Matthew 7:13, 14 - I Want My GPS

I am not bragging here but for the most part, I am good with directions.  I don't have GPS, and I do not see the need to have one in the foreseeable future.  I like a good map and a compass.  A good map will get you very close to any place you are seeking.  Good coordinates can put you within feet of your goal.

Sure, I know a GPS does the same thing but it takes the thrill out of searching for a place.  I am a typical guy who doesn't mind traveling aimlessly around for a few hours confused (unless I am late - I will ask for directions).  Hunting is an innate instinct.  Daniel Boone said it best, "I have never been lost, but I will admit to being confused for several weeks."

This is why I am glad God did not leave us empty handed.  He has given us a powerful roadmap for life called the Bible.  Today's verses emphasize this point.  Maybe this is why I am fascinated with God's Word - it's a map!

Jesus does not mince words, "Go through the narrow gate."  Go the road less traveled.  Traveling on the road created by those who seek self aggrandizement is the same as conforming to the world.  This world paved a very big and wide road and invites everyone to journey on it.  Unfortunately, this road leads to destruction.  Many travel this road and perish due the hazardous and dangerous conditions of it.  To break it down a little, "road" is a life path.  You are either traveling towards God or you are not.  We are not talking about Ice Road Truckers.

What makes the world's road so destructive?  Our best efforts in life are like someone patching a bottomless pot hole; they cannot repair the real damage of being separated from God.  The wide road leads us further away from God and is recognizable because so many people recklessly travel down it.  Jesus, however, says to avoid this life path.

The narrow road is the road of choice.  Yes, choice.  We must choose to turn around at the interchange called Jesus and follow the path He created for us.  The scary thing about the two paths is that they lead to separate gates and both gates lead to eternity.  The wide gate opens to eternal destruction.  Imagine having all your teeth drilled at once without any medication - eternal destruction is an eternity without hope and without reprieve and much worse.

The small gate leads into eternal peace.  Why do so few find it?  They have to choose to turn around. They have to come to terms with the fact that the direction they have chosen for their life is leading them the wrong way.  That's a hard pill to swallow because most people do not want others to tell them that they are wrong.  They especially do not wish to hear it from God.

I personally want to be a part of the few - not because few travel this road.  My hope is for all to repent and follow the life choice given through Jesus.  I don't want to wander around life with a broken compass and aimlessly hurdling down a road just because everyone is traveling it.  Okay maybe having a compass like Jack Sparrow would be cool, but Jack knew how to use it.  He understood where it pointed.

• Where's your compass pointing?
• What makes the wide road so easy to travel?
• Are you ready to travel the road less traveled?