Life's Access Road

 

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y hometown of Cherryville, North Carolina is about as close to hometown America as you can imagine.  The streets bear names like Main, Oak, Elm, Mulberry, Depot, Cherry, and a few of them are named for people or families like Cone Street, Ballard Street, Black Street, etc.  All the roads at home have two lanes and wind lazily through our town.  No one is in a hurry to get from one side of town to the other and if you are it will only take you about 10 minutes.   

 

Even the main roads leading out of town, with the exception of Highway 150 East, are also two-lane roads.  The nearest Interstate is several miles away.  Needless to say, driving in and around Cherryville is not a very harrowing experience.  There are no traffic jams, no cars or trucks entering from all sides, and very little passing on the right! 

 

You can imagine, then, how my driving habits changed when I arrived in Fort Worth, Texas to attend seminary. Everything out here is connected by Interstates and traveling across town sometimes requires taking an Interstate highway depending upon where you want to go.  Since my mother hates everything about Interstate driving, I took it upon myself to find all the back roads and shortcuts around town.  Several friends helped by giving me pointers and in a few months’ time I could navigate Fort Worth without taking any of the three Interstates in the city. 

 

Now I have a choice as to the route I will take but I am still required to take the Interstate to certain destinations like work. One evening, I learned something about driving the Interstate that I had never really thought about before.  If you think about it, there really is nothing on the Interstate but pavement.  As long as you are rolling along at a good speed, everything is fine. However, if you need gas, if you’re hungry, or if you grow tired, you will have to exit the Interstate to find what you need.  All hotels, restaurants, and gas stations are not found on the Interstate but along the access roads that parallel the highways. 

 

This point became very clear to me as I exited Interstate 20 and took the access road.  I passed gas stations, convenience stores, restaurants, and car dealerships.  Fortunately, I don’t need a car but in order to buy one, I have to take the access road.  Moreover, it is possible to drive the access road in this particular area and never take the Interstate.  As I drove along, I began to apply this idea to the Christian life and it’s amazing what God can teach you as you drive along an access road through the rain at night. 

 

Ephesians 2:18 reads, “For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.”  In this letter, Paul is telling his readers, who were Gentiles, that because of the death of Jesus Christ, all peoples, both Jews and Gentiles, had direct access to God.  This was great news because it meant that God had reconciled all of mankind to Himself and everyone was invited to be His child through faith in Jesus Christ.   

 

We must understand that the main road of life offers us nothing.  We can’t rest on this road, we can’t find food on this road, and sooner or later we will run out of fuel.  In order to receive the things we need in life, we must get off the main highway and take the access road.  That access road is Jesus Christ.  Only he has and offers everything we need.  Jesus is the bread of life when we are hungry (John 6:35).  He offers us living water so we will not go thirsty (John 4:10).  When we are tired he gives us rest (Matthew 11:29) and when we can go no further, he strengthens us (Isaiah 40:29).  All of these things Jesus gives us but only if we decide to leave life’s thoroughfare and take the access road.   

 

Only Jesus gives us direct access to God.  Why don’t you take the next exit and gain access to all that God has in store for you?  You’ll be so glad you did!