Wed Inspiration

Morning Inspiration with Pastor Merritt

I told you there are two predominate worldviews in the 21st century of how to get to God. One way is religion and the other way is righteousness – just by being a good person and doing the best that you can. I have asked literally thousands of people this question, “If you were to stand before God and God were to say to ‘Why should I let you into heaven?’ What would you say?” The vast majority of responses go something like this:

“Well I try to keep His commandments.”

“I’ve always tried to…”

“I’ve never _____ ...”

“I try to live a good life.”

I thought about that and I realize that to most people getting to God is kind of like going to Home Depot. I am no expert on Home Depot. You know me. For me to go to Home Depot would be like Bill Gates going to a yard sale. When I go to Home Depot I only go to accompany Teresa.

I’ve noticed that people who go to Home Depot are usually into this “do it yourself” thing. Almost everyone who is in Home Depot has a project they are trying to do themselves. They don’t want to hire outside people to do certain things in and around their home. They want to do it themselves, repair it themselves and build it themselves. That is exactly the way a lot of people think you get to God. They think it is a Home Depot deal. They think you have to build your own highway to God. I can do this myself. I can be good enough. I can be nice enough. I can give enough. I can get this thing done without anybody’s help. I can make God an offer He can’t refuse. I can build my own highway to God.

Here is the problem. If you try to build your own road to God, first of all you are building a toll road. You have to pay your way as you go along. You will run out of road long before you get to God. Secondly, the road you are building is going the wrong way. If you try to be good enough for God you will wind up not getting closer to God, but farther away from God, because you can never be good enough for God. What Jesus is trying to tell us is the highway to God is a freeway and I mean that literally. It is not only a freeway; it is going the right way. It is not a toll road that you have to pay to get on; it is a freeway that has already been built and paid for and anybody can get on it anytime they want to.

Every other religion in the world is based on some system of righteousness. Every other religion in the world is a Home Depot religion. They will tell you there are certain things you’ve got to do to get into God’s good favor whether it is using a prayer wheel, or going on a pilgrimage, or giving alms to the poor, avoiding eating certain foods or performing a number of good deeds, or praying in a certain way, or going through a cycle of reincarnation.

Jesus didn’t say goodness is the way, kindness is the way, or sweetness is the way. He said, “I am the way.”