Hebrews 4:14 – So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. (NLT)

Dams burst, bridges crumbled, interstate highways closed, and roads washed away.

October 3-4, 2015, was a historic weekend in South Carolina, USA. A low-pressure system moving through the southeastern section of the country tapped into moisture from a hurricane off the eastern coast, providing the ideal setup for floodwaters not seen in a thousand years. Schools closed, emergency personnel emerged, and National Guard troops were called out. Some areas received over 20 inches (50 centimetres) of rain. One member of a road repair crew was swept away in his vehicle as the bridge that he was crossing disappeared beneath him.

Counties and cities place bridges strategically because people need them. Transportation departments work rigorously to ensure their dependability, since they cross bodies of water — some small and some not so small. Some languish only a few feet above the water that they traverse, while others are perched hundreds of feet above the canyons that they cross. Regardless of how long or how high they are, their purpose is clear: to get people or goods to the other side.

Often when a bridge is out, an alternate route exists to reach a destination. Not so with God. The author of today's Scripture maintains that Jesus is our High Priest Who has bridged the gap to God. Sin created the gap long ago when Adam and Eve chose to disobey the one restriction that God had placed upon them. Their descendants have suffered the consequences of their bad choice — all being born with a bent toward sin.

Jesus said that He was the only way to God — the only bridge. Good works won't take us across the bridge, no matter how meritorious they are. Not enough good works exist to place God under obligation to save us. Knowing the Bible and believing that Jesus is God won't help us traverse the bridge — even the demons know and believe that — and shudder! Having affection for God doesn't work either. And we surely can't buy our way there.

God has designed that nothing short of receiving Jesus' Spirit into our lives and accepting His death and resurrection for the forgiveness of our sin will enable us to bridge the gap to Him. All other efforts will cause the bridge beneath us to collapse.

Make sure that you are crossing a reliable bridge in your journey to God.

Prayer: Father, I acknowledge Jesus Christ as the only bridge to You. Amen.