Bridges

We have been made right in God's sight by the blood of Christ (Romans 5:9).

In the city where I grew up, the north side of town was separated from the south side by a river. There were only four bridges that crossed that river—two downtown near the harbor, one at the edge of the industrial district, and one out near the residential area where we lived. Since the city was a port town with docks along the river, the two downtown bridges were the kind that opened to allow river traffic to get through. This meant that whenever a ship arrived or departed, traffic through the heart of the city largely came to a stop.

This gave me a real appreciation for bridges. I was fascinated by the beauty of their design. I marveled at how something as large and heavy as the downtown bridges could tilt up into the air. And I saw what a mess life became when the bridge you needed was unavailable for use.

Regardless of where you live, there is one bridge that is absolutely essential in your life. That bridge is Jesus the Son of God. Sin has opened a gorge that separates us from God, a gap impossible for us to cross. God is holy; we love the thrill of sin. God is love in all its generosity; we prefer to be selfish. God will not set aside perfection to tolerate us as we are, and we do not have it within us to live according to His righteous standard of conduct.

Jesus is God’s bridge by which we might approach Him. Jesus makes it possible for us to walk away from a world of sin and enter the perfection of heaven. He built the bridge by assuming responsibility for our sins and dying for them in our place. He allows us to cross when we come to Him with heavy hearts, seeking His forgiveness and a new start at living life according to God’s priorities.

My hometown has several bridges, but there is only one bridge to heaven. There is no other way to reach God’s side than by the bridge Jesus made by His own sweat and blood. Many people try to build their own bridges, but sin clouds our thinking, weakens our efforts, undermines our accomplishments. No one can produce the perfect life needed to reach out and touch God—our only hope for success is by crossing on the way that Jesus has built for us.