“I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.” (Matthew 8:9 NLT)
Do you realize as a child of God you live under Christ’s authority? There is a sense in which we have no will of our own, we make no plans of our own. Our activities are governed by our “Commanding Officer,” the Lord Jesus.
As with any destination the shortest route is a straight line, yet, like most trips I’ve taken, there are no straight lines between here and there. Factor in detours, car/travel difficulties, and other interruptions and you have a lot of uncertainties with which to deal. Life’s journey with Jesus is an adventure that can’t be “boxed” or “packaged” according to our preferences.
The truth is, we don’t know the way, at least not a way that can be conveniently mapped out. We’re following a Person, not a pre-planned route; thus, the reason for trust, clear lines of communication, and a willingness to be flexible. Heaven is our destination, but our day-to-day strategy to arrive there isn’t dependent upon our ingenuity or clever planning, it’s dependent upon our ability and willingness to listen carefully and follow instructions.
Jesus says simply, “I am the Way” with the clear implication: “Follow Me!” But why should we? What makes Jesus think He has all the answers? What makes Him supreme ruler of US? Because His credentials are beyond explanation or even understanding and He’s the ONLY ONE EVER to come from heaven, then ascend back to heaven, so, it’s pretty safe to assume He knows the way.
But the foundation of whether or not we’ll trust Him to lead us there is faith. There have been others, many others, who have given explanations of what’s going to happen when we die and what we need to do to prepare, but NONE who have laid down their life for our forgiveness and to fill us with His Holy Presence in the Person of His Holy Spirit to make sure we have step-by-step instructions.
Our destination isn’t really the issue as much as our moment-by-moment interaction with our Savior. There’s a sense in which our relationship with the Lord IS our destination and the “way” is to follow His directives. And that can be scary because sometimes His way leads to confusion, pain, suffering, heartache, misunderstanding, and a lot of other things we don’t like and would rather avoid.
Beth Moore gives us insight when she writes: “Sometimes a storm in your life is what will blow you to the place you are longing to be.” That’s why life is such an adventure, we never know what the next step is going to entail or where the next turn will lead. That’s also why we must be slow to draw conclusions based on the seeming obvious.
For example, just because I’ve been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s doesn’t mean the Lord is done with me, that I no longer have value to Him or purpose for which He can use me. Neither does your diagnosis, lost job, death of a loved one, divorce, or any other tragedy that has befallen you. Actually, it may be the beginning of a brand-new leg of your journey that will prove better than you can now imagine.
He will give you insights, understanding, times of intimacy with Him that you could experience in no other way. Trust Him. Follow Him. Walk closely with Him. He’s not only your destination, He IS your Way.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 