“If all your friends jumped off a cliff, would you jump off a cliff, too?” Raise your hand if your mom, dad, babysitter, coach, teacher or uncle ever said that to you.
The conversation maybe went something like this. You said, “After the football game, I’m going to the party at Johnson’s farm.”
Mom said, “Johnson’s farm? Aren’t the Johnson’s convicted criminals who use filthy language and deal drugs?”
You shrugged, “Well, yeah, but everybody’s going.”
Then, comes the zinger: “Well, if all your friends jumped off a cliff, would you jump off a cliff, too?”
Hard to argue with her on that one. It’s a solid argument. Now that I’m on the adult side of it, I see its wisdom. So here it is:
- People and circumstances are not always as they appear.
- Popularity is not always right or good.
- When that’s hard—and it will be—listen to your mom and Jesus (especially Jesus).
Now listen to Jesus’ words, “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 Jesus in a wide way, a way without boundaries, is dangerous. Jesus says it “leads to destruction.” A faith journey that is wide—that believes in everything and does anything—leads not to Jesus, not to heaven, not to answered prayers, not to mercy, not to the peace and power and presence of God the Holy Spirit.
Wow, who would take that path? “Many.” So don’t be one of them.
Choose the narrow road. That’s what Jesus did. Jesus chose the most narrow road of all. He did what nobody else did. He died to save you. He paid the price to forgive all your sins. He walked a road that had never been walked, followed God the Father in a perfect way that nobody ever will on their own, never sinning and then completely sacrificing. Jesus walked all the way on that road perfectly.
For you. Yes, for many.
Don’t follow Jesus based on how everyone else is following Jesus. Follow Jesus based on Jesus.
PRAYER: Jesus, I want to follow your narrow way. Lead me to appreciate, trust and commit to narrowing my choices and directions, with less concern about what others do and think, and more obedience and worship that wants only what you want. Amen.
HOW TO RIDE A MOTORCYCLE: You can ride dangerously. You can ride safely. One of them is the wide road. One is the narrow road. I explain this and more about my (safe) motorcycle riding in this video https://crosslifepf.org/messages/only-a-few/.
