The Path to Life

Collins Concise Dictionary defines the word path as:

1. A road or way, esp. a narrow trodden track.

2. A surfaced walk, as through a garden.

3. The course or direction in which something moves: the path of a whirlwind.

4. A course of conduct: the path of virtue.

When we think of a path we assume that it leads to a destination. Every path has a beginning and an ending. There are of course millions of paths in this world of ours. However, there is only one path to eternal life.

Matthew 7:13, 14, "(13) 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. (14) Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life [eternal], and there are few who find it."

The scenario that the Lord Jesus Christ is unfolding is that the way to eternal life is contrary to the way that leads to destruction.

In 2011 in a previous blog post titled 'Broad is the way that leads to destruction' I penned these words. "The way to destruction is broad and spacious, lots of room for lots of people. All these are heading along life’s journey; some are happy, some sad, some careless, some fearful, some high-minded, some low-minded, some rich and many poor.

Proverbs 14:12, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”

People of every nation are caught in the throngs heading to destruction. It is a one way street! They entered in through the wide gate. The way ahead looked good and there was plenty of room. If so many people are doing it; surely it must be OK? There are plenty of friends and relatives to keep you company along the way.

The narrow gate on the other hand is hard to find. The way to [eternal] life is difficult. Satan does not want you on this pathway, your unsaved friends and relatives don’t want you on this pathway. Obstacles will be put in your way. But, it is your choice and your decision to choose either life or death. God wants you to enter into life [eternal] via the narrow gate."

Perhaps an incident from my own life will help at this juncture. When I was a younger man I worked in the Central Business District (CBD) in Sydney, Australia.  People walking along the footpaths always seemed to be in a hurry, especially at lunch time. This particular day seemed busier than most. I needed to go into a particular department store which meant crossing the stream of people coming towards me.

Sounds easy! It wasn't! The people behind me were in such a hurry they were tending to push me past the entrance to the department store. I managed to stop; then I had to cut across all the people heading in the opposite direction who did not want to give way to this person blocking their progress. It required dedication and persistence to get to the entrance of the department store.

The entrance to the department store was narrow and the way to it was difficult and so also is the path to eternal life. The people who hindered me getting into the department store would not have spared me a thought except for the obvious; I was an obstacle in their way that needed to be gotten rid of!

John 14:6, "Jesus said to him [Thomas], 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me'."

John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

Let me repeat the words I quoted above. "Satan does not want you on this pathway, your unsaved friends and relatives don’t want you on this pathway. Obstacles will be put in your way. But, it is your choice and your decision to choose either life or death. God wants you to enter into life [eternal] via the narrow gate."

Jon Peasey

Words of Life blog www.jrpeasey.blogspot.com

Ebooks author page https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JRPeasey

[All Scriptures quoted are from the New King James version; unless otherwise noted. Words enclosed in [ ] are inserted for clarity. Words in bold type emphasise a point. You may notice some verses are quoted with ... at the beginning, ending or elsewhere in a verse. Only the relevant part or parts of the verse, that relate directly to the current subject matter is quoted.]

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