Going to Michigan

Daily Reading: John 14

I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14.6)

Devotional Thought: I'm planning a trip to see Michigan's handsomest boys: Grayson Scott and Finnick Daniel.  To get to these awesome grandsons, I must choose:

·       Which way I will travel – by what mode?  I could take a bus, or I could book a flight, or I could walk.  But the most sensible way for me to travel is to drive. 

·       Which vehicle I will take – by what model?  Should it be the Mazda, the Toyota, or the Ford?  That all depends on what I need to haul there and back, so it changes with every trip.

·       Which route I will travel – by what map?  Should I go up 77 through West Virginia or choose 75 which will take me through Kentucky?  That usually depends on whether I need to go anywhere else on the way.

All those choices are equally valid, depending on the purpose of going to Detroit.  We cannot say that one is intrinsically better than the others.

Can the same thing be said about our journey to heaven?  Some say, “Jesus is just one way – one of many ways – to God.”  The trouble is Jesus himself said he is the only way.  Paraphrasing the late C. S. Lewis, Jesus is either a charlatan, a madman, or he is indeed the Son of God.

Is there any other mode of salvation?  Absolutely not! There is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.  Is there any other model for my salvation?  No!  Jesus is our supreme example.  Well, maybe I can choose another map.  Sorry.  The Bible is the map which shows us the route to God.

Jesus is the only way - unless you are content to stop in Michigan.

Prayer: Jesus, you are the way, the truth and the life.  Thank you for bringing me to the Father.  Amen.

Psalm of the Day: Psalm 38.1-8

1 O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath!

2 For your arrows have sunk into me, and your hand has come down on me.

3 There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation; there is no health in my bones because of my sin.

4 For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.

5 My wounds stink and fester because of my foolishness,

6 I am utterly bowed down and prostrate; all the day I go about mourning.

7 For my sides are filled with burning, and there is no soundness in my flesh.

8 I am feeble and crushed; I groan because of the tumult of my heart.