Follow the Signs

Several years ago I had an Oprah-like Ah ha moment. I doubt she coined the phrase “This I know for sure”, but it works well with my Ah-ha moment. Please allow me to explain.

On a drive to my in-law’s home, I began thinking about the messages on the road signs we passed. Weird I know, but for some reason they resonated with me. It occurred to me that many of the road signs boasted themes that God asks us to incorporate into our lives: stop, yield, do not enter, to name a few.

Once home, I dove into my Bible to see if there indeed were connections between road signs and God’s Word. Once I found one road sign - Scripture connection, I couldn’t stop. Over the course of the last two years, I’ve found over 200 verses that use road sign language. In fact, the idea intrigued me so much I wrote a nonfiction book titled Follow the Signs.

I’d like to share excerpts from my book during the next few blogs. I hope you’ll join me. Feel free to comment.

The following is from the section titled Trusting God. It is called “One Way to Live.”

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6, NIV

* Scripture does not specifically say ‘one way’. For the purposes of this work, ‘the way’ is equivalent to ‘one way.’

Before we knew God’s plans for our lives, we were way-ward (not knowing the way). Most of us sought direction for our lives, but from all the wrong places. Some of us even were brought up in Christian homes, knowing the way, but choosing not to follow it. Somewhere along your journey through life, you realized God’s Way made sense and the world’s ways left little to be desired.

Will that be the only time you will be asked to choose God’s Way over the world’s ways? Not likely. Let’s look at how the ways of the world continue to tempt us to travel in the opposite direction of God.

The Way of the World

Bombarded by endless advertising campaigns and other people’s opinions, we daily face a crossroads sign. The signs pointing in every direction force you to make countless decisions – some trivial and some eternal. Keep in mind, the well-thought out messages on the crossroads signs are rarely boring and rarely unattractive. Each of the emotionally-driven, brightly-colored messages encourages you to follow their way.

They offer enticing promises: “Gain happiness this way! This way to fame and fortune! Go this way for a better body! This way to a better job, husband, house . . .” Some people sadly discover following the world’s ways result in far greater negative outcomes than they would have ever imagined. The outcomes of following the world’s ways include ruin, decay, and destruction.

Watch the news one night and you’ll quickly see the results of choosing the world’s ways: Families broken by divorce experience further pain when one of the disgruntled spouses murders their ex-spouse. And sadly, the violence often times occurs in front of their children. Drug busts are shown nightly and are a result of greed for “big money” and someone’s addiction. Gangs participate in drive-by shootings, killing innocent children and by-standers. A seemingly upstanding man gets overwhelmed by his large debt (possibly from gambling or buying too many things on credit) and robs a bank. These individuals have bought into Satan’s lie – the one that says his way will bring happiness, money, intimate relationships and relief from pain. The list of his lies is innumerable (John 8:44).

After following the world’s ways and experiencing the unfavorable outcomes, those frustrated and broken people ask, “Isn’t there a better way?” Jesus answers their question with a resounding “Yes!” Jesus boldly proclaims, “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). Jesus shows us a radically different way to live.

The Way in God’s Word

The Old Testament is replete with examples of God offering to teach people the way. Adam and Eve were given explicit instructions about the way they were allowed to eat from any tree in the garden, but not from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God knew eating from this tree would give them knowledge of the way of the world. Satan, disguised as a snake, enticed them to follow the way he offered. Eve, and then Adam bought the lie and disobeyed God’s instructions. As we know, they reaped the ultimate consequence – removal from the Garden of Eden (and a few other unpleasant consequences).

In the New Testament, the book of John immediately introduces its readers to the way: “There once was a man, his name John, sent by God to point out the way to the Life-Light. He came to show everyone where to look, who to believe in. John was not himself the Light; he was there to show the way to the Light” (John 1:6, the Message). At just the right time, Jesus assumes his role of Messiah and teaches the way to salvation: through the forgiveness of sins.

He offers the same spiritual healing to each one of us: “God’s readiness to give and forgive is now public. Salvation’s available for everyone! We’re being shown how to turn our backs on a godless, indulgent life, and how to take on a God-filled, God-honoring life. This new life is starting right now, and is whetting our appetites for the glorious day when our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, appears. He offered himself as a sacrifice to free us from a dark, rebellious life into this good, pure life, making us a people he can be proud of, energetic in goodness” (Titus 2:11, the Message).

Notice that we are to “turn our backs on a godless, indulgent life.” He means for us to actively turn away from the ways of the world by repenting of our sins and receiving His forgiveness. In this verse, He also calls us to “take on a God-filled, God-honoring life.” If we want to follow the way of Christ, we must actively take on filling ourselves with God and honoring Him daily with our lives.

“This I know for sure”: God offers us the ultimate way to live. He doesn’t force it on us. We must choose to accept it. I find God’s way full of freedom and life. Each time I see a “ONE WAY” sign I think of how following God’s Way has enriched my life in many many ways.

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