There's only one way

Congratulations to both the Bluejays boys and girls high school basketball teams on an outstanding season! At this writing the girls are undefeated and the boys are unbeaten in conference play. To Coach Kesler, Coach Rathgeb, and their teams – great job! You’ve had a remarkable run in an extremely challenging season. 

It’s been fun to follow the Jays, even though the only way I’ve been able to watch any games this year has been through the NFHS Network which streams the games online. I’m grateful for that, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not the same as being in the gym. 

By the way, special thanks to Neil Gurnsey and Mike Logsdon for their stellar work in announcing the games! It’s so much better to watch with play-by-play than without. Now, if somebody could just figure out how to keep that camera from swinging back and forth from one end of the court to the other during time-outs, that would be great – I’m getting dizzy! 

So anybody can watch through this network. All you have to do is sign-up and pay a relatively small subscription cost and figure out how to find it on your device. But that’s the only way to do it. You can search every channel on your satellite or cable provider, you can install a 30-foot antenna in your backyard if you want, but if you really want to watch the Bullets v. Bluejays on Tuesday night, you’ve got to go through the network. 

When it comes to far weightier matters of eternal destinations, there is likewise only one way to heaven. You’ve got to go through Jesus. 

Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). It is an exclusive claim, no question. But it’s an all-inclusive offer! 

And it’s grounded in the most amazing display of love ever given. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Abundant and eternal life is available to anyone – but you’ve got to go through Jesus. 

You could try to make it to heaven in a million other ways or through a million other religions, but there’s only one God who loved you so much that He stepped down out of heaven and took on the likeness of man, humbled Himself to the point of death – even death on a cross! – and paid the cost by bearing our sins in His body to save us from the judgment we deserve. Jesus is the way! 

And He pleads with you to come to Him. “Enter by the narrow gate” (Matthew 7:13). The narrow gate opens to a hard road, but it leads to eternal life. The wide gate opens to an easy road that leads to destruction. These are the only two options to your eternal destination. 

So I ask: Which way are you going?