“Jesus said unto him (Thomas), I am the way, the truth and the life…”
When Jesus told Thomas that He is “the way,” He meant that He is the way to the Father, and this is open to all sorts of interpretations. We can say that He is "the way out of a sinful lifestyle,” or that He is the “the way to heaven,” etc. I know that Jesus is the way to a better life, which means that Jesus is the new way as opposed to the old way of living only for the world. I think you will agree that Jesus offers a new life and new possibilities. I want to look at few of these possibilities. Jesus is the new way to claim victory over the troubles of life. These troubles can take all sorts of forms. Some of our troubles come because of bad choices that we make. Some of our troubles are internal and come from our thought lives. Some of our troubles have to do with other people. The causes of trouble are numerous, but Jesus offers a way over, through or beyond them. When I think of the troubles of my life, I think of what Jesus said in John 16:33: “These things have I spoken unto you, that in Me you might have peace. In the world you will have tribulation (trouble): but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” We are always looking for a way out of the troubles of life, but Jesus offers us a better way, for He offers us a way through the troubles of life. Jesus said that we will have troubles, but that He can give us peace. In my life this has been peace that has come from Jesus in spite of the troubles that I have faced. Try Jesus as a new way to claim victory over your troubles. Jesus is the new way to claim victory over fear. All of us experience fear of some sort. I think that when Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy that Timothy was dealing with some fear issues. Here is what Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 1:6-7: “Wherefore I put you in remembrance that you stir up the gift of God, which is in you by the putting on of my hands. 7. For God has not given us a spirit fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” It shouldn’t surprise us that prominent people in the New Testament experienced some of the same emotions that we experience. I think Paul was reminding Timothy that Jesus was in His life and that Jesus could take him beyond whatever it was that was causing his fear. When we have Jesus in our lives, and the gift of the Holy Spirit within us, we overcome fear by the power of God, the love of God and a sound mind, or self discipline. Jesus is our way out of being overcome by fear. He has placed in us the power of His Spirit, His love and through Him self-discipline. Let Jesus be your new way to claim victory over fear. Jesus is the new way to claim victory over sin. Though most people today do not realize it, sin is the number one problem of humanity. It all began in the Garden of Eden and has continued throughout human history. Until Jesus came and died on the cross for us, rose from the dead and ascended to the Father, there was no real way of victory over sin. Jesus was, and is, the new way to get victory over sin. This does not mean that we will never sin, but it does mean that sin will not control our lives, or as Paul stated it, we do not have to be slaves to sin. This is spelled out for us in 1 John 1:8-10: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” We can’t claim victory over sin by denying it, but by confessing it and letting Jesus cleanse us. It is in Jesus that we have victory over sin. Jesus is the way to abundant life. It is an old story, but it is ever new as people are saved through Jesus. Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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September 2021
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