What an amazing world of high tech we live in! You can go online and get a uniquely designed logo for your small business, become an ordained minister, or take medical lab tests without ever talking to a real person.
But then you need to talk to a real person about your phone bill, so you call and get an automated message, you press the prompts and get another automated message, you press more prompts, more automated messages and can’t find a real person when you need one.
Truth is, as our automated world makes us more alienated from people, we’re discovering it’s difficult to find real relationships. We’re losing touch with the personal.
That’s what I love about Christianity. Unlike other religions that require a number of prompts in order to attain that religion’s ultimate status—pushing the right buttons, practicing the right behaviors, perfecting a disciplined life—Christianity is a person, Jesus Christ, the Savior of everyone in the world.
It’s personal.
In the gospel of John, the Bible reports seven “I Am” statements that Jesus makes about himself as a person. “I Am” in the Greek language is an intense way of introducing yourself, like saying, “I, myself, and nobody else just me.”
It also reflects the name of God in Hebrew “Yaweh,” which means “to be” or “real and relational.”
In one of these “I Am” statements, Jesus is gathered with his closest disciples. It’s an intimate setting of his best friends and the night before he dies on the cross. He says, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him” (John 14:6,7).
Jesus is your personal Savior. As that, he makes sure that you personally know God the Father and that he personally knows you. He promises to bring you close to the holy, powerful, Creator of the universe. Because it’s his way, his truth and his life.
Enjoy that closeness and intimacy with Jesus and the Father today. He certainly enjoys it with you!
PRAYER: Dear Jesus, you are the Way, the Truth and the Life. As my personal Savior and Friend, I trust you for all things, love you above all things and want to follow you anywhere as you draw me closer to the Father. Lead me today to discover and believe what I need, and to help others do the same. Amen.
FURTHER MEDITATION: Enjoy this song by Christian artist Pat Barrett called “The Way.”
