WITHOUT HIM
By Rick Mathes
John 14:6 Jesus •said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.
This verse is fighting words for all faiths and religions that rebel at this exclusivist challenge to their beliefs. Jesus does not provide an option. You must come to the Father through Him or go to Hell. He gives us one of the seven I AM’s in this gospel. I am still trying to reconcile a person (Jesus) being a concept (truth). I can understand that He knows the truth, teaches the truth or points you to the truth but how can He be the truth? All I can come up with is that the Word is the truth and the Word became man and dwelt among us in the flesh and His name was Jesus. Thus, Jesus is truth! The Word is the essence and the frame is the personhood of Jesus.
What I can understand from my own life experiences is where you won’t find the truth. These are the places where the father of lies counterfeits truth and uses the circular reasoning of relativity instead of the objective, pure logic (Logos) of the Word (Truth).
Health and wealth are the greatest deceivers of objective truth. How many have had a complete medical exam, passed with no problems have a serious illness within weeks or even die. I did. I even passed a stress test with my “compete exam” with a stamp of good health. But for the grace of God and an insistent nurse, the doctor reluctantly called me back to his office and within that week I had a successful quadruple bypass operation.
My goal without Christ in my life was to have, borrow or steal one million dollars. It drove me night and day until I destroyed my marriage with alcohol and drugs. All that stopped me from blowing my brains out was my fear of Hell and non “plan B.” I turned around, lost everything for me but I founded and established a ministry that is not mine, worth millions for the Lord.
Having a name and fame is a heavy narcotic for the super-ego. When I gave the booking sergeant my ring, watch, belt and shoe laces, I stood there all alone and the officer sure didn’t care who I was or who I knew.
So health, wealth, name or fame does not contain any truth about Jesus because the rewards of all of them are self-gratifying. It is only in servicing Him unconditionally that the blessing of truth becomes evident. It’s really just a matter of surrendering it all to Him. He will bless it and hand it back to you and this arrangement will work as long as your eyes are upward and not outward.
PRESS ON!
Rick Mathes 