Many Ways In; One Way Out

Have you ever thought about why we don't have to teach children to lie, but we do have to teach them to tell the truth? Or, why we don't have to teach them to be selfish, but we do have to teach them how to share?

God's Word says we were all "born in sin and shaped in iniquity," and furthermore that "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." If we are honest about it, we see these truths demonstrated daily in our own lives and of those around us.

There is no shortage of ways for us to get ourselves into trouble, but only one true way out of it.

We might think that drugs, alchohol, sexual promiscuity or burying ourselves in work are ways to get us out of negative or poorly-defined self-images, loneliness, depression or other challenges. Perhaps we find ourselves in a bad or inappropriate relationship and decide that time is our friend--if we just wait long enough somehow things will "just change."Or, we might think that telling a lie will cover for our other lies and shortcomings.

The problem is these "solutions" are only doorways to more trouble, not less.

Sometimes, life can seem like an enormous web with innumerable sticky situations just waiting for us to stumble into them. Some of them we stumble blindly into, others we stumble into with our eyes wide open.

No matter how we try to dress it up, we know when we have fallen off track. The challenge is, we don't want to accept that the only way to get back on track is to call on the name of Jesus. Perhaps it sounds too simple--sometimes we think complicated is better. Perhaps our pride doesn't want to accept submitting to a higher authority.

Calling on the name of Jesus does mean literally doing so, for,"whoever calls on the name of Jesus will be saved," but it also implies having and maintaining relationship, a connection. You cannot call on one in whom you have no faith. You do not call on someone you do not know.

God's Word tells us that there is "no other name...by which men must be saved," and that Jesus is "the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father except by me."

The blessing is, not only does our relationship with Jesus assure us salvation for our souls in the afterlife, it is a guidepost for our everyday struggles. Once we find ourselves in a struggle or in trouble, we don't have to find our way out--we just need to find our way to Jesus.

BNcouraged!

Rev. Karen