On The Road Again by Joe Stowell

“For God… made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:6

I hate being lost. I’ve always had a good sense of direction and can usually find my way around without much trouble. But on the rare occasions when I lose my way, I hate not knowing where I’m going (and, being male, it’s unthinkable to stop and ask for directions!).

It used to be that we could rely on a good map to help us get around, but now with tools like MapQuest and GPS systems, we have no excuse for being lost. And in some situations we really can’t afford to be lost. A bride on her way to the church where her groom is waiting doesn’t want to end up on a dead-end street! And the man driving his pregnant wife to the hospital had better know how to get there—and fast! But more importantly, if you are a follower of Jesus you can’t afford to be lost!

Following Jesus means that we stay on the road with Him. And, if you ask me what road Jesus travels, I would answer that His road is the “Glory Road.” Throughout His entire life and ministry, one dynamic was always in play. He lived to demonstrate the glory of His father. When John summarized the life of Jesus (as though someone had asked him to describe Jesus in 25 words or less), he pointed out that Jesus “made His dwelling among us” and noted that the disciples had “seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only . . . full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Simply put, Jesus came to glorify God by showing us what God was really like. He traveled that glory road all the way to the cross where the love, mercy, grace, justice, and holiness of God were demonstrated in a dramatic moment of servanthood and sacrifice.
But it wasn’t just at the cross. In all of His relationships and encounters, He showed us what God, His Father, was like. The glory of God’s compassion touched the blind and they could see. The glory of God’s intolerance with religious pride and hypocrisy was clearly seen in Christ’s dealing with the Pharisees. God’s justice and advocacy for the poor and oppressed became evident when Jesus turned over the tables in the temple and chased out the thieves who were overcharging poor pilgrims who simply came to worship God. God’s faithfulness and loyal love was consistently demonstrated in Christ’s patient tolerance of the often misguided thoughts and attitudes of His disciples.

So, to be a follower of Jesus means that we must be on the road with Him—the glory road. That’s where He travels. And, you’ll know you are on the right road when your life looks more and more like Jesus in attitude and action, because He is “the radiance of God’s glory” (Hebrews 1:3). You’ll know that you’re getting up to speed with Him when you see all your relationships and encounters as opportunities to make the qualities and characteristics of our glorious God clearly seen and experienced.

It’s easy to get lost. Satan has lots of off-ramps, side roads, and detours. In fact, he loves it when you are lost. But all of his off-ramps eventually lead to living for our own tainted glory and the fallen glory of Satan himself. And believe me, that’s never a pretty picture.