There is a way that seems right to [a person], but in the end it leads to death. Proverbs 16: 25, NIV.
Oh gracious God, please help us not to be deceived. May the entrance of Your Word bring light to our lives, and to our souls. This is our prayer, in the blessed name of Jesus. Amen.
Have you ever taken a “short cut” that turned out to be, at least twice the distance, to where You were going? You were so sure that this was the right way, but you were wrong! Someone has said something to this effect – The road to eternal life is strewn with “good intentions.” Many who are walking along the path that leads to eternal life, may be suffering from the “Cain syndrome,” “This is my way. This should be enough.” What I found rather significant, is that in the time of the early church, Christians were known as the people of “The Way.” In Acts 9: 2, which speaks about Saul’s persecution of the early believers, I found, in the original Greek, some information of major interest. Accompanying the noun, Way, was the adverb really, certainly, indeed, which, can be used as the attributive adjective, real! Could it be, that there was a “Way” which only seemed real, but was not? Was that the reason the apostle found it necessary to identify the Way of the early Christians as, the “real” Way?
There may have been a time when, “All roads [led] to Rome.” But all roads have never led to eternal life. There is only one Way, and it is Jesus! I am happy that my way is not the way that leads to eternal life. As I look at my way, I see a lot of flaws. I see selfishness, I see pride, I see fear and anxiety. I do not see a real opportunity to grow in grace. My way seems to be the easy way out of hard situations. How will I ever be able to appreciate “the things that God has prepared for them that love Him” (1 Corinthians 9: 2), if I never learned to appreciate His way here on earth? I am convinced that the way that Christ chooses to lead us here on earth is in preparation, for a place in heaven, and then, in the earth renewed in its original glory. Many of us need to unlearn the love of the worldly, to be able to fully appreciate, and love the heavenly! Therefore, because we are saved by grace, through faith, we must be willing to live by grace, in the here and now!
But what does “living by grace” look like? We have heard grace defined as, “unmerited favor.” I looked for some other definitions of grace, and found: “Favor or good will. A manifestation of favor especially by a superior. Mercy, clemency, pardon” (Online dictionary). Then I looked for a definition of grace in Theology. My findings were very revealing: “The freely given, unmerited favor and love of God. The influence or spirit of God, operating in humans to regenerate or strengthen them. A virtue or excellence of divine origin. Also called state of grace . . . Moral strength: the grace to perform a duty” (Ibid). I found this information extremely helpful. We usually look at grace solely from the point of view of being imputed unto us. It is important that we take notice of the fact that grace is also imparted. Why is that so important? Because grace is not only a gift to have, but one that can be used – grace enables! Grace is the perfect gift! Grace saves you, and keeps you saved, when it is accepted in its entirety! What do I mean by that? We should not only say that we have grace. We also need to allow grace to have us, and have its way in our lives!
Yes my friends, there is a way which “seems right,” and is, right. He is the “Way, the Truth, and the Life” – Jesus! He is the only Way to the Father, and to eternal life!