Staying True to the Purpose

In January 2024 I began writing these articles that I post on this blog. The official title of this blog is The Road Less Traveled based on the poem by Robert Frost. He said that by taking the road that was less traveled had made all the difference. In addition, I also based this blog on Matthew 7:14-15.

"Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road is easy

that leads to destruction, and those who enter it are many. For the

gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and those who

find it are few."

So working with the thought of Frost and the reality of the Bible, my intent has always been to keep us focused on God's truth and to keep us on the road that makes all the difference. This week seems like a good time to re-emphasize these basic principles and purpose.

In our day and perhaps for all of time, the majority of people tend to choose the easiest choices in the course of their lives. So when a literal road is the topic, people tend to choose the one that is the smoothest and usually the fastest for getting to their destination. In reality, the roads that are often the most scenic and take you to some of the more interesting sights are usually slower and may have a few potholes along the way.

But what about when the word road is not being used literally but rather figuratively? That is what we see in the passage from Matthew that I printed earlier. In those two verses, Jesus was using the word road or the word way to focus on the path we take in living our lives. Specifically, He was saying that when we choose the easiest or the way most people choose, we are choosing a way of life that is based on our own choices that often are in conflict with God's desires and instructions for our lives. The result is that self-determined road eventually leads to destruction.

On the other hand when we choose to live our lives under the leadership and direction given by God, it may seem to be harder or more difficult at times, but its end result is life in abundance and life eternal. It is pretty easy to see that this is not the way most people have chosen. If this were the choice by everyone, wars, criminal behavior, hatred, relational conflicts, and the great influence of evil in our world would end.

With this in mind, why would we not choose to live by God's direction rather than our own? There are many possible answers to that question but here are a few possibilities.

• When we choose our way over God's way, our vision is limited to only the present moment with little to no regard for the consequences that are ahead.

• When we choose our way over God's way, we are putting ourselves in a position over God and are proclaiming that we are better at determining the direction of our lives than our Creator.

• When we choose our way over God's way, we are choosing a path of convenience and expediency over one of value and purpose that requires more effort and faith.

• When we choose our way over God's way, we have been blinded to God's truth by the deceptive and destructive work of Satan.

My purpose then in writing is to help us stay focused on a way - a road - a path of life that is based on God's love for us as revealed by Jesus and that we choose to follow Him in faith in all of our decisions and actions. i believe this is what truly makes all the difference in life.

So this week, let's all keep our lives focused on the road that God has prepared for us and calls us to come and follow Him.