Walking The Narrow Road
December 23, 2011
“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.” Matthew 7:13-14
Following Christ is extremely difficult. As teenagers we are constantly surrounded (and influenced) by so many different people. We hear conversations with wide ranging topics. We see people doing so many things that may or may not be the right thing. We have “harmless” conversations with our friends that plant seeds and ideas in our heads that we can never escape. In the verse above, Jesus is teaching the crowds, and he’s basically saying that life isn’t easy and if you deal with it the way everyone else does, odds are you aren’t doing it the way you should. I hate to be so abrupt about it but, you can’t just say a prayer to become a Christian and then expect life to be easy, because it’s not going to be. Taking apart the word ‘Christian,’ the suffix –ian means to be like, or to follow. And, the ‘Christ’ part means Jesus; to be like [to follow] Jesus Christ. You have to live the life of a Christ follower, and in doing that, you’re going to be persecuted by other people. “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8. Satan is trying his very hardest to get you to NOT live the life God wants for you. He’s giving you “easy-outs” for everything you go through. But you have to be careful and aware. Don’t fall for his games.
One of the big problems we have with staying on the right path is the people we hang around with. It’s so hard for us to be Christ-like with the people we love the most, because we don’t want to lose them by “pushing religion” on them. Having a relationship with Christ is exactly that; a relationship. It’s not about religion or going through the motions. Christ came to bring hope, love, and peace to the nations. It’s about having hope in Jesus and sharing it, especially with your friends. When you are around Godly people, it makes walking the ‘narrow road’ so much easier. Satan’s biggest fear is the spreading of God’s Word. “What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:27-28. In other words, do not be afraid of what other people think of you for sharing your faith, because they can’t hurt you; instead, be afraid of Satan who certainly CAN hurt you when it comes to eternity.
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