I turned my head, the car was following me down the hill, obviously intending that I should stop. There was a problem … for at the top of the lane was a NO ENTRY sign, which I had noticed previously ~ but had ignored. I had been caught! The policeman showed his displeasure, and made me cycle all the way back up the hill to the beginning of the lane, which I did, determined not to get off and push. That was over 50 years ago and I still remember it very clearly. A verse from God’s word was imprinted on my mind that day:‘Be sure your sin will find you out’
I learnt that there are consequences when we disobey the rules. Very often we think that we have ‘got away with it’. We think that no one sees, that no one knows, and that what we have done in secret when we think that no one else is about, is only known by us. But, just as the policeman noticed me turning off the road and down the lane, so ‘The Lord God Almighty, Our Heavenly Father’, sees and knows all that we think and do, even the secrets of our hearts are open before Him. And the wonderful fact is, that, unlike the policemen, who was very officious and tough, the Lord God goes on loving and caring for us so very much, even though He is greatly saddened by our sin and disobedience. His greatest desire is that we choose the right path to travel through life, and He knows the way that we should go for our benefit and blessing, if only we would ask Him for help. Our Lord Jesus said, “I am the Way.”
But the Lord God is also a God of justice and righteousness. If we continue on our rebellious path, refusing to seek His way for us then there certainly is a penalty to pay. The Lord Jesus tells us:
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way 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.”
For each of us, life is like going on a journey. Sometimes the road feels like a motorway, or an urban street, or a country lane or even a narrow footpath. Sometimes the road is easy and pleasurable, and even though we are moving fast there are moments when we can slow down and take in the scenery. At other times, we encounter obstacles and difficulties, whether because of our own stupidity and sinful disobedience, or because they are ‘just some of those things’ which affect us all during life’s journey.
If we are on the path that the Lord has planned for us, then His grace and blessings will abound and encourage and help us through the difficulties. But if we have chosen the wrong path and refused His help, then we are totally responsible for our actions and for the penalty which will follow.
The joyful truth is that the Lord is willing to forgive us for our wrong choices, through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus on the cross, and He longs to lead us through the small gate and along ‘the narrow road that leads to life’. The Lord said to His people Israel, and He is saying thesame to us today, “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths,ask where the good way is and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.
On which road are you travelling? What choice have you made?
Are you following the crowds or walking with the Lord Jesus?
Ron Brickman