Jesus is the Way

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

John 14:6

A young lady came to me in great distress.  She was unsure of her salvation.  With tears, she asked, “Am I going to go to heaven?”  I gave her a hug and asked her, “Are you living there now?”  When Jesus told his disciples that He is the Way, He was not pointing to an after-life experience.  He is with us, and we dwell in Him.  He said, “If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him” (John 14:7).  From NOW on you know Him.  That knowing is an intimate relational knowing, like a wife and a husband intimately knowing one another.  Are you going to heaven?  Are you living there now?

To know Jesus, the Way, we must make Him the priority in our lives, to live for Him, to live in Him.  As Christians living in this secular world, as we have seen during this pilgrimage, it is often difficult to keep our focus on Christ.  There are many potential distractions.  How are we handling these distractions?  What efforts are we making to live differently from the world?  What are our daily habits and routines?  Are there things we do on a daily basis to draw us closer to Christ?  Are our lives reflecting the kingdom values of the King?  Are the things we are doing bringing worth to the Great High Priest?  It is a question of our rule of life.  What are our priorities?  What is the “way” we are following?  

A “rule of life” is not simply a monastic discipline.  Everyone has a rule of life.  What is your daily routine?  Think about what you do when you rise from sleep.  What preparations do you make for the day?  What are the things that you do at work, school, or around the house?  What is your evening routine?  How do you close out your day?  Where is Jesus in that daily routine?  Is He your first thought of the day?  Do you talk to Him, listen to Him, before you make your morning breakfast?  Is His plan for your day your priority?  Do you take time for Him through the hours of the day?  Do you commend the day’s events, triumphs, and tragedies to Him before retiring for the night?  Is His Kingdom your priority on a daily basis?  Is He the Way you walk in your daily life?  How you live your life—that is your rule of life.  Everyone has a rule of life.  What is the source of your rule?  What is the focus of your life?

It’s all about Jesus.  Jesus is the One who has “made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father.”  Jesus is the Way.  When we walk with Him, dwell in His Kingdom, we honor Him.  Our lives in the New Jerusalem should reflect our place as citizens of this Holy City.  When we live our lives in Christ, when we live a rule of life that makes Jesus and His will our daily priority, then to Him will “be glory and dominion forever and ever.”