 

The one thing life storms have in common is that God was the One in control of each of these storms.

“But our God is in heaven; 
He does whatever He pleases.” 
(Psalm 115:3, NKJV)

These storms of life have a way of changing the course of our lives, often bringing us back to what is important.

“When you are in distress and all these things have come upon you, 
in the latter days you will return to the Lord your God 
and listen to His voice.“ 
(Deuteronomy 4:30, NASB)

It’s interesting to think the storms of life serve deeper purposes than we oft times realize. We would do anything to avoid pain and difficulties.

Chuck Swindoll makes this observation:

“Two things should comfort us in the midst of daily lightening and thunder and rain and wind. First, these squalls surge across everyone’s horizon … Second, we all need them. God has no other method more effective. The massive blows and shattering blasts (not to mention the little, constant irritations) smooth us, humble us, and compel us to submit to His script and His chosen role for our lives.”

(from Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life, page 133)

Somehow the big storms, and the little irritations, brought on by God in life serve the purpose of changing us, of growing us up in Christ. The lessons stick and carry us for the rest of our lives.

“Your way was in the sea and Your paths in the mighty waters, 
and Your footprints may not be known. 
You led Your people like a flock 
By the hand of Moses and Aaron.” 
(Psalm 77:19, NASB)

When we are trying to get our from under the storms of life, most times we do not see His footprints leading the way. Not every storm is detrimental, some are for our benefit.

One thing we can be certain of:

When we trust Him in the storm,
He will lead us through and
work His perfect will in our lives.

 

Reflection: 
How do you keep your focus maintained on the Lord when in the midst of a life storm?

 

Photo by Shashank Sahay on Unsplash

 

 

 

 

Sweet Mercy and Painful Conviction

By: Lauren Thomas 

We often think of conviction as part of the work of the Holy Spirit, which Jesus described in the New Testament. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit - who would come after he left - would convict the world concerning sin, righteousness, and judgement (John 16:7-11). Yet all the way back in Genesis 4, we can find something that fits this description of conviction. Cain was upset after offering a sacrifice that God did not regard. But God spoke to Cain about it. 

“The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, and you must rule over it.””

Genesis 4:6-7 ESV

We can easily get wrapped up in the story, in the murder that immediately follows, and miss this right here. God was offering Cain an opportunity, an opportunity to be accepted by Him, an opportunity to conquer the sin that was eager to overtake him. We think of Cain as the bad guy, the villain in the story. But what if, instead, we focused on God, the hero, who in love and mercy intervened. God offered Cain the sweet mercy of painful conviction. 

There are two ways of looking at conviction: painful and precious. 

Painful, because it never feels good to be called out on your sin. Precious, because conviction shows God’s sweet mercy that lovingly draws us closer to him. 

Hebrews 12 teaches us that discipline comes from a loving Father in Heaven. Discipline from God is a sign of love and acceptance, not a sign of his disappointment or our sinfulness. So while it never feels pleasant to receive conviction (or discipline), it is actually a sign of God’s sweet and precious love for us.

“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 12:11 ESV

Cain did not regard God’s discipline. Will you  accept the conviction of the Holy Spirit or ignore it? The choice is yours.

Reflection:

How does it feel when someone points out your shortcomings? Proverbs 27:6 says “faithful are the wounds of a friend.” Is it easier to accept correction from someone who loves you or someone who dislikes you? How do you generally respond when the Holy Spirit convicts you?

God is With Us

By: Jenifer Metzger

But the Lord was with Joseph and

extended kindness to him. He granted

him favor with the prison warden.

Genesis 39:21 CSB

If you are following along with our 2026 Bible reading plan, this week we are in Genesis and reading about Joseph. Joseph is one of my favorite characters in the Bible. But when I read his story, I think, mercy, he sure went through a lot.

Joseph begins his life being loved and cherished by his parents, he even received his famous coat of many colors. But the extra attention he gets from his parents doesn't earn him any brownie points with his brothers. In fact, once Joseph begins to have dreams -visions from the Lord- his brothers downright hate him. They torture him and end up selling him. Once sold, he finds himself as a slave.

While serving Pharoah, life seems to be settling in and although still a slave, he is trusted and respected by Pharoah. That is, until Pharoah's wife gets involved. She had a thing for Joseph, but he knew better. He knew that falling for her would be disrespecting Pharoah and disobeying God. But Pharoah's wife finds a way to get back at him by lying about him and getting Joseph thrown into prison.

