Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”  John 14:6 HCSB

Last month, my husband and I were planning a vacation.  Once we settled on a destination, I pulled it up on google maps.  Google maps offered me three different routes for getting to our destination.  We were allowed to choose which route we took to get there.  There was one route that was all interstate and that brought us through a very busy city straight to the beach.  There was another route that added a few miles and about 2 hours to the trip but brought us by interstate to the coast and then guided us along the coast.  There was yet another route that brought us through some interstate but mostly along the coast.  It took several hours more, but was probably the most scenic route.

We had a choice of the route that we wanted to take. As Christians, we also have a choice. Our choice is to follow Jesus or not follow Jesus.  This is our only choice.  We can follow Jesus to heaven or we can follow the devil straight to hell.  But, when we look at the route, there is only one way to get there.  There are no choices on that route.  It is a straight shot.

Now I say that it is a straight shot because there is only one way to get there and that is through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.  However, I will tell you that the devil will try to detour us every chance he gets.  I know I am showing my age, but for those of you that were fans of the old Bugs Bunny and Road Runner cartoons, you may remember that one of the characters would put up a detour sign that would surely lead the other character to fall into a manhole or meet some other disaster.  It may be funny in a cartoon, but when the devil does it to us it’s not a laughing matter.  As soon as we decide to follow Jesus along that straight, narrow pathway (Matthew 7:13), the devil sets up a road block or a detour sign (John 10:10). He does his best to cause us to go astray. He will use people to distract us and get us going down the wrong path.  He will find out where we are most vulnerable and use that against us.  We must remember when people come against us, that we are not fighting flesh and blood but the spiritual forces of evil.  The devil uses people to get to God’s children off track.  He uses them to make us mad.  He uses them to make us doubt ourselves and he uses them to make us doubt God’s love for us.

So today, you have one choice to make.  You can do “your own thing”.  When I was doing that, I was basically setting myself up for disaster.  You can allow the devil to use you to distract others.  You can be distracted and side tracked and stray from the path that God would have you to follow.  Or, you can stay on the straight and narrow path and follow Jesus to eternal life in glory with God the Father.   Now for a long time, this was a difficult choice for me.  You see I just didn’t want to give up some of the “fun” things in my life.  Looking back now, I realized that my “fun” things usually brought chaos and destruction to my life.  Once I decided to follow Jesus, I began having some real fun.  The kind of fun that brings true peace and joy to my life.

Once