The Narrow Path

Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it. (Matthew 7:13-14)

Devotional: Jesus doesn’t sugarcoat it. Following Him is not the easy road. The way of Christ is narrow, and the road is hard, but it is the only one that leads to life. He is not interested in making disciples who are half-in, half-out. He is not calling us to a life of comfort and convenience; He is calling us to Himself. And let’s be honest, that is not a popular message.

Our culture celebrates the wide path. The path of self-indulgence. The path of moral fluidity where truth bends to personal preference. The path of "just follow your heart" as if that has ever led anyone to true joy. But Jesus says that road, the one that looks easy and feels good in the moment, leads to destruction. It does not deliver on its promises. It lures you in with freedom but ends in chains. It requires nothing of you, no sacrifice, no surrender, no obedience, but it will cost you everything in the end.

The narrow path, though, is not just about saying "no" to sin. It is about saying "yes" to something far greater. It is about walking in intimacy with Christ, learning to love what He loves, and experiencing the deep joy of holiness. It is about seeing His power at work in your life in ways you never could have imagined.

So where is God calling you to step off the wide road and onto the narrow one? Maybe it is in your daily habits. Maybe it is in the way you spend your time or the voices you are listening to. Maybe it is in the small, everyday decisions that no one sees but that shape who you are becoming.

Take the hard road. It may cost you in the short term, but in the end, it is the only one that leads to life.

Prayer: Father, give me the courage to choose the narrow path, even when it’s hard. Strengthen my heart to pursue Your ways above the ways of the world. Amen.