I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE
"Jesus answered, "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." John 14:6"

On Epiphany, the Gentile Christmas, the church recalls how the path of the wise men to the infant Jesus was directed by the divinely-given star. The devotion for today reflects on how our path should be illuminated by another divinely given light.

Walking the trails through the hills near the Thai-Burma border is very invigorating. Climbing the steep inclines gets the heart beating faster. Far from cities and pollution, the air is wonderfully clean and fresh. Without having to look through a haze of smoke from cars and factories, the sky is such a vivid blue that it almost doesn't seem real.

But walking those trails can also be frustrating because it's very easy to go the wrong way. Every few minutes we would reach another place where two, three or even four trails crossed. Each trail looked like it could be the right way to go, but each trail went in a different direction. Only the able assistance of a local guide prevented us from wandering around in circles for hours. Many trails appeared to be good trails, but only one was the correct way to our destination.

Jesus describes Himself as the Way, the only way to be close to God and to live with Him eternally. Many people have a variety of ideas about how to have true peace and joy, about how to find God and about how to reach heaven. Those ideas appear to be good. Unfortunately, they ultimately fall short of the target. Jesus came down from heaven and returned to His Father in heaven. No one else has ever done that. He not only knows the way, but He is the Way. By believing in Jesus and following Him, we are able to go into the presence of God.

Jesus says that He is the Truth. He is the very source of truth. There is no falsehood in Him. Through His words and actions we can come to know the truth. Only the truth of Jesus can lead us to God.

And Jesus is the Life. Through Jesus we can have a full and complete life here on earth. Only through Jesus can we have eternal life with God in heaven.

THE PRAYER: Dear Jesus, no one can come to God except through You. Show me the way. Reveal the truth clearly to me and give me the life that only You can give. In Your Name. Amen.

Rev. Denis Denow - Thailand
The Lutheran Hour Ministries