The Narrow Way is No Accident
Well now, friend, look at you wanderin’ on up like a bright lil’ sunbeam sneakin’ through the pecan trees and bringin’ a little light with you as you step onto this here ol’ front porch. Come on over here and pull your chair right up to the edge of this here porch because what we’re about to talk about is a whole lot heavier than an ol’ full‑grown hog that plum wandered into the chicken coop and flat refused to leave out of there. I was watching a little field mouse yesterday tryin’ to drag a piece of a corncob twice its size across the road like it was hauling somethin’ real special, and it sho’-‘nuff struck me. You know, that there tiny lil’ ol’ thing knew exactly where it was going. It had one narrow path and one clear goal. And friend, that’s exactly what Jesus was talking about in Matthew 7:13-14 that says, “The gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.”
Another verse that fits this truth like a good saddle fits a good horse is Proverbs 14:12, which tells us, “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.” Scripture is mighty clear. There are two paths to choose from. One is real wide and plum crowded like a county fair on a happy Saturday night. The other is real narrow, real quiet, and has to be chosen on purpose.
Now in our “us‑versus‑them” kind of world, folks like to reserve that there real bad place called Hell for “them.” You know, the really bad folks. The ones that do awful things and never get caught. People say, “Well, they’ll get theirs eventually,” like Hell is some cosmic time‑out chair for the worst of the worst. But, friend, Jesus didn’t say the wide road was filled with only villains, criminals, and scoundrels. He said, “Many choose that way.” Many. Not a handful. Not the just cartoonishly evil people either. Many.
And here’s the part that really gits to erattlin’ our cages. Hell just ain’t not kind of a place where God gleefully tosses people in. It’s a real place that people choose because they refuse the only One who can save them.Hebrews 2:3asks, “How shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation?” Hell’s doors are locked from the inside. God has gone to unimaginable lengths to keep us out of it, but He will not force us to come into Heaven kicking and screaming.
Jesus alone stands in the gap. No prophet, no guru, no spiritual system can do what the Son of God did. He plum paid the full price. He opened the narrow gate. He invites us in. But we must choose Him.
Lord, help me choose the narrow road every day. Give me a heart that seeks You, trusts You, and follows You. Thank You for making a way where I had none. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Well now, I do declare, friend, before you move on to whatever waits for you next, let this here truth be settlin’ down deep in your spirit. Life will hand you choices the way a mischievous lil’ ol’ barn cat drops “gifts” on your doorstep, and not all of ‘em are worth keepin’. Some paths will sparkle like fool’s gold, and others will look plain as a dirt road after a rain, yet only one leads to life. When the world hollers for you to follow the crowd, pause long enough to listen for the Shepherd’s voice. And when you git to feelin’ plum tugged toward the easy, wide road that promises comfort but delivers emptiness, you gotta plant your feet like a stubborn old mule and choose the narrow way that leads you straight into the arms of the One who loves you enough to save you.
With joy,
Gwen
