Thinking back over a lifetime of experiences, a man once observed, “There are two mistakes one can make along the road to truth… not going all the way and not starting.” All of us are on a journey through life seeking the right way, the way of truth. Solomon asked God to make it clear to his people the good way in which they should go. Many folks don’t know where to begin and so they never start, but those who read the Bible know that there is a clear message about what is the right way to go for any who care to listen.
The way of life is a Biblical term. Jeremiah recorded, “And unto this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of death.” Moses said to the children of Israel, “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:”
Since the road we choose is a matter of life and death, it is important that we make the right choice. Once we determine that the godly way is the right way, then we must start. And we must continue, to the end of our life. Too many folks delay making the decision, or let the distractions of life deter them from holding the course, and then lose out on the reward of eternal life that God has prepared for those who obey Him. It is a mistake not to start serving God, and it is a mistake not to dedicate our life to serving Him. We need to choose the way of life, and then start and never stop. As Ayn Rand advised, “All you have to do is look straight and see the road, and when you see it, don’t sit looking at it — walk.”
The phrase, “The way” is found 374 times in the Bible in the KJV version. The phrase isn’t used as often nowadays as it was in the past. It used to appear in the ecclesial news section of The Christadelphian Magazine in notifications such as, “Sister XYZ has fallen asleep. She had been in the way for over 60 years.” We understand the thought intended, but it sounds like she was blocking traffic for a very long time.
Solomon tells us, “There is a way which seemeth right unto man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Since the consequences of choosing the wrong way is death, it is extremely important to find the right way, choose it and stay in it.
How do we find that right way? When Jesus was comforting his followers he said, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.” He then told them, “and whither I go ye know and the way ye know.” The disciples were puzzled, so Thomas asked him, “Lord we know not whither thou goest: and how shall we know the way?” Jesus saith unto him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.”
So the right way, the only way of life, is to follow Jesus, who is the way, the truth and the life. To be in the way then is to be a follower of Jesus, which is exactly what Jesus tells us to do. He says, “my sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me.”
In another place Jesus says, “If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honor. If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me”.
Since following Jesus involves taking up our cross, it means that he does not promise us an easy way of life. He warns us, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Jesus wants us to cheer up because although we are going to have trouble, Jesus has overcome and we can too. Knowing this assurance causes Paul to exclaim, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Paul overcame and we can also.
As Paul traveled from ecclesia to ecclesia, he exhorted them to continue in the faith and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. Being in the way of life is important, it is a good start, but we must always remember to keep moving forward and never give up. Following Jesus is an active life, and there will be many obstacles on the road as we travel to the Kingdom, but we want to keep on the road all the way to the end of our life. Jesus tells us that only those who endure to the end will be saved.
If we truly follow the Lord Jesus and the Apostle Paul, then in the end we will also be able to say with Paul that we have “fought a good fight, we have finished our course, we have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for us a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give us at that day: and not to us only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One