Jesus the way – Moment to Moment (Bible blog)

When we reject Jesus

After Jesus mentioned how God would reward the generous in the resurrection of the righteous, one of the guests at the dinner said,

Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God. (Luke 14:15)

This man was referring to the great banquet that will be held someday when the Messiah comes into his kingdom. And as he said this, I’m sure every man at that table said, “Amen,” fully expecting to be at that table when God’s kingdom came.

The ironic thing? They were having dinner with the Messiah right at that very moment and didn’t recognize him. More than that, they rejected him as Messiah and eventually had him crucified.

As a result, they would be locked out of the kingdom, while all those they looked down upon, the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind, the very people they locked out of their own feasts, would be allowed into the kingdom.

More than that, those sinners they despised and the Gentiles they thought unworthy of the kingdom would all find a place in the kingdom, while they would be left out.

So many people want to go to heaven, but like these Pharisees, want no part of Jesus.

Instead, they rely on their own concept of righteousness to get them into heaven, while looking down on all those that fail to meet that standard.

And like these Pharisees, when their time comes, they will find the gates of heaven closed to them, while those they despised will enter.

How about you? Are you trying to get into heaven, even expecting to go to heaven, when all the while, you’re rejecting the one who is the only way into heaven?

Only those who put their faith in Jesus and his work on the cross will enter. So put aside your pride and come to Jesus. For as he himself said,

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

The Path to Life

Everyone wants a life worth living. That’s what David found, despite all his troubles, and in this psalm he shows us how to find the path to life.

In short, the path to life is not primarily a way of living. It’s a person. And so David sang,

I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
apart from you I have no good thing. (Psalm 16:2)

There is an utter joy in these words. “You are my Lord.”

Some people think that joy comes from ruling yourself. But true joy comes from submitting ourselves to God, and making him our king.

Why? Because as David recognized, apart from God there is no good thing. He is the author of all that is good.

James agrees, saying,

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights. (James 1:17)

As such, there can be no joy apart from Him who is the source of joy.

Yet many people seek just that, joy apart from God. They seek it in the gods of this world: money, possessions, and pleasure among others.

These are not bad things, but apart from God, they prove to be empty in the end to those who pursue them.

And so David says, “I don’t idolize these kinds of people, no matter how successful they may seem, because in the end, they find only sorrow and suffering. Rather, I delight in those who follow after you.”

He then turns his face up to God and sings,

“Lord, you are what I seek more than anything else. You are my inheritance. The thing I receive from you and treasure more than anything else is my relationship with you. That’s what makes this life worth living.”

Sometimes people look at the commands of God as burdensome, but David didn’t see it that way. Rather, he said,

The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance. (Psalm 16:6)

Because of his relationship with God, it was a joy to obey him. And he saw that these commands were not meant to take away joy, but to give him joy. To show him how to live the way God intended life to be lived.

As a result, he was glad to hear what God had to say. He listened to his counsel and with God by his side, he could never be shaken despite his circumstances.

Not only that, he had hope beyond the grave. He wrote,

You will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
nor will you let your Holy One see decay. (Psalm 16:10)

Of course, this was fulfilled in Jesus’ resurrection, but Jesus promised that because he lives, we will live also. (John 14:19)

David sums this all up by singing,

You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand. (Psalm 16:11)

Do you want to know the path of life? It’s not found in keeping a bunch of religious rules or by following a number of religious practices.

Rather, it’s found in the person of Jesus Christ. And when we find him and make him our Lord, that’s when we find a life worth living.

As Jesus said, “I am the way, I am the truth, I am the life.” (John 14:6)