Christians Must Choose Between Two Paths
In life there are certainly two paths that every one of us must choose between: to follow the ways of the world and the flesh, or to follow the ways of God and His spirit in us. But there are also two paths that every Christian must choose between two paths as well: the wide path “which many take, but leads to destruction,” or the narrow path “which leads to life abundant.”
The Narrow Road and the Wide Road
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
MATTHEW 7:13-14 NIV
I believe that when Jesus spoke these words, His meaning was both for the person who was not one of His followers as well as for those who were. Despite having chosen Jesus, seeking to follow Him can still be costly. And I believe that is why few choose the narrow path — it costs too much!
3 important distinctions
1. Who do I serve?
The wide road — obvious by it’s name — causes one to easily see that self might be the primary motivation to be on that road. It requires no sacrifice on my part. I follow “my own” path (well, actually the path of the throng of others on that road; I don’t really have a direction). I elbow and fight for position. I constantly compare my pursuit of others around me. It seems that I serve the whims of the crowd. It seems that I’m serving some poorly defined purpose by being embedded in the middle of others who look as perplexed as I do.
On the narrow road, however, I’m only able to see a few others on this path. Some ahead of me. Some behind me. Yet all with a map in their hands that they appear to be intently studying. It seems, as I observe them, that some of the directions they are choosing are far from the smoothest, most cleared paths. Yet they continue to persevere despite the difficulty of they encounter — thistles, deep water, parched land, seemingly insurmountable hills and mountains. I really sense they’ve chosen this unlikely path out of some sort of loving obedience. I’m confused, yet very intrigued.
2. What am I seeking?
Those of us on the wide road seem hellbent on getting somewhere. But do they even really know what or where that “somewhere” actually is? There is constant bickering and fighting over which way seems to be the best. I’m puzzled that there is no on clear direction this group is allowing to guide them. My common sense might tell me that is a recipe for disaster. From the amounts of currency they’re carrying in their backpacks, some appear to be seeking something that money can buy. Others are constantly gazing at themselves in a hand-held mirror, then looking intently at others, as if they are comparing. Still others act as if it’s some sort of competition, relentlessly fighting their way to the front, no matter who they trample over in the process.
The narrow road in no way resembles the wide road. No crowds. No backpacks full of money. No beauty queens. No power seekers. No, just me and a few other people attempting to follow the directions provided by the map. We’re not entirely certain where we’re going or what it will look like. No, we simply have put our faith and trust in the one who gave us the map and inspired us to humbly follow it, no matter the cost. It almost seems that the
3. How do I get there?
The masses on the wide road find it pretty easy to get to their destination — just follow the crowd. Or better yet, just ride the wave. I’m surprised this group doesn’t need a map of any sort, but I guess each of us just has a map of where want to go hard wired into us. It seems that might cause a lot of fragmentation, prejudices, jealousy, control, and so on when some think their inner “map” is better than the others.
I equate the narrow road like the analogy of me leading a blind person through a crowded room. Because they trust me completely, they just hold tightly to me, fully believing that our journey together will lead us along the right path at the correct pace with the appropriate amount of stops and breaks. Even though we each have the map we were given in our hands, we find it sometimes too dark to be able to read clearly. It’s in those times that I hold on to my guide with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. To be in the dark without Him — I can’t even imagine how a person would know where to go our how to get there!
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