A couple of weeks ago our community experienced a shared inconvenience.
It brought about an uncommon backup in traffic that was reminiscent of the metro area. We lost the use of the main bridge to get across the mighty Mississippi River. While admittedly the inconvenience was rather short lived, I heard plenty of personal testimonies of drivers who had to “patiently” wait long periods of time to travel a rather short distance. By the way, kudos to the men and women who so quickly and skillfully fixed the problem and got us moving again. To you I say, “Thank you.”
The whole ordeal reminded me of other bridge scenarios, such as the I-35 Mississippi River Bridge collapse in Minneapolis, which occurred 12 years ago next week, by the way. And then there’s a lift bridge experience I had in Florida, but that’s another story for another time.
However, even with these instances, I rarely think of the importance of bridges and don’t give them a second thought as I travel across them. I enjoy the view, taking note how high or low the river is. I take in the trees or just stare at the car in front of me. But rarely do I think about the bridge itself.
Years ago, I was told of another bridge I knew about, but rarely gave any mental attention. It was in an illustration of a man standing at a cliff’s edge, looking longingly at the cliff on the other side of a very deep chasm. The other side represented the presence of God Himself. The canyon in between the cliffs represented the sin that keeps us separated from God. So again, it’s mankind on one side and God on the other, with sin separating the two. The span of empty space is far too wide for the man to even dream of jumping to the other side to reach God. Get the picture?
ADVERTISEMENT
In the next frame there was a huge cross placed between the two cliffs that was large enough to fully bridge the chasm. This cross represented what Christ has done for us. Jesus Christ, who is God the Son, willingly gave up His life. Not because He was guilty of anything, but rather so that we could have a relationship with God. He was willing to be the bridge that brings man into the presence of God.
It was a simple drawing; however, it has great insight. Space is too limited to tell all that Jesus did for us when He died on the cross; however, as an overview, here is a much abbreviated list:
Jesus redeemed you – Your debt to God was fully paid for by Christ. (Ephesians 1:7)
Jesus was your ransom – You were set free from the slavery of sin. (1 Peter 1:18-19)
Jesus is your justifier – When God looks at you, He doesn’t see your sin. He sees the forgiveness of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21)
Jesus is your reconciler – The once-broken relationship between you and \u0009God has been repaired. Christ did everything required for you to be friends with God. (Romans 5:1, 2 Corinthians 5:19)
After His death on the cross, Jesus, as a way of solidifying the strength of this bridge, rose from the dead. He conquered death itself for us.
So, here you are on the cliff’s edge. There is only one bridge that leads to God and that is Jesus. Are you willing to cross it?
