On this day in 1791, New York City established the first one-way street.

After getting your driver’s license you’ll become very aware of traffic signs: Stop, Yield, No U-Turn, Construction Zone, and many more. These signs keep traffic orderly. One of the most important is One Way. Certain streets have been given that designation to allow more vehicles to go faster in one direction. It’s a terrible mistake to drive the wrong way on a one-way street. It’s frightening and dangerous to suddenly have all the cars coming toward you.

Since 1791, most drivers are OK with one-way streets. But many people have trouble accepting the idea of having a single way in other areas of life, especially in spiritual matters. Someone might say, “There are many ways to God” or “It doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you’re sincere.” That may sound good, but it’s sincerely wrong.

You remember Jesus saying, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Clearly he was claiming to be the one way, the only way. But to many that seems narrow and just not right. They don’t want anyone, especially Jesus, to make that claim because they want to make their own way.

What if you drove like that? You come to a street marked One Way and you say, “Oh, no you don’t—I’m going my way!” Or you come to a bridge marked, “The only way across the river,” and you say, “I don’t believe it! I’m going downstream five miles and cross there!” Possible consequences are a collision with another car, a traffic ticket, or wasted time getting lost or backtracking.

Instead of rebelling against God’s one way to Heaven we should say, “Thank you, Lord, for providing a way, the only way!” Then drive God’s way.

But the Scriptures have declared that we are all prisoners of sin, so the only way to receive God’s promise is to believe in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:22).

To Do

Go to the mall and buy a One Way sign (that looks like a traffic sign). Or you can make one, using white cardboard and a black felt-tip pen. Hang it in your room to remind you that Jesus is God’s “One Way.”

Also on this day

This is Aviation Day.

1903—Orville and Wilbur Wright made the first successful gasoline-powered airplane flight near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

From Betsy Schmitt and Dave Veerman, 365 Trivia Twist Devotions: An Almanac of Fun Facts and Spiritual Truth for Every Day of the Year (Cincinnati: Standard, 2005). Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation unless otherwise noted.