The Only Real Choice (Friday Devotional)

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

- John 14:6

The other day I went digging through my toolbox for a flathead screwdriver to replace a battery in one of the kids’ toys. It only took a second for me to find one that I thought would do the job, but as I walked back in the house, I realized it was actually a Phillips head, not a flathead. So I turned around and went back to find the right tool. Again I pulled out a screwdriver that I thought would work, but again it was a Phillips head. Finally on the third try I found what I was looking for—not just any screwdriver, but one that would do what I needed.

You run into situations like that all the time, occasions where specificity is important, where having a lot of options isn’t as important as having the one thing you need. That’s important to remember spiritually too, because while the Lord shows us a narrow path to salvation, the world offers a host of broader ones—and we need to remember what it is we actually need.

Jesus said he is the way, that obeying his words and following his example and walking with him is the correct approach to life. But our world offers a multitude of alternative ways which promise power and fame and wealth.

Jesus says he is the truth, that you will know what’s right if you know him. But our culture tells a different story, one in which your understanding of truth is filtered through your opinions and is influenced (if not determined outright) by those who share your ideology.

Jesus says he is the life, that ultimate fulfillment is found through faith in him and fellowship with him. But the world adamantly refuses to believe it, and is always trying to convince you to imagine, build, and buy your way to something better.

But for all the alternative ways, truths, and lives the world has to offer, none do what Jesus does—none reconcile us to the God who created, loves, and redeems us. This world’s ways can bring momentary happiness but not eternal rest, its truths can bring earthly perspective but not divine wisdom, and its lives eventually end where life with God never does.

Sometimes it’s nice to have a lot of choices, but other times all those options just block your way to what you’re really after. So in a world loaded with options, may you not be so dazzled by the choices that you forget what you need—or in whom you find it.