My parents are from Dallas. So I’ve traveled to Texas to visit family for as long as I can remember. Unlike southern California, the Dallas area, like most of the country, deals with this phenomenon called weather.
Dallas can experience snow and, more often, sleet or freezing rain in wintertime. In other seasons, they’ll have intense thunderstorms coupled with strong winds and scary large hail. As a kid, I recall adults discussing the weather, remarking, “Better stay off the roads!” or TV weathermen advising viewers to “steer clear of the highways” when weather conditions made driving unsafe and unwise.
Jesus gave his followers similar advice about road conditions in Matthew chapter 7. He says, “3Enter 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.” ESV translation adds that the road is easy which leads to destruction and the road is hard which leads to life.
These are some of the last words of Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount. At the beginning Jesus said, I want you to look different and live differently than the world around you—like a light in darkness, I want you to shine brightly, to live so righteously, that your life points other people, to me! If you’ve been paying attention, Jesus has taught us week after week about anger and forgiveness, faithfulness and adultery, honesty and integrity. He’s commanded us to be serious about sin, to love people when it’s not easy to love, and that Christ-followers live lives of generosity. We’ve learned not to worry or trust in wealth or earthly possessions. He’s taught us how to pray—humbly relying on Him and wanting his will more than my own.
Now he warns us. The choice ultimately is mine and yours to make. Which road will I choose? While the invite to follow Jesus is for everyone, the narrow road calling is hard. Most people will choose the easier route, the wider road with less hills, fewer challenges, it requires less effort. It’ll be tempting to choose that road. Anyone and everyone easily fit through the wide gate. … but be warned, it dead ends in destruction.
There’s a better option. It’s difficult, yes; it will require you daily to deny yourself. But it leads to Jesus and it promises life—life abundant, life to the full, life in the Spirit, everlasting life. Jesus came to abolish sin and death and destruction in every sense of the word.
Choose life today, choose to follow Jesus on the narrow way.
Donielle Winter
EFCC Member