Is it really easy to miss?

Matthew 7:13-14, “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.”

As I was driving to Louisville, Kentucky the other day, I was thinking about a lot of different things and meditating on God’s Words. I do this very often when I drive. Sometimes I wonder how I get to my destination without getting into an accident because I am pretty sure there are times when my thoughts get deeply absorbed. I think about many different things and talk to God about it. I confess, a lot of those things are things I’m struggling with and I’m pretty sure I complain a lot. I just thank God for the patience He has with me! One of the things that came to my mind is where am I in my relationship with the Lord? I feel like such a failure at times. I hate when I fall short in my abilities to please God. Today, I’m not here to talk about my shortcomings, but rather to talk about what God has to offer us. As individuals, we have two choices to choose from. Either we take up our crosses and follow Him or we don’t. The beginning of this step is to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. It’s not about religion or how much of the good thing we have to offer. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Jesus Christ accepted our punishment, paid the price for our sins, and then offered us the new life that he had bought for us. It’s really that simple!

Or is it? As I was saying, I was driving to Louisville and I completely missed it! To get to Louisville from Cincinnati, you have to drive on Interstate 75 and then it merges to Interstate 75/71 to Lexington and Louisville. As you continue to drive for another several miles, you have to get off on Interstate 71 to Louisville. The problem is that it’s so easy to miss. I wasn’t really paying attention because my thoughts were somewhere else; however, I thought I was going the right way. Interstate 75 (to Lexington) and 71 (to Louisville) splits, but the road that takes to Lexington is wide and easy to follow and the road that leads to Louisville is narrow and easy to miss. I missed the exit and when you miss the exit, it’s pointless to turn back and you might as well keep driving to Lexington and then go to Louisville. That is what I did and it took me an extra 45 minutes to arrive to my original destination. Oh, I was agitated!

When I read this verse about the two roads to heaven and hell, I thought about my travel experience to Louisville. How easy it is for us to believe we’re going the right way, when all along we’ve missed it! The narrow gate doesn’t mean that it is difficult to become a Christian, but that there is only one way to live eternally with God and only few people will decide to walk that road. Believing in Jesus brings us our way to heaven and living His way may not seem popular, but it is the truth. God is offering that to us right now. The gate will not be open forever and when it closes, it will be too late. You may be thinking that your sins are too much to ask for forgiveness, but Jesus says it’s possible and you just have to believe and trust in Him. As soon as you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are born again! It doesn’t end there because we must daily take up our cross and follow Him. Jesus says in Luke 9:23-24, “Then he said to them all: ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will save it.’” To be a Christian means to follow the Lord by imitating his life and obeying his commands. Take up your cross and follow him…

You may be thinking that following Christ is costly now. To be honest, it is! In the long run, it is well worth the pain and effort. I encourage you to deny selfish desires for our own way (whatever that may be) and choose the right direction in life that leads to Christ. I strive to do that daily. Yes, I am not perfect, but God knows my heart and my desires for Him. What is your desire? Are you willing to take up your cross and face the cost of following Jesus? It may seem so complicated and so difficult, but it really is that simple if we just only paid attention. You have two choices: take the narrow road that leads to life or the wide road that leads to destruction. My prayer is that you don’t take the easy (wide) road and completely miss the narrow road that Jesus Christ has to offer you! Be ready to accept Him and take up your cross to follow Him!