The Life

The Only Life That Leads Home

We spend so much of our time trying to manufacture a good life. We work hard, try to make the right calls, take care of our families, and do our best to stay on the right track. But if we’re honest, even on our best days, the life we try so hard to build on our own can leave us feeling pretty worn out and hollow.

I think that’s because it's so easy to confuse simply existing with truly living.

When Jesus sat with His friends in John 14:6, He said something that just strips away all that daily striving:

"I am THE Way, THE Truth, and THE Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

Notice that simple, uncompromising word: THE. Jesus didn't say He was a helpful coach coming along to help us polish up an already decent life. He didn't offer a 10-step plan to boost our self-improvement. He said that He Himself is Life.

That right there is the key to the second half of that verse: "No one comes to the Father except through Me."

Without Him, we aren't just off track or having a bad day—spiritually speaking, we’re dead in our tracks. And a dead man can't pull himself up by his bootstraps. He can't earn his way anywhere, let alone into the presence of a holy God. We can't hand God our busy calendars, our good intentions, or our religious checklists and say, "Look what I built." None of that creates life.

Real, eternal life exists only in Jesus because He’s the One who conquered the grave. Coming to the Father through Him isn't some strict rule meant to keep us out; it's the only way a dead heart gets brought back to life.

So what does this actually look like when we finish our coffee and step into our Tuesday morning?

It means we stop striving and start resting.

It means letting go of the exhausting need to be the author of your own story. Your standing with God today doesn't depend on whether you get everything right or perform flawlessly—it rests completely on the life Jesus already secured for you.

When worry creeps in about the future, you don't have to white-knuckle your way through it. When you make a mistake, you don't have to hide in shame and try harder tomorrow; you just run straight back to Him. You stop treating faith like a heavy task list you have to pull off, and you just let His life flow through your day.

When you strip away all the world's noise and religious pretense, it really is that clear. You don't have to manufacture a life that's good enough for God. You just have to rest in the One who is THE Life.

Simple.

Until next time, keep your heart anchored in the Simple Truth.