Part of the series First Things First
Written by Léo Gaumont, published on 2015-10-26.
Jesus described Himself as the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6). This description describes who we should want to be and the motivation for our lives.
We are generally all ignorant of what is actually happening around us. This ignorance can either be perpetuated and capitalized upon or fixed to empower the masses. It is time to enlighten home educators who have generally been kept in the dark respecting what is occurring within their community. (Ephesians 4: 11-16)
Bible Reference: John 13:31-35
I love music. In fact music is playing in the background as I write this blog. I find it soothing, uplifting and inspiring. There seem to be no limits to music, ranging from nature’s sounds to a seemingly limitless list of genres made by a plethora of musical instruments that ultimately describes the creative intelligence of man to the glory of God. Music expresses and defines our greatest needs and desires in both a positive and negative light. In fact, I believe that music follows a simple pattern outlined by Jesus when He described Himself as the Way, the Truth and the Life. If this is how Jesus described Himself and we should all know that He is Lord, then it should be easy to understand that, in light of the fact that He is the creator of mankind, this is what mankind yearns for and the ultimate desire of man’s soul. Music reflects this desire as it elevates three things above anything else. Listen for yourself and you will find that music relates to freedom (the Way), love (the Truth) and life (the Life).
Whether we know it or not, those three things are what defines us and our ultimate reason for living. We all yearn for the freedom that seems to escape us in this life. In the movie Braveheart, William, a hero fighting for a free Scotland, shouts, “Freedom!”, as his final word before his execution. People naturally seek freedom for their entire lives, with death as the ultimate expression of it for those who know the Way.
Love is likely the most frequently discussed topic in music and life. It cannot occur without people, so when we discuss relationships we talk about love, because we live for love. God is described as the essence of love, so if He created us in His image and likeness, love defines who we are and therefore, the truth of our existence.
If love defines us, it must be what life is all about. In fact, if you were on your deathbed with only a few days or hours to live, assuming of course that you are still cognizant, I believe the only things on your mind would be God, family and friends… relationship, relationship, relationships. This is love and freedom and life!
So, if we were to stop and seriously think about what matters in life, what is our ultimate desire and goal for everything we do, it has to do with freedom, love and life, which the Way, the Truth and the Life created us for in the first place, and what He provided for us through His incarnation, death and resurrection. Everything is ultimately evaluated using these three measures, with love being the ubiquitous ultimate measure as the standard of God’s essence. Jesus stated: “By this will all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another”. Freedom to love for life; the Way, the Truth and the Life.
As we look forward to investigating what is happening in our world as it pertains to Christian education, let us not forget the measuring stick by which we will judge the rightfulness of words and actions… love that frees us to have life. If it does not represent freedom, love and life in a positive light, it is likely not from God and therefore undesirable. Knowing the Way, the Truth and the Life exposes perversions, lies and death.