Anybody who travels by air understands the potential risks involved. I’m not talking about the risk to human life, I am talking about the risk to your time, money, and even sanity when it comes to airport procedures, unexpected delays, flight cancellations, and even sitting next to a family of four with an over stimulated toddler. (I could write several articles on flying with children but I will save those for later publications).
I remember reading a story about a U.S. citizen traveling abroad that mistakenly boarded the wrong airplane. His intension was to tour Europe with several stops in Spain, Germany, and Italy. After flying across the Atlantic and arriving in Amsterdam, this traveler had a scheduled six hour layover before his next flight to Barcelona, Spain. When time came to board the next chartered flight, the gates changed and he unknowingly got on the wrong plane. By the time he discovered the error he had already landed in Faro, Portugal.
Two systems designed to prevent such an occurrence failed. First, the agent at the gate failed to properly scan the man’s boarding pass. Second, the flight attendants failed to accurately track all the passengers, thus allowing one extra body to fly on the flight. Needless to say, it was a nightmare for the passenger getting to his proper destination. He finally recovered all his personal belongings some two months after the trip!
I bring all this up because of a conversation earlier today during our Men’s Monthly Devotional. The topic presented by Joe Greffin challenged the men to understand, intellectually and scripturally, Jesus’ claim, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
The overarching question revolved around, “Does Christianity have all the answers and is it the only way to heaven?” Many secularists, and even some religions, would say that Christianity is one of several ways to get to heaven. But according to Jesus, there is only one way, by believing and accepting the sacrificial atonement through Christ’s blood on the cross. For some that may seem extreme, but in the grand scheme of God’s economy, nothing other than the complete and perfect sacrifice through Christ can provide salvation. In essence, all other faiths, while often meaningful to the followers, fail to equal God’s standard.
This equates to the traveler who purchased his ticket, packed his bags, went to the airport, boarded a plan, but ended up in an undesirable destination. He did everything he thought he was supposed to do, but actual flight of the plan took him elsewhere.
Don’t be fooled by the perceived destination of some religious practices. For those desiring to spend their eternal life in the presence of God the Father in his Heavenly Kingdom, the only way is to have your ticket validated by Christ and make sure you’re diligent about boarding the right plane. God has done all of the work making sure you have space available; however, your continued involvement in the process requires due diligence.
I pray that 2009 will be the year for all of us to reexamine our tickets and make sure we are getting on the right plane and that our destination is confirmed.
I look forward to seeing you in the destination place this Sunday,
