The Way
As a combined gift for Father’s Day and my birthday in a couple weeks, Tammy gave me a Wahoo Element Bolt. It’s a bike computer attached to my handlebars which gives me consistent data on my ride—my current speed, average speed, distance, and time. I love having that information easily accessible without needing to glance at my watch. Yet, the greatest part of the Element is creating routes and then using the computer’s GPS to guide me along the way.
On July 4, I created a 45 mile ride I wished to take—I wanted to go to the Johnson Space Center, Sylvan Beach, Morgan’s Point, and the San Jacinto Monument, the places I find most fascinating in our part of Metro Houston. The computer took me on a route I had never taken and down roads I did not know. I absolutely loved that because I was able to explore places I didn’t even know existed. I especially appreciated the route to JSC because the Element took about 4 miles off my usual route.
I’ve started spending time creating different routes so that I can explore new places and take different roads to my favorite places. When I’m on my bike, I pull up my desired route, send it from my phone to the Element, and listen for the computer to beep so it can show me where to turn.
As much as I love my gift, no GPS can guide you or me to the Promised Land—only Jesus can do so. On the night of his betrayal, the Lord told his disciples, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (Jn 14:6). Jesus leads his disciples to the Father. As he leads us to the Father, he takes us down paths of love and service and prayer and righteousness.
No one can go to the immortal God except through Jesus. No family member or religious leader or politician can give us eternal truth. None of their teaching or advice—no matter how sound—replaces the words of our Lord. Peter told Jesus, “You have the words of eternal life” (Jn 6:68). Because Jesus possesses the words of life, Peter and the other apostles left their careers, their families, and everything they had in this world when Jesus called them as disciples (Matt 4:18-22); they followed the Lord with their all.
Can you do anything less? Jesus will guide you to the Paradise of God where you can live eternally, for as the Way he has the words of eternal life.
This article was originally written by Dr. Justin Imel, Sr., for the weekly newsletter at Church of Christ Deer Park in Deer Park, Texas.