It seems like Joseph cannot catch a break! His brothers' evil rips him from his family and the woman's evil lands him in jail. Yet, when we read Genesis 39:21 we see that God was still with Joseph.

Joseph could have been killed when his brothers tortured him, in fact, that was their original plan. But God was with him. He could have been killed by an animal while waiting in the pit. But God was with him. He could have been sold as a slave to a harsh owner. But God was with him. He could have been mistreated in prison by a harsh warden. But God was with him. He could have died in prison. But God was with him.

God was with Joseph every step of the way. As we continue to read in Genesis, Joseph gets released from prison where he interprets Pharoah's dream. This earns him a place as second in command to the Pharoah and later on he is reconnected with his family.

You planned evil against me; God

planned it for good to bring about the

present result—the survival of many people.

Genesis 50:20 CSB

Joseph recognized that God was with him throughout all that happened to him. He knew that everything that happened to him was used by God for His plan and His glory. He wasn't angry or bitter. He didn't hold a grudge against his brothers or Pharoah's wife. He gave glory to God.

God can use our situations too. God doesn't cause the evil against us. He doesn't cause the chaos and trials. But He can use them for His plan and His glory. We simply need to continue to live for Him through our hardships. We need to stay in the Word, pray, and be faithful to God, then everything we are facing, God can use. When we get to the other side of our trial, we can look and see how God was with us just as He was with Joseph. 

So friend, whatever trial you are facing, no matter how hard life seems right now, stay the course. Keep your eyes and heart firmly fixed on God and trust that whatever you are going through can be used for God's purpose and glory.

Discussion:
1. Think of a trial you've faced in the past. Now that you are on the other side, do you see how God used it for His plan or glory?
2. Think of a trial you are facing now. Go to the Bible and find Scriptures that will help you walk through your situation. Write the Scriptures out and read them every day.

Names of God Series: Quenched by the Living Water

 By: Rebekah Hargraves

Photo Courtesy of: Ahmed

"Jesus answered, 'If you knew the gift of God, and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would ask him, and he would give you living water.' 'Sir,' said the woman, 'you don’t even have a bucket, and the well is deep. So where do you get this ‘living water’? You aren’t greater than our father Jacob, are you? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and livestock.'Jesus said, 'Everyone who drinks from this water will get thirsty again. But whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty again. In fact, the water I will give him will become a well of water springing up in him for eternal life.'”

~John 4:10-14

In our series on the names of God, we looked last week at how Jesus refers to Himself as being the Bread of Life. This week, we will be taking a look at how He refers to Himself also as Living Water, pointing to the fact that He is our eternal satisfaction, quenching our spiritual thirst.

If you know anything about the context of this passage, you know the woman at the well had been looking for someone and something to sustain her, to satisfy her, to meet her needs. Jesus became all of that and more for her in this touching encounter at the well of Shechem. 

Just as we saw last week when looking at the implications of Jesus being our Bread of Life, so, today, we will think about the implications of Him being our Living Water, as well.

As we all have borne witness to many times before, water quenches our thirst. When the sun is beating down, we are sweating profusely, and we are parched as can be, water rushes in as a hero relieving our misery and quenching our thirst. So, too, Jesus can and does satisfy our every spiritual need and quench our deepest thirsts. He brings relief and satisfaction like nothing else can - no relationship, no Netflix binge, no shopping spree, no social media popularity, no prestige, and no applause can ever satisfy our deepest needs and longings like our Living Water, Jesus, can.

Not only that, but water also plays a very crucial role in our health and wellbeing. Our bodies are made up of about 70% water and dehydration is a very serious condition that can become dangerous very quickly. We cannot be healthy physically apart from getting adequate water intake. The same is true for us spiritually - we will not be spiritually healthy and full of vitality and wellbeing if we are not being filled by our Living Water, Jesus. Abiding in Him is the key to being spiritually healthy and fruitful. Being filled with the Living Water is a nonnegotiable if we want to be strong and healthy.

Do yourself a favor, and prioritize being filled by Jesus, the Living Water!

Reflection Questions:

1) Is Jesus your Living Water? Is He quenching your thirst?

2) If not, what is keeping Him from being that for you? What needs to be done about it?

3) How has Jesus satisfied you and met your needs in the past? Can you trust Him to do the same thing for you again?