Who do you know who says we can each have our own religion as long as we’re sincere? Does that person put a guilt trip on you for what he or she describes as a dogmatic, narrow-minded, intolerant, and exclusive faith? But the Gospel wasn’t our idea, was it? Jesus Himself declared, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6, NIV). We must come to God through Him or we don’t come at all. The Bible says emphatically that “salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” Just the name Jesus.
And Who is Jesus? He is God Himself made visible to all. Praise God! You and I are not condemned to live in the darkness because He has turned on the Light! Praise God for just giving us Jesus!
Jesus, the Living Logos, is enduringly the same today as He always has been: “He was in the beginning with God” (John 1:2, NKJV). There was no personality change in this Person from the beginning of time until John’s day to our day to the last day of human history on into eternity.
The One Who spoke all things into existence and then transformed Planet Earth from a formless, empty, dark, water-submerged blob dangling in space to a beautiful place that reflected His own image is the same Person Who has power today to transform your life and mine.
The One Who offered all men of Noah’s day salvation from the storm of His judgment if they would come into the ark is the same Person today Who offers all men salvation from His eternal judgment if they come into Him at the cross. So . . . extend His offer to someone you know.
Noah took one-seventh of all of his flocks and herds and offered them in an extravagant sacrifice to the God of his salvation! Surely the sacrifice was one
of praise to God for His faithfulness and greatness,
of thanksgiving to God for His grace to save himself and his family,
of repentance from anything that would not be pleasing to God,
of rededication of his life to the One Who had saved it.
Noah must have been totally overwhelmed by the awareness that out of all the people who had been living on Planet Earth, God had saved him. Why? It was just God’s grace! Noah had been righteous and blameless as he had walked with God, but he knew that did not make him worthy of salvation. His heart must have felt ready to burst with the intensity of his gratitude. There could be no other way to express what was in his heart than to give back to God the life that He alone had saved. How can you and I do less?
There is one primary “internal blight” that attacks the branches of the Vine, which, if not severely dealt with, will destroy our fruitfulness. The “blight” is sin. Sin obstructs the free flow of the “sap” of the Holy Spirit in our lives. And since the Holy Spirit is the One Who truly produces the fruit that we bear, anything that grieves or quenches Him affects our fruitfulness. Jesus addressed the necessity of confronting sin in our lives when He confirmed, “You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.” The disciples were already clean because they had placed their faith in Him and given Him their hearts. They continued to be cleansed as they listened to His Word and applied and obeyed it.
In the same way, you and I are clean when we place our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior, then give Him our hearts in total surrender. We continue to be cleansed as every day we live by His Word, which we read, apply, and obey. How free-flowing is the “Sap” in your life?
Jesus did not say that He knew the way to heaven; He said that He Himself is the only Way to get there!
During the Vietnam War, a story was reported about a paratrooper who had been air-dropped into the jungle and couldn’t find his way out. A native guide had to be sent into the jungle to find the lost man then lead him safely to his base. The guide became the man’s way to safety-his “way home.” In the same manner, Jesus is “God’s Guide,” heaven-dropped into the world to lead lost sinners safely “Home.” It stands to reason that if you refuse to acknowledge that you are “lost,” then you will not accept God’s Way home. But for those of us who know we have been lost, our overwhelming gratitude for the Guide is enough to compel us to tell others about Him – about the truth of their lost condition and the truth about the Way out.
