Deciding on the Right Path

Have you ever made a wrong turn and found yourself very lost before you realized something went wrong somewhere? Maybe you were hiking down a trail and decided to venture off the path for a better view of the surroundings only to discover you couldn’t find the right path again?

Maybe you have made decisions in life that took you places you later wished you had never gone? Maybe you made some bad choices and soon found yourself engaging in a lifestyle you never would’ve imagined yourself in? Maybe your life is in bondage to habits or a lifestyle that you can’t seem to break free from?

Life is a series of decisions and choices we make. As we wonder along, we constantly approach forks in our path that require us to decide which way we will go. One of those forks, the single most important you will be come across, concerns your eternity.

The right path leads through Jesus to eternal life while the other continues to lead to a path of ultimate destruction. You have to decide which path you wish to follow. No one can make that decision for you. The eventual consequences for your decision will rest securely upon your head on the day of final judgement.

In His great love for you and me and His desire to share eternity with us, Jesus encourages everyone to “enter through the narrow gate” (Matthew 7:13a HCSB); to discover the right path and to follow it. He warned us all that “the gate is wide and the road is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it” (v. 13b).

You look out at the world and it’s enticing, no doubt—the lights, the glamour, the excitement, the freedom it has to offer—really hard to push away from. The draw of worldly things, worldly living makes it extremely difficult to find any other way but the wide road. Everyone around you is having a great time. How can you choose any different? The right path will be there later—after you’ve enjoyed life’s pleasures for a season! Or will it?

How many people have made just such a decision to find themselves facing eternity unexpectedly? How many have driven away from their home to never return—because their drinking ended in a tragic accident that was never expected?

In the parable of the rich fool, Jesus told the story of a young man who had it all going for him in life but when he least expected it, “God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is demanded of you’” (Luke 12:20).

Jesus enhanced His warning when He said: “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because I tell you, many will try to enter and won’t be able once the homeowner gets up and shuts the door. Then you will stand outside and knock on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open up for us!’ He will answer you, ‘I don’t know you or where you’re from’” (Luke 13:24-25).

A time is coming when the door will close and entry will no longer be available. Some who are relying upon a few good deeds or actions will discover eternal life required more. Jesus will announce to these, “I never knew you! Depart from Me” (Matthew 7:23).

Eternal life is a choice you make. The price has been paid. But you must choose to follow the path of Jesus to inherit His kingdom. You must determine to surrender yourself over to Him, to serve Him and to follow after His ways. Deciding on the right path is your choice.

Scripture Reading: “How happy is the man who does not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path of sinners, or join a group of mockers! Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction, and he meditates on it day and night. He is like a tree planted beside streams of water that bears its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. The wicked are not like this; instead, they are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not survive the judgment, and sinners will not be in the community of the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.” (Psalm 1 HCSB)

Personal Prayer: Father in heaven, I confess my life has not been up to par. I have chosen the wrong path time and again. The wrong path has always left me feeling inadequate and ill-prepared to love You and to follow after You. Today, I am making the determination in my life to follow only You. I turn my back on the world and all its ways and I surrender completely to You as my Savior and Lord. Please forgive me where I have failed You and take complete control of my life. Thank You, Jesus, for not giving up on me. I love You and praise You! In Jesus’ name…AMEN!