Power Verse: Matthew 7:13-14
Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
The Daily Diet…
Robert Frost’s poem, “The Road Not Taken” ends with this stanza:
“I shall be telling this with a sigh; Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I–I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.”
That pretty much sums up to the two roads that lie ahead of all of us. Proverbs 14:12 reads, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it only leads to death.” That way that seems right is our own way, the one where Frank Sinatra sang about: “I did it MY way.” It might sound good in a song, but in life it leads to destruction and an eternity in Hell. It is a wide road and most of the people in life are on that road. It is the road that says “no” to God and “yes” to self. It is the easy road, the road most taken.
In contrast, the second road is the one that leads to Jesus and to eternal life. It is a narrow path, and few are on it. There is a contrast between those who follow Jesus and those who take the other road. It is the many and the few contrast. It’s all over the Bible, and when it comes to being a Christian, it should be all over our life. Take the story of Numbers 13 where they sent twelve spies into the Promised Land, the place that God promised and prepared for the Israelites. Ten gave a bad report because they were chickens. Just two looked at it with the eyes of faith and said, “Let’s go.”
It’s always ten to two. You might look around and find no one on your path. Get used to it. You might always be the outsider, the hold out, the loner. That’s the way the call is designed. Don’t expect people to stand up and applaud you. Our choices in life have been narrowly defined by this call of God to something different. It is the path that leads to eternal life, so hold on. Our rewards aren’t here and we aren’t going to see the benefits immediately, they are for Heaven and they are certain.
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