A Better Way

“Do not let your heart be troubled; [a]believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many [b]rooms; if that were not so, [c]I would have told you, because I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I am coming again and will take you to Myself, so that where I am, there you also will be. 4 And you know the way where I am going.” 5 Thomas *said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going; how do we know the way?” 6 Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14

The most challenging thing about following Jesus is knowing that you have to unlearn what you've been taught through your upbringing in the world. Yes, you need to learn how to survive and to sustain. You need to learn how to produce and provide. You need to learn how to network and negotiate. All of these things you learn from your earthly parents, teachers and mentors. And then when you meet Christ, it's almost as if you have to unlearn all of these things to know a better way.

I used to ask myself, why did God go through centuries teaching us about laws and regulations. Allowing us to walk down a path where performance was a lesson to be learned so that we could appreciate that perfection was never attainable. The old testament testifies to this very fact, we are not good enough to save ourselves.

But then comes Jesus, and we had to unlearn everything we knew. We had to be born again into the knowledge that the relationship with the Father through Christ Jesus is really the only path. Our lives are a mirror of the old and new testament. We first strive for success and then lay down everything we've earned for salvation at the cross. How can we make this process of unlearning easier for ourselves?

1. Place your achievements at the cross. Anything you've ever achieved is meant to emphasize how much we need Christ. The greater your achievements, the greater need you will feel. This is because our desire for self-sufficiency will create a crater within us, that only a relationship with Jesus will fill. Replace your achievements for the affirmation that Jesus loves you no matter what.

2. Place your plans at the cross. Everything you plan to do for the future of your family and your household can be put at the feet of Jesus. Not only do your achievements need to be discarded, but so do your future ambitions. It is not that you shouldn't have goals, but now these goals are given to you by the Father through your relationship with Jesus. The exchange is about your earthly plan for the Father's heavenly one.

3. Place your life at the cross. The esteem that you feel you've earned over the years is what gives you confidence. Your worth is because of your stalwart commitment to doing the right thing. You've been rewarded with recognition and praise for who YOU are and now you are being asked to lay this down so that your image can be replaced by the image of Jesus. The heavenly Father wants to give you a new life through your relationship with Jesus.

We are always asking for directions. The Father is saying that it is not a where but a who. It is not a path it is a person. We are to be walking further into relationship with Jesus. This is the way.

Father,

As much as I feel I am not proficient in relationships. As much as I fail in my pursuits of holiness. Help me Lord to always get closer and deeper in relationship with your son Jesus.

Amen