In recent years, there have been many books written about how we, as humans, should be living. Authors cover everything from the complicated question of how we can live longer to the even more complex question of how we can live well.
All these books have their place and purpose. Yet, truthfully, we don’t need to read a library full of books to find answers to our questions about living. The most transformational words ever written on the subject are Jesus’ words in John 14:6—and they are as succinct as they are powerful.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.”
In two sentences, Jesus reveals how we can live well and live longer than we could ever hope for. The answer is Him. Jesus is the way to life, He is the embodiment of life, and He is life itself.
Jesus is the way to life with the Father.
Even the most thorough books on living longer fail to teach us how to live forever—but Jesus tells us. He said, “I am the way…No one comes to the Father, except through me.” If we want to have eternal life in God’s presence, we must go through Christ. According to Scripture, He is the only path that can take us into God’s presence.
This means that, though “being good” with our diet or lifestyle might earn us a few more years of health here on earth, “being good” can never earn us life in heaven. It also means that if we want to live forever in heaven, no other religion will get us there.
Jesus died so that, if we put all our faith and hope for salvation in Him, we can have eternal life. Yet, we need to remember: in extending salvation to us, Jesus is offering something better than merely more of life as we know it. He’s offering us life with the Father—who made us, knows us, loves us and has a purpose for us. Life with the Father is what we were made for and Christians get to enjoy it now and forever.
So, this passage invites us to take full advantage of what Jesus has done.
- If you are reading this today and you’ve never accepted Christ, this passage urges you: believe in Jesus and receive life with the Father.
- And if you’ve already accepted Christ, this passage urges you to start making the most of life with the Father today. Jesus has given us the precious gift of access. One day we will go to be with the Father in heaven, but even now the door to His throne room is open to us. So, let’s embrace that gift of access by running to Him with every need, emotion and spare moment.
Jesus is the embodiment of truth and true living.
Jesus said, “I am … the truth.” This means He is the origin of truth and that His words have final say on every subject. What Jesus says is truer than what our eyes see and it supersedes what our world, feelings and experiences tell us is true on any given day.
Most of us know this. Yet, if we’re honest, we sometimes want more than merely hearing about the truth—we want to see it. We want to see evidence that it’s real and see, practically, how the truth plays out for real life people. This is why I love that, according to John 14:6, Jesus doesn’t just speak the truth. He is the truth—in the flesh.
Jesus’ life on earth was the embodiment and evidence of the all the truths He preached and thankfully Scripture recorded much of it for us.
So, if our loved ones pass away and grief sparks the fear that “maybe it’s not true. Maybe they aren’t alive with the Father in heaven…” all we need to do is look at Jesus. He didn’t just preach about the resurrection, He lived it. Luke 24 tells us that, on the third day, Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to many witnesses, later ascending to heaven before the disciple’s very eyes.
And likewise, if we look at what’s left of our lives and wonder how to live those days well, we can again turn our gaze to Jesus and look at how He lived. He is, after all, the truth embodied, so He can show us how to live. Dependence on God, prayer and solitude, living life in community, compassion for others, humility and submission to the Father, selfless sacrifice—all of these were essential parts of Jesus’ life and, with God’s help, we can adopt them, too.
These are not the things we read about in self-help books. Some of them aren’t things we would ordinarily choose to spend our limited days on. But if we will look to Jesus, the Truth, He can show us how to live a life that makes a difference and fills us up with joy along the way.
Jesus is life.
In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am…the life.” So, not only is Jesus the way to life, He is life itself. He’s not just the One who gives us life, He’s also the One who makes life worth living! This is a reality about eternity—and life today—that we often overlook.
In note cards and cartoons, heaven is often depicted as a place full of angels and white puffy clouds. Activity appears subdued and life up there seems to be flavored a rather bland vanilla. But in Scripture, heaven is described altogether differently. It’s electric—full of color and active worship, with Jesus in the center of everything.
Jesus is the One who brings light, joy, love, freedom and purpose to humanity. So, heaven is only heavenly because He is there. And likewise, our lives today are most vibrant when Jesus is present and at the center.
You know, when life feels dull and unfulfilling, we often jump right into making practical changes. We start chasing more of the temporal things that seem to make others happy—new relationships, better prospects, healthier bodies. And don’t get me wrong: all those things are good! But the abundant life Scripture promises isn’t found in even the best of temporal things. It’s found in the eternal goodness of Jesus. He is the abundant life.
So, what if we started intentionally chasing Jesus, first and foremost, in our unfulfilled moments?
Maybe, He would still lead us to make practical changes toward a better, healthier life on earth. But our fulfillment would ultimately be fueled by Jesus, instead of temporal things. He is the only One who can bear up under all our expectations. He is the One who makes us fully awake and alive, who doesn’t drain us but fills us up.
Jesus says to us, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The question is, will we choose abundant life in Him? Or will we keep limping along on our own, trying to find life down the dead paths and dead “truths” of this world?
In recent years, we’ve probably all considered how we should be living. We want to live longer and live better.
So, as open as we are to the advice in self-help books, may we also take Jesus’ words into account and find abundant living in Him—now and forever.
This devotion is based on one of the Scriptures from my reading plan: “Grateful for God” which explores God’s character. To receive a copy of the reading plan (and future reading plans), sign up for the email list below. Hope you’ll follow along!
Written by Paige K. Burhans
©2024 Paige K. Burhans
Scriptures taken from the World English Bible British Edition. Public Domain.
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