It's called the path, the way, the narrow road, the walk, the race; this walk through life. For believers, it's a narrow road that requires prayer, discernment, and discipline. All my Scriptures and study for the last several weeks keep bringing me back to the walk. One evening, the Lord prompted me to pick up a book I read in 1998,
The Edge of Eternity by Randy Alcorn. This is a fanciful, allegorical tale of a man who finds himself on a journey. His only instructions were to take the red road and keep moving forward. I enjoyed the book more the second time than the first. So along those lines, I'd like to share with you some of the thoughts I have on this journey.
(Originally Published July 29, 2013)
As a prerequisite, realize YOU are on a path, ponder it, and consider carefully where you are headed. (Proverbs 4:26) Everybody is walking toward eternity, good or bad; your choice (Proverbs 14:12) and (1 Corinthians 9:24).
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| Path to Hell |
If you choose to follow Christ then here is a bit of a map. (Proverbs 3:6)
First, the path is indeed narrow and only a few find it (Matthew 7:14). In some places, it's a tight rope with deep chasms on either side. These are the areas of your life where you have struggled the most. One step to the right and you enter into the mire of the flesh; the willfulness in each of us that wants what we want and we want it now. (Proverbs 4:27)
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| Tightrope |
Stumble to the left and you enter the despair and hopelessness of the evil enemy. Sometimes, we bounce back and forth between the two sides, like a pinball caught between bumpers. We cross over the path but don't plant our feet firmly on the ground. On these tight rope sections, we are not capable of staying on the path in our own strength, through our own will, and by our own proclamation; we have to surrender to the Lord and let Him hold us up and get us through. (Philippians 2:13)
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| Quicksand |
Secondly, don't show off. How many of us are guilty of trying to impress the Lord, to demonstrate how much we have learned, and how strong we are; we don't realize how often the quicksand is up to our necks before we call out for help. I hope I stop getting in up to my neck. It takes a humbleness of Spirit to ask for help, self sufficient, type A achievers like to be independent, we like to take charge and do it on our own; that way we get the glory. Well, there is nothing glorious about being covered in quicksand. No one in the Bible knew this better than Peter who writes (1 Peter 5:5-6) that we must be humble before the Lord.
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| Complacent Christian |
Thirdly, the narrow path has two sides along it entirety. There is no part of the journey that is not flanked on either side with evil and the flesh. There is no safe place to let down our guard and coast along, the Word warns us of complacency and if you've walked the path for more than 10 minutes you know this is true. (Zephaniah 1:12)
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| Walk with Others |
Fourthly, we must walk the road with others. We are not strong enough to make it by ourselves. We need godly friends, church folks, and family to help along the way. Help others, live justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8)
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| Pathway of Light |
Finally, commit yourself to prayer and reflection every day. If you seek the face of God in the morning, even if you went off the path the day before, He will set you right. His mercies are renewed everyday. If we check our steps regularly, we won't stray far. (Romans 12:2)
He never promised the road would be easy but He did promise us eternal life in Heaven. (2 Timothy 4:6-7) So we strive toward the prize, we groan in our Spirits, we look forward to the end of the journey and to coming Home. (Philippians 3:14)
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