Pastor Quinn • March 23, 2025
No Detours Allowed
The door to God and the glory he has prepared for us stands wide open. However, he has mapped out a very specific pathway to that door. It is not an easy one. As it did with Jesus, this route takes us through opposition, suffering, and even death. While our human nature may cause us to want to take a detour around these things, Jesus own life shows us that no detour is allowed. His cross came before his crown. The same path lies ahead of us. However, at the end of it, through the open door, we are offered a reward far superior to anything the world can offer.
I recognize my deep spiritual thirst. I long for a good relationship with God and for everlasting life. I am tempted to satisfy that deep thirst with worldly things, a strategy doomed to failure. I realize that my thirst is satisfied only by the one who said, “Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.” Jesus meets my greatest need.
I recognize my sinfulness. I am aware of my guilt, and the more I look at my situation, the more I realize what deep trouble I am in. I realize that what I really need is forgiveness, but I don’t deserve it. Fully aware of these facts, God worked salvation for me, provided me a Savior, called me to repentance, and promises me forgiveness.
Jesus was a real human being, and he looked like it when he taught his disciples. But one day atop a high mountain, Jesus gave his disciples a glimpse of his glory as the Son of God. After he came down from the mountain, Jesus went to Jerusalem to suffer and die. It is good for us to view Jesus in glory on the mountain. It prepares us for Lent, and it prepares us for life.
