One path

I am the path, the truth, and the energy of life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you know Me, you know the Father. Rest assured now; you know Him and have seen Him. (John 14:6-7)

Pathways don't just 'become pathways' out of the blue. The first set of footprints across that path leaves small impressions where your foot came to rest with each step. The more the same steps are followed - either by your own movement or that of others - the more a "path" begins to be worn. The original footprints are still there, but they are underneath all the others which have passed over the same spot. This a path - the route which has become the place of movement and passage. I want us to begin to think of what Christ did on our behalf as he took the first steps into an eternity of grace on our behalf. Eternity's "grace" path began with one set of footprints, and down through the ages, by others following in those footprints, eternity's "grace" pathway has been followed over and over again.

Lots of us choose to follow no other set of footprints, no matter how well the path has been marked out through the ages, wanting instead to blaze a trail ourselves. The excitement of being the first to go where others have not gone is something that excites us and energizes us in ways which are kind of hard for us to understand. It is this tendency to want to do things our way - being the one who leads the path of our own destiny - which will end in us missing out on the pathway of grace. It could not be clearer - Jesus is the path - he is the one who walked that "grace" path - establishing not only the pathway we are to follow, but the means by which we can actually take those steps. All other paths we could travel in our own deliberate "trail-blazing" activities in life are simply not going to take us to the same destination. There is but one pathway to the destination of an eternity of grace.

A pathway is actually a very narrow walkway. It isn't blazed with a bulldozer, but with one set of footprints. In the case of eternity, Christ's footprints lead right into the throne room of God himself. Jesus said there are three things we need to recognize about this path 1) There is but one path. He is that path. No other means exists to ensure eternity is lived out in grace. There is but one trail which leads to an eternity of grace and that is the path created by Christ alone. 2) Those who travel this path don't live by speculation or guess about which turn to take - for the path is one which is true and the markers along the path are all found in the truth of his words. Truth keeps us from having to speculate about how to live, or which way to follow when decisions present themselves. Christ is the truth - he marks the trail with clarity and light. 3) The path isn't followed in our own strength, but by the energy of life which emanates from Christ himself. 

We can be the ones to blaze the trail to somewhere in our lives, but trust me on this, that path will not be the one to an eternity of grace. Grace has but one path, narrow, but already navigated. We simply place one foot in front of the other, stepping INTO what Christ has already done on our behalf, then walk on into the place prepared for each of us in the very presence of the eternal God himself. One path - one truth - one energizing force. The way could not be clearer. Just sayin!

Don't versus Do

I once saw a sign that read, "Obstacles are what you see when you take your eye off your goal." I think of it a bit differently: "Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off of your God." God says, "If righteous people turn away from their righteous behavior and ignore the obstacles I put in their way, they will die. And if you do not warn them, they will die in their sins. None of their righteous acts will be remembered..." (Ezekial 3:20)

Obstacles are part of life, but did you ever consider that they could be put there by God to keep us on a righteous path? Ignore them long enough and the path you take could be totally 'out of sync' with the path God has called us to walk. By definition, any obstacle is meant to act as a hindrance to going a certain way or doing a certain thing. It should present some form of 'disincentive' to choosing that route. 

Righteous people can ignore God's 'obstacles' - the things he clearly puts in our path that act as 'disincentives' for taking another path. Are all obstacles meant to keep us 'on the straight and narrow' then? I don't think the ones our enemy puts in our path are meant to do that, but the ones God puts there to help us make better choices are. How do we tell the difference between the two? This is where learning how God moves, acts, and what he desires comes in. We have to know his heart in order to clearly recognize the difference between an obstacle meant to help us and one meant to trap us or trip us up.

If we look closely at our passage today, we see that God loves us enough to give us 'roadblocks' against wrong behaviors. Instead of looking at every 'barrier' as a thing that interferes with our progress, we may begin to see them as the very things that help us make progress in the right direction. God's 'obstacles' don't lure us down a path - the clearly illuminate the path that should be taken and the one that should be avoided. What might some of these roadblocks or obstacles be? 

Perhaps it is a feeling that the path you are about to choose is 'just not right' - something just 'bugs' you when you consider choosing it. Maybe it is the words of a trusted companion in this walk who helps you see there are really two paths marked out - one much better than the other. Or could it be that a passage comes to mind from scripture, or a few words from a recent sermon, causing you to pause, consider, and choose wisely? Regardless of what God uses to help us choose the righteous path, the choice to follow it is ours. Just sayin!