Robert Griffith | 9 December 2023
Robert Griffith
9 December 2023

 

John 14:6  Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.“

Have you ever stood in a bookstore and surveyed the number of books that have a number of ways to do most anything? 8 Minute Workouts; 10 Mindful Steps to Happiness; 7 Principles for Making a Marriage Work; 7 Days to Whiter Teeth. Perhaps you remember Steven Covey’s best seller years ago: Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. He put the words proactive and synergize on the map.

I remember reading one list years ago – I still have it saved on my computer. It was titled: 50 Ways to Improve Your Life in 2006. The inclusive list covered everything from flossing your teeth to enjoying a massage to joining a singing group. It seems that everybody writes or reads books that boil anything down to less than ten precise steps to accomplish any goal.

There seems to be a formula for everything! We live in a scientific and technological culture where people believe that every problem can be solved by applied techniques (six steps to a better whatever). How much has this way of viewing life shaped you?

Christian bookstores are not immune to this way of thinking. Notice how much it looks like the self-help section of your local secular bookstore. Whether it’s a better marriage or a stronger prayer life, there are numerous books that offer it in six or seven easy steps – never more than ten.

Pastors run to Church growth conferences to hear the latest formula, in however many steps the speaker may think it takes to grow their Church. It all seems so right, so logical so reasonable. They sell books like 5 Good Minutes to Change Your Spiritual life and 100 Morning Practices to Help You Stay Calm and Focused All Day Long.

As Christians, we often think there’s some magic formula out there to dramatically change us and make all of our problems go away overnight. Well, it isn’t quite that easy. A lot of self-help guides, spiritual and otherwise, are on the shelves of local bookstores. Some contain sound advice and some are marginal, if not outright rubbish. Be careful what you load into your brain and be sure you know the core values of the author and don’t believe that a few steps practiced and applied in your life can remake you.

There is only one way and it is a one step process. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  I suggest that if you really want to change your life, commit yourself to follow Jesus.In a world that tells us to conform, Jesus tells us to transform and to present ourselves as a living sacrifice.

So, for us all, may our next chapter in life be one of transformation, the season where we surrender all we have to the One Who holds the keys to joy, peace and contentment. May this be a time when we renew our pledge to love God more, to seek His face and His plan for our lives more clearly and to draw close to His Word each and every day.

Right now, is your most exciting time ever. Last year is history. Next year lies in the future, but this is the only time you will ever have to live right now. So, live it to the fullest, allowing God to change your life and the lives of others through you.

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