WHICH WAY ARE YOU GOING?

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

The way of the guilty is devious, but the conduct of the innocent is upright.

Proverbs 21:8            

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Which way are you going in life?

I’m not talking about whether or not you are working or going to school or serving in the military or staying at home raising your children. I’m not asking you about your future and what aspirations you may have for it.

No, I’m talking about which way you are going when it comes to your spiritual walk with the Lord Jesus, the Jesus we are soon to celebrate on Christmas as we remember His birth in the little town of Bethlehem.

So which way are you going?

In the context of our spiritual walk, there are only two answers. You are either traveling on the wide path of sin and wickedness, a path that leads to destruction, or you are walking on the narrow path of righteousness, the path that leads to life (Matthew 7:13-14). There is no middle road.

Solomon had more to say on this matter of walking in one way or another. Look at our proverb:

The way of the guilty is devious, but the conduct of the innocent is upright. Proverbs 21:8

Different translations will use different words in this verse. Look at these other representations of Proverbs 21:8:

The way of the guilty is crooked, but the conduct of the pure is right. (NRSV)

The guilty walk a crooked path; the innocent travel a straight road. (NLT)

Guilty people live dishonest lives, but honest people do right. (NCV)

A man is known by his actions. An evil man lives an evil life; a good man lives a godly life. (Living Bible)

All crooks are liars, but anyone who is innocent will do right. (CEV)

The way of the guilty is exceedingly crooked, but as for the pure, his work is right and his conduct is straight. (Amplified Bible)

So who do we find on the path of destruction, those who are walking toward judgment and destruction?

We find the devious, the crooked, the dishonest, the evil, and those who lie. In other words, those who opt for sinfulness over righteousness.

Conversely, looking at the narrow path we find those whose conduct is innocent and pure, upright and right, honest and godly. The people living in this way will find their way to life and when I say life, I don’t mean just any life. I mean THE life.

In other words, there is only one REAL life to live. There may be two paths to travel on but, as God’s word in Matthew tells us, only one way leads to life and that is the narrow path.

So how do we ensure we are going the right way? How can we ensure we are on the narrow path to life?

We know if we are walking the narrow path with the One who told us that He is THE way and THE life and THE only way to the Father (John 14:6). The only REAL life now and forever is the life lived as Jesus Christ lived. Period. There is no other life.

Many people today think they are walking on the narrow path when they are really on the wide one and walking toward doom. They make this assumption based on their own goodness, their own works. They think being a good person is good enough.

It isn’t. It never has been and it never will be.

Good works do not bring you to salvation (Romans 3:20). We cannot earn eternal life; we only find it when we are willing to give our worldly lives up for the life of Christ, to place our full faith, belief, and trust in Him while allowing the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us in righteousness and holiness. In other words, we have to lay down one life to receive one that is infinitesimally and immeasurably better. We have to step off of the wide path of destruction onto the narrow path of life and we can only do that by taking the hand of Jesus and allowing Him to lead us there.

So again I ask, which way are you going?

Tomorrow, we celebrate the birth of the God’s only Son Jesus sent to save us. As He is born in a lowly stable and placed in a manger, won’t you allow Him to be born in your heart, laying His head to rest and live in your soul forever?

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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