Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is
right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if
there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these
things.
—Philippians 4:8
What did Jesus mean when he said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life?”
*~*~*~*~*~*
From Seventh Dimension – The Door, a Young Adult
Christian Fantasy:
What did I want?
If I knew, would I be willing to risk everything to obtain it? I gazed at the
lake—where was the king headed? I wished I knew the lake’s secrets. If he was
the king from the garden, how did he get here? He seemed powerful in some ways
but not in others.
—Shale Snyder,
chapter twenty-three
*~*~*~*~*~*
Shale
faced the same issues that you and I face today—discovering the truth and what
it means. How should I live, and is Jesus who he said he was?
Many religions offer you multiple
paths to salvation or fulfillment. Baha’i embraces all religions and states
that God sent messengers—like Jesus, Buddha, Moses, and Muhammad—to
progressively teach us about God’s nature.
Islam teaches that if your good
works outweigh your bad, and Allah wills it, he will let you enter into paradise.
Hinduism and Buddhism claim you
go to heaven after many reincarnations when at last you become one with God.
Some Jews still wait for the
Messiah’s return. Each year during the Passover Seder, a Jewish custom is to
pour a cup of wine, “the cup of Elijah,” and send a young child to the door to
look for the prophet who is to herald the coming of the Messiah.
Unitarians believe you can get to
heaven any way you want and not to worry about the afterlife.
Wiccans don’t believe there’s a
need for salvation.
What do you think?
In Seventh Dimension – the Door, Shale went on a journey—it was her
path. No two journeys through life are exactly the same. God knows which path you
will take—but his unconditional love gives you free will to choose.
Along the way, you will be
exposed to many “truths” and many lies. You must learn to discern truth from
falsehood. The Bible says Satan is the “father of lies” (John 8:44). When Jesus
stood before Pontius Pilate, shortly before being crucified, Pontius Pilate
asked him, “What is truth?” (John 18:38).
Truth stood in front of Pontius
Pilate, and yet he did not recognize the truth. Instead, he denied that truth,
condemning Jesus the Messiah to death.
If truth stood before you, would
you recognize him? Could you taste his goodness? Could you feel his breath and
know it was the breath of life? Could you perceive God’s gentle touch? Would
your mind be quickened if God called
your name?
It’s a scary thing to be
confronted with the truth of Jesus Christ and yet deny him—deny his power, deny
his sacrifice, and deny his love.
Satan makes our life difficult.
Our sinful nature leads us astray. But if we confess our sins and acknowledge
Jesus Christ as the way, the truth, and the life, we won’t be fooled into
believing untruths. Nothing makes Satan and his demons angrier than hearing
the name of Jesus. Fill your heart with God’s love, praise his holy name, and
they will flee.
Thank you, Jesus, that you are the way, the truth, and the life. Help me
to be more like you. Help me to be discerning in all things and protect me from
being led astray.
Help me to focus on what is true and noble and be an example to others.
Let my little light shine before men and light the path to you. Help me to know
the way of salvation through living out my faith. In my life, Lord, be
glorified.
The full collection of devotionals can be enjoyed in "Am I Okay, God?"
