Matthew 7:13-14
Like many people today, the Israelites in Jesus’ time believed they were destined for heaven. They mistakenly thought that to join God’s family, good works and an intellectual faith were all that He required.
To help us grasp the truth about how to enter His Father’s kingdom, Jesus described two roads leading in opposite directions. One is a broad highway, where most people travel. Theirs is an easy journey, as it requires few commitments and allows all kinds of philosophies. Because just about everything is acceptable, each person is free to be self-indulgent and choose whatever seems best. The broad path promises to give us whatever we desire, but in the end, it delivers nothing of lasting value.
The other road is narrow. It has a small entrance, because there is only one way to be reconciled to God—through faith in Christ. Traveling on this path requires a commitment to the Savior and a lifestyle of dependence, sacrifice, and trust.
Once we belong to Jesus, the Holy Spirit empowers us for everything that is required on the way of righteousness: loving God with our whole heart, loving our neighbors, and carrying out the Lord’s purposes. His plans are to take precedence over our own. In contrast to the disappointments on the broad road, every divine promise is guaranteed.
Each of us must choose which path to take: the wide one that ends in hopelessness and eternal separation from the Lord, or the narrow one leading to life everlasting. If you desire a relationship with God through Jesus, just ask Him.
