Why Follow Jesus
Friday April 1, 2016
Jesus says: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me." (John 14:6 NLT) That’s an exceptional statement for Jesus to make to us who are used to doing things in our own way and basing our hopes and dreams on our own experiences. God’s word clearly tells us: "There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death." (Proverbs 14:12 NLT) What do these words mean to you and me as we learn to walk in truth in recovery?
Sometimes we make choices that for the present time seem to be good, but before we know it we end up in trouble and wonder what happened. Sometimes we even blame God when we find ourselves burdened down by our own choices. The truth is that God alone knows what is best for each of us. Only God has the complete information necessary to give us good guidance over the long haul. We were never made to live on our own. We were created to live in relationship with God through Jesus Christ. We were created to live well when we allowed God to direct and empower us through His Holy Spirit. We were created for a life with God that would be meaningful and purposeful, because it would be the way of love and truth. A life of following our own way necessitated us to be forgiven and healed and saved FROM our own inadequate plans.
God invites us today to consider the consequences of our former choices and to consider the perfect choice of living life by His principles. You are saying, ‘Our sins are heavy upon us; we are wasting away! How can we survive?’ As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live. Turn! Turn from your wickedness, O people of Israel! Why should you die? (Ezekiel 33:10-11 NLT) If we are experiencing a life that is not what we hoped it would be, then we are continuing to do some things in our own way and are not fully surrendered to Jesus. Today, let's make a conscious choice to totally surrender to God and begin to live the life that we have always desired.
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