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The Difficult and Narrow Highway of Life By Walter Zamonsky The road of life can be a difficult one. What's the best path to take, and how can you keep yourself on it?
esus said, "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Matthew 7:13-14). There is much food for thought in that brief statement! The King James Version translates this as the "strait" gate. Strait is a Middle English word meaning narrow and difficult. Many people confuse this word with "straight," but straight would imply easy. The godly path of life is often not straight. It has many surprising and challenging twists and turns.
That prophecy was fulfilled by John the Baptist clearing the way for Christ's first coming (Luke 3:2-4). Today, God's Church is fulfilling that prophecy by preparing the way for Christ's second coming. Back to the subject of the difficult "way" (or highway) that leads to "life." Twists and turns in a highway make it more difficult for a driver to stay on the highway and not veer or slide off. He must constantly keep his eye on the road and concentrate on steering, braking and accelerating. As we travel life's highway, many veer off into the ditch on the right or the ditch on the left. Remember, for every mile of road we travel there are two miles of ditch (one on each side). Think of the ditches as representing sin. A major definition of sin is the breaking of any law of God (1 John 3:4). Keep in mind this scripture: "You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you" (Deuteronomy 4:2). So, one ditch can represent forgetting or neglecting a law of God -- taking away. The other ditch can represent putting our own ideas, habits and traditions ahead of God's law -- adding to. One Way Life is quite confusing. Many churches that claim to be Christian regularly add to God's law and take away from God's law. And many of those same churches claim that there are many highways to heaven and that it doesn't matter which highway you take as long as you are trying to head toward God.
How vulnerable are we to being misled by unbiblical claims? Some may be appealing because they would permit us to give in to our weaknesses and temptations. Do we hate sin as we should or are we tolerant of sin? Traveling the highway of life is dangerous! Being surrounded by so many false "Christian" beliefs is like having many, many side roads. Will we stay on the main highways -- God's highway -- or will we make some wrong turns? The politically correct gospel is that we must be tolerant -- including tolerant of all lifestyles and religious beliefs. But what they really mean is that we must condone all lifestyles and beliefs as all being equal. When they say that no one has the right to pass judgment on anyone else, they mean that we should not say there is absolute right and wrong. We are to know what right and wrong is from God's Word -- how to understand the holy and profane from God's viewpoint. That is the only path that pleases God.
But another temptation we face is being too hard on our neighbors, calling them down, not respecting them because of how they live, acting smug, avoiding being friendly toward them. Both ditches are distracting and destructive; we must not judge and condemn others or try to force obedience to God. We can, however, set a good example by being "good drivers" and making sure our vehicle stays on the road. Stay Alert We also tend to get sidetracked by the tugs and pulls of our own human nature, which draws us in various directions. Because we all have free moral agency, we can easily abuse that freedom to do our own thing. Be very aware of this: "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death" (Proverbs 14:12). Our human nature tends to pull us off one side of the highway or the other. Life is full of distractions that would cause us to end up in one ditch or another. This is what Jesus meant when He spoke of the seed sown among thorns and weeds (Matthew 13:22).
Human nature also has a seemingly built-in resistance to anyone telling us what to do. Our raw human nature is described in Romans 8:7 -- "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be." We must overcome that rebelliousness by the power of God's Holy Spirit (verses 8 and 14). How can one obtain God's Holy Spirit? It is summarized in the sermon Peter gave at Pentecost in Jerusalem, recorded in Acts 2. In Acts 2:38, we read that Peter encouraged those who were stricken in conscience to "repent, and be baptized."
It is the blood of Christ that frees us from the penalty, but it is adherence to the law of God that reflects the appreciation and love we have for the precious gift of His blood and the offer of eternal life. We must "walk [or drive] in newness of life" (Romans 6:4). Jesus Christ is our driving instructor, and He has promised to always be with us. Always listen to Him, do what He says, keep your eye on the road, and keep your life on God's true highway of life. Further reading Request or download our free booklet . Copyright 2010 by United Church of God, an International Association All rights reserved. |
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Keywords: gate narrow gate path, God's highway to life road to life
God's way of life: