August 12 – The Substance of Our Lives (John 14:6)

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”(John 14:6)

IN WORD:
Have you ever noticed how often Jesus says, “I am”? Is He hinting at the divine name of Yahweh — the I AM WHO I AM — that God revealed to Moses (Exodus 3:14)? He is especially emphatic in John: “I am the bread of life” (6:35, 48); “I am the light of the world” (8:12; 9:5); “I am the gate for the sheep” (10:7); “I am the good shepherd” (10:11, 14); “I am the resurrection and the life” (11:25); “I am the true vine” (15:1); and here in John 14:6 — the way, the truth, the life. He is all the things we need to get by in this world.
Jesus did not come to us and promise to show us the way, to feed us the bread, to shine the light on us, to tell us the truth, or any other such direct assistance. No, He is much closer to us than that. He does not just offer us these things; He IS these things. In a very real and literal way, Jesus is our life now. We do not ask Him for His help in living our lives; we ask for Him to live His life more profoundly, more transparently each day. That is why it is never appropriate simply to see Him as our Teacher, Guide, Counselor, Healer, Deliverer, and the like, insofar as we think these roles belong to a person outside of ourselves. He is genuinely in the depths of our heart, asking us to get the junk out of the way for Him to shine through us. We are crucified; He is alive (Galatians 2:20).

IN DEED:
Do you see Jesus only as someone who has come along to assist you? Or do you rely on His dwelling in your heart? He is not just your example or your co-pilot. He is the substance of your life. You cannot know the Father, and you cannot get to heaven, with Him only showing you how to get there. He must take you there. Having been born of His Spirit, we must let His Spirit actually live in us.
This is a profound, life-altering truth. Meditate on it. Realize every morning that Jesus is present within you by reason of your faith and that He intends to conform you thoroughly to His likeness.

“It is not your hold of Christ that saves you — it is Christ.”
-Charles Spurgeon-