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? There’s everything from ‘8 Minute Workouts’ to ‘8 Mindful Steps to Happiness’ to ‘7 Principles for Making a Marriage Work’ and there’s even ‘7 Days to Whiter Teeth.’ Do you remember Steven Covey’s ‘Seven Habits of Highly Effective People?’ He put the words “proactive” and “synergize” on the map.
One of these which gained some traction some years ago was: ‘50 Ways to Improve Your Life.’ 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.
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 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.
In the latter part of the twentieth century, thousands of Pastors were running to church growth conferences to get 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 is 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 books, spiritual and otherwise, are on the shelves of local bookstores. Some contain sound advice and some are marginal, if not outright incorrect. 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 – spoken by Jesus himself and recorded in the above verse in John 14:6. I suggest that if you really want to change your life, commit yourself to follow Jesus and listen for His Word every day.
In a world that tells us to conform, Jesus tells us to transform and to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice.
So, for us, may this be a time of transformation, of presentation, as we surrender all we have to the One Who holds the keys to joy, peace and contentment.
The path to that goal is daily Bible reading, committed worship, not just in church, but in all we do. May 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 our most exciting time ever. So, let’s live it to the fullest, changing our lives and changing the lives of others.