A LIFE WORTH LIVING Part 2
Many would agree that we often don’t know what the future looks like. We cannot envision where a troubled marriage would be headed, what kind of future to point our children to, where to take our relationships from where they are to where God desires them to be, and what lies ahead for ourselves – be it in business or in our career. We largely let the natural rhythms of life such as growing old, and life events like birth and death, define how we live in the here and now. We generally believe that by managing our lives well, we will be rewarded with a good future.
In John 14:3-4, Jesus emphasized the importance of preparation: ‘My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.’ The problem for us is when we think the present is permanent rather than a preparation for something better that God has in store for us in the future.
“Do not let your hearts be troubled.
You believe in God; believe also in Me.”
John 14:1
No matter what circumstances or hardships we face, Jesus always points us to Himself: He is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6). There is always a way forward and Jesus is it.
When we’re over-concerned with affairs like employment, investments, family, health, safety and material comfort, we forget that these are not an end in themselves. We lose sight of the bigger picture that, as followers of Jesus, we are facilitators commissioned to lead people into a future with Him. When we are preoccupied, we want to just get on with our own lives, and we also forget our responsibility to help other believers who are struggling to stay on a future-oriented course.
When Jesus started talking about a future He was going to prepare, Thomas’ immediate response, like any of us, focused on the how and where. He said to Jesus, “Lord, we don’t know where You are going, so how can we know the way?” Essentially, Thomas wanted to know what that future looked like and how the disciples would even get there. In the next breath, Jesus answered, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life.” He was basically pointing Thomas to Himself as the answer – the Way, the Truth and the Life - that addressed every possible human need.
Biblically, we can say that it was Jesus’ farewell speech to His disciples. He was going to prepare a place for them and for all who believed in Him. In this sense, we, too, are a people in transition. Living with a future destination in mind is different from living from day to day. The English missionary, Jackie Pullinger, who spent her life transforming countless drug addicts in Hong Kong, is crystal clear about her life mission: “I don’t have a ministry, I just have a life.” Even in her late seventies, she has not slowed down but continued telling more people about Jesus. She demonstrates to all believers that our God-given mission does not follow chronological age, our passion for God does not wane with use, and our calling is not separate from our day-to-day living.
These days, we make John 14:6 sound like a pious incantation and a heaven-ward passport that we flash to God-seekers. In reality, it delineates Jesus’ sovereignty and supremacy as the entry point to the abundant life He promised to those who believe in Him. Jesus was not prescribing an alternative idea, method or ritual but His personhood itself that produces life transformations and breakthroughs.
He is the gate, the door and the only legitimate access to God the Father (John 10:10, Ephesians 2:18).
He is the truth that sets us free from all ambiguity with regards to our relationship with God. When He said ‘Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free’, He was referring to Himself as the subject to be known (John 8:32). He is the only Saviour who took our sins and died for humanity because of His perfect love for each of us. He is truly the only hope that delivers us from despair.
When we call on Jesus, we call on all that He is – the Way, the Truth and the Life. Anyone who feels that life is losing its meaning can call His Name and find life because in Him is life, and that life is the light of all mankind (John 1:4). Anyone who is feeling uncertain about tomorrow due to illness and negative health reports can call on the Name of Jesus. Anyone who feels deserted and dejected or that life has dealt them more than they can handle can invoke the Name above every name to find His comfort, encouragement, love and tenderness (Philippians 2:9b, 2:1).
Today, there is a deeper meaning for you to uncover from John 14:6. Now the Word of God is a living Word that reveals as much as it exposes, and it sets us free from confusion and from what appear like dead ends to us (Hebrews 4:12-13).
Believe that what makes your life worth living is embedded in the Spirit of the Word in John 14:6. Know that the Zoe life is within your reach!
Reflect and analyze your response to these questions:
Pray and reflect on this prayer:
Dear Jesus, You said in John 14:6 that You are the Way and the Truth and the Life, and no one comes to the Father except through You. Please reveal to me what this means in my life right now so that I may find the abundant life and the Zoe life that is found in You. Help me to live my life in a way that always prepares and point others to a future with You in it. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
