There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.                                                                                                                  

                                                                                                     Proverbs 14:12 

Today: Read Proverbs 14

We are all on a journey. As we go down life’s road, we are all heading towards eternity. That eternity will either be one of life or death, either paradise with Jesus and all of the believers that have gone before us or eternal separation from God. Today’s passage reminds us that there is a way that seems right, but in the end it only leads to death. Jesus had much to say about knowing whether or not we are living in the way that leads to life. Consider Jesus’ words:

Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

                                                                                                   Matthew 7:13-14 

We might interpret this passage to indicate that “the way” is the manner in which we live our lives. I believe this in part to common phrases such as, “He is walking the straight and narrow” or when someone fails, “She fell off of the straight and narrow.” These phrases can be misleading and cause us to believe that the “narrow way” in which Jesus spoke is related to our actions and lifestyle. We would do well to remember that our salvation (John 3:16), our righteousness (Romans 4:4-5), and our justification (Galatians 2:16) are all by faith in Jesus Christ. Therefore, I believe that the narrow way Jesus describes is narrow for the reason that He (Jesus) alone is the way.

Consider the following biblical truths: (1) No one can come to God the Father except through Jesus (John 14:6). (2) There is no other name (other than the name of Jesus) given to mankind by which we can be saved (Acts 4:12). (3) There is only one God and only one Mediator between God and mankind and that Mediator is Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5-6). (4) Jesus has been given the name that is above all names and at His name every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord (Philippians 2:9-11). These truths should serve to remind us that the narrow way is found only in the name of Jesus.

Because there are only two paths in this life, the narrow and the wide, all of us are on one or the other. Those on the road to destruction are described as the “many” while those on the path to life are portrayed as the “few.” Jesus characterizes these two groups using the illustration of a builder:

Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 

                                                                                                            Matthew 7:24-25 

First, Jesus gives us a description of a wise man who builds his house on the rock. This is figurative language characterizing a person who hears the words of Christ and acts on them. Compare this to the foolish builder: 

Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.

                                                                                                   Matthew 7:26-27 

This foolish man builds his house on the sand. This is the person who does not act on the words of Jesus. Notice the similarities between the two different types of people. They are both “building.” They both experience the “elements” of life (rain, flood, wind). And they both hear the words of Jesus. There is only one distinguishable difference between the wise and the foolish: one person acts upon biblical truth and the other does not.

We are all building. Everyday we wake up, we have a choice as to how we are going to live our lives, the priorities we set, and what role the gospel will play in our lives. We either live our lives by trust in, surrender to, and reliance on Jesus or we set out on the wide path that does not lead to life. Everyone receives twenty-four hours a day. What we do with that time largely demonstrates on which road we are traveling.

As believers, we have the capacity to take detours from this road (largely in part of bad decisions that we make) but even as we find ourselves deviating from God’s best, He gently brings us back onto the road that leads to life. For the unbeliever, moving from the wide to the narrow is but a prayer away. As we humble ourselves, go to our knees, and ask God to save us, He does! We are then empowered to live life by faith in the Son of God by the strength and wisdom that comes from the Spirit of God.

As we build our lives around the gospel, we can be confident that we are wise builders with our homes firmly placed on the rock, which is Christ. Likewise, as we place our faith in Jesus, we can be assured that we are on the narrow road that leads to life. All roads lead to eternity. On which road are you traveling?