PREFACE

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

The Gospel of John 14:6

“If a man in the morning hear the right way, he may die in the evening without regret.” - - CONFUCIUS

In Your quest for the answers to life you may feel like you need to take a pilgrimage to the Himalayas and climb a high mountain in search of one of those gurus who supposedly has all the answers to life. No doubt, you would ask him, ‘What is the meaning of life?’, or something similar. Life can certainly be challenging. Yet, it seems that finding someone to ask life’s questions is not really that difficult. Getting answers is not nearly as difficult as we may imagine. Rather it is our willingness to receive and act upon those answers that proves to be the real challenge.

The late comedian, Jerry Clower, told a tale of a man clinging to a branch on the side of a cliff. The man was screaming for someone to help! He said, “Help! IIs there anyone up there!?!” Amazingly, he heard a voice say, “Have faith and just let go!” Seems simple enough, but the consequences of letting go seem anything but good. The man wanted a difference answer. So, the man said, “Is there anyone else up there?!” Obviously, answers alone are not enough. We must have the faith to act upon the advice given. Jesus Christ had a rich man seek him out to ask him such important questions. He came to Jesus, much like someone climbing to the top of some mountain, to ask Him a question. He hoped that he might attain eternal life by doing good deeds or something similar. “And behold, one came to Him and said, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I

may obtain eternal life?”

17 And He (Jesus Christ) said to him, “Why are you asking Me about what is good?

There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”

18 He said to Him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not commit murder;

You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness. 19 Honor your father and mother; and You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

20 The young man said to Him, “All these things I

have kept; what am I still lacking?”

21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete,

go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

22 But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieved; for he was one who owned much property.”1

1 Matt. 19:16-22. The parallel passage is found in Mark 10:17-22 and Luke 18:18-23, listed at end of article.

From this passage we can understand that asking the question and even getting the answer was not difficult. This man obtained the answer easily enough. The problem was, he was not happy with the answer. The first part that Jesus spoke about in His answer required obedience. The Second part required submission. Not getting the answer we like remains the same with most of us. It is not getting an answer that is the challenge, it is living the answer that presents our problems. The pursuit of answers is much easier than the obedience and submission to those answers.

Obedience is merely following orders, commands, or instructions. Obedience does not guarantee a person's willingness to comply with orders. The wealthy man hoped for an answer to his liking. What Jesus Christ gave him was truth and Life! Submission is yielding to power or authority. In submission, a person willing gives love and respect. In our search for the answers to life we will learn that love and respect are critical to all our relationships, the quest for eternal life is such a relationship. Jesus Christ is not merely seeking for us to obey, He wants relationship. When I think about life, I generally think about advice and direction. In offering explanation to which people can relate, I often point them to the story of Alice in Wonderland. You probably know the story. 7-year-old Alice becomes bored while fishing with her sister. So, Alice decided to follow a strange rabbit. In the process Alice falls down the rabbit hole. Many people in life become bored and as a result find themselves in a situation not unlike Alice’s strange adventure. They feel like they have fallen or are in a hole. They feel like they are without direction and wonder how they got to that place in life. Alice has quite an adventure after she falls down the rabbit hole. Her boredom is temporarily resolved. Among those she meets on her journey is the Mad Hatter. The Mad Hatter is apparently trying to help this directionless girl. As they converse, the Mad Hatter asks Alice, “Where

are you going little girl?”

Alice replies, “I don’t know”. The Mad Hatter replies, “Then any road will get you

there.”

From this exchange between Alice and the Mad Hatter I have coined one of my principles for life. “If you don’t know where you are going, then any road will get

you there!” ™2

Too often, we are directionless, with no plan, and seemingly no purpose. Our failure to plan is one of the many roads we take to ‘get us there’. Having a plan is not the ‘final answer’ but without one you can never really be sure where you are going or even where you have been. My prayer for you is that, on this journey we call life, you will find direction and purpose. I expect that these lessons will be some help to your journey. I want you to know where you are going and have a plan to get there! Blessings on your journey! Bernie

Bernie L. Wade, Sr., PhD is the Chancellor of Life College & Seminary (www.lifecollege.education). He is an educator, mentor, and teacher. He also serves as President of the International Circle of Faith (ICOF). (www.icof.net).

2 Reference. Bernie L. Wade, Sr. Quote. 1998. All Rights Reserved.