It is a dereliction on part of anyone to not know the way he is traveling. And we effortlessly go to places we are familiar with. The way to those places is imprinted in us by habit. On the other hand, we travel to new places, and we carefully seek directions. Now-a-days we even use gadgets to make it easy on us. Once we get to a place our return to home becomes fairly easy. It is how our mind programs itself with regard to memorizing new paths. Regardless of the number of places we travel to the mind keeps them all recorded so that we are never fully oblivious to them. Then again, if we do not travel to a place for a considerable time, it can become difficult to track it; we vaguely remember the way. The mind is also made to forget when places, matters or things are ignored.
The most important places we never forget, because we often return to them. For example, you never forget the way to your church; or, your favorite restaurant, place etc. The simple reason to it is you kept your mind alert at all times for them. You trained it to understand that those places are very important to you. Not only regarding places, but the same applies to any matter you are highly zealous for. You always feed your mind concerning them, since you do it over and over and again. In fact, after some time they become a tradition, a mark or sentiment. They never leave you and over a period of time they even define you.
A Christian’s life is a characteristic journey to the eternal Father. Its way is unique by the knowledge it contains. There’s no other journey that leads to life and every other journey is temporal, i.e. they fail at some point. As a rule of thumb, when a person becomes a Christian, i.e. he or she becomes familiar with Jesus they familiarize themselves with the way as well as are aware where it leads to. When Jesus spoke to His disciples about eternity, the dwelling places there and how He will come back to receive them into those places, He said to them “And you know the way where I am going” (John 14:4). How remarkable! Having been with Jesus for so long it would be naïve to think they didn’t know the way where He’s going. Thomas put his (their) ignorance into view by saying unless we know the way we do not know where You are going. Jesus quickly replied that He is the way, truth and life. It is not as if they did not know who Jesus is or His purpose or the need for His arrival onto this earth. They knew He is the lamb that removes the sin of all men. When they heard Jesus reply, it was the first time they clearly understood that He is everything and is for everything in their life. From then on He became the way to them for all things. He being the way denotes He alone has the wisdom or keys to our progress toward eternity.
Many church-goers can be likened to Thomas in that they know Jesus, but not particularly Him as the way. As the way He is not for salvation alone, but is our continual path until we reach eternity. Every good quality we speak of Him is the way. Yet, not many grasp it with both hands. Equally important is every wise thing/word of heaven that God wishes we have/receive is Him, who is the way. Yet, few seek it. It is for not grasping and seeking it that many often make mistakes, make wrong choices and lead a pithy life contrary to the abundant life promised in Christ. But how wonderful it is when Jesus makes us feel we know the way! It means we are familiar with the way to eternity. Inversely speaking, unless we know the way to eternity claiming Jesus as our Savior makes no sense. Then everything that is of men and of worldly perspective is in us. Holding on to Jesus helps us know the way, one which God almighty devised for us. There is a reason Jesus said He is the way, truth and life in that order and not in other possible sequences. The way keeps a believer in truth and life. It is of His righteousness, which is full of truth and life. So, He is not referring to the naïve. He is referring to a believer that has Him.
Christ as the way is found in the Word and as we fellowship with Him the Spirit helps us find Him. Without having the way that relates to His purpose no one can practice truth and have life. Consequently, many think within themselves and act in the hope of pleasing God. Eventually, they come to the point of doing works of the mind and teaching others to do the same signifying their depth of misnomers concerning the Scripture. The problem that arises is that it is impossible for truth and life to revel in them. However, there are steps to extract and be convinced of the way that leads to abundant life.
- Be with the Holy Spirit. “He said to them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’ And they said to him, ‘No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit’” (Acts 19:2). The Bible is very clear that believers need Him just as Jesus was adamant we have the Helper. The Spirit reveals wonderful things to mold our life exactly as Christ desired.
- Detect the disguise. Unless the Holy Spirit is working in us we cannot detect the disguise and the deceptive. “No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:14). Inability to detect Satan’s theatrics has become the kryptonite for church-goers. False teachings, false works or demonstrations and unjustified faith come as disguise and we must detect them to have the way. Not every light is Christ.
- Be warned. It is a luxury of believers who desire Christ as the way. “By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith” (Heb. 11:7). Being an heir of righteousness involves we are warned by God of the matters that endanger us.
- Cherishing the wisdom. “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near” (Rev. 1:3). The principle to receive the way is revealed. One must read the Word and hear (accept) that which the Spirit reveals from it and heed (act upon) it. This yields blessedness. Lagging only brings harm.
- Clear understanding. Once we receive the way to proceed concerning a matter, it is a sign we are blessed by the One greater than us. There should not be a dispute, doubt or darkness concerning it, since it is conferred on us by God. It should be as clearer as it was to Abraham. Then the following applies to you as well. “But without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater” (Heb. 7:7). It is to you a promise or the word of God.
- God’s measure. We will receive the exact measure God apportioned us regarding the things we must have, handle and sustain in life. In accordance with those things He ordains us to work for Him. Each one of us will receive a measure so that His work is fulfilled. We revel in it and not desire that which is not in us. “But we will not boast beyond our measure, but within the measure of the sphere which God apportioned to us as a measure, to reach even as far as you” (2 Cor. 10:13)