Get a Life

Critics are quick to note Jesus marginalize other religions. He flat out says you can do Buddha, Mohammed, Confucius, Shiva, Moses, or whomever all day long, everyday and never come to the Father.


I work at a college where everyone MUST be tolerant. We have everything from Eastern Buddhists to Western New Age spiritualists who believe and practice different things, but all pretty much agree nobody's wrong. That would be rude. Do what seems right for you. Who are we to tell you what to believe? There are many ways to heaven, nirvana, paradise...


...BUT not the Florida Keys. One must travel south, past Miami to get to the Keys, but I digress. Plus, I was being insensitive and intolerant of those who think one can get to the Keys going west on Interstate 20. I often forget, "We are all climbing the same mountain."

Everything is copacetic until Jesus comes along and says, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). He means one can't get any nearer to the Father without him than one can get to the Keys heading west on Interstate 20. One can plan, fast, pray, confess, and beseech the Lord for travel mercies, but if you're on I 20 west, no amount of religion will get you to the Keys.

Definitive language is good when it points us in the right direction. Instead of the Keys, Jesus was telling us how to get to his Father--the source of pure goodness. The goodness thing is significant because the Greeks associated goodness with godness. So do most of the rest of us.

Let's clear this up.

First, all the other religions target something other than knowing the Father's motivation. They usually promise a reward of some sort. Some think Christianity is all about heaven or fire insurance. Not so much. No other religion makes a claim or provide a path that will reveal the mind of a living, loving God. 

So, Jesus wasn't throwing bricks at the other religions.

Second, if you followed Jesus around for a while when he was on earth, you'd have seen and heard some amazing things. You'd witness goodness--healings, sermons, demons being cast out, stories, cures, compassionate forgiveness, parables, miracles, prophecy, and more. And right beside you would be Jesus' friends, enemies, and those who didn't even care. Jesus lived out loud--that's why he was unforgettable whether you liked him or not.

Following was the WAY. The disciples followed the way of Jesus--living and loving. The WAY is/was love in concrete fashion. Jesus was "doing God" for our benefit. We can know the way of love because of his example.

Listening to Jesus, we hear/heard the TRUTH. Jesus was the teacher and the classroom was real life. Disciples watched and listened; Jesus taught. The TRUTH is love taught in abstractions.

Here's the big idea:

1. Follow the WAY OF LOVE (Jesus' example)
2. Apply the TRUTH OF LOVE (Jesus' teachings)
3. Get a LIFE OF LOVE (Jesus' life)
4. See the FATHER OF LOVE (as Jesus did)

Let's review: If you yearn to know God's heart, follow Jesus' words and ways. It's the only way you'll experience God's character. If knowing God personally isn't on your agenda, you probably aren't reading this anyway, so never mind.