One Way

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”

John 14:6

Picture yourself at a state park where there is a cascading waterfall at the outer edge. You’d like to see it, so you look on the map and notice there’s a trail that leads right to it. But the trail is rugged and requires climbing up rocks and crossing a stream using a very narrow bridge. The map shows another trail, which looks much easier, that goes near the waterfall. You decide to take the second trail and figure that you’ll be able to see the waterfall from where it ends.

You start down the second trail. The path is wide and easy to follow. There’s no climbing, so you quickly reach the end of the trail. You look around, expecting to find the waterfall, but you don’t see it. You can hear the sound of water in the distance, so you know the waterfall is there. You are at the end of your trail, but you aren’t at all where you wanted to be.

That’s how it is with getting to heaven. People want to go to heaven. Jesus says that he is the way to heaven and no one gets there without him. But people ignore what Jesus says in John 14:6. They try to get to heaven by following the Ten Commandments and obeying the laws of their country. They believe doing those things will make them good enough to go to heaven. But that’s not how we get to heaven. Isaiah 64:6 says, “We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags.” Without Jesus, our good behavior isn’t worth anything.

Some people try to do good works to earn their way to heaven. They give money in the offering, they give food to the poor, and they volunteer in the community. These are good things, but they don’t buy a ticket to heaven. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” No matter how many good things you may do, you won’t get to heaven unless you have asked Jesus to forgive your sins.

Heaven is a free gift. We don’t deserve it. We can’t earn it. Jesus is the only way to heaven. And that’s good news for all of us.

Think of one person who needs to hear today’s verse. Share it with him or her. Write down the name of the person you shared it with and what happened. Remember to pray for that person to accept the gift of salvation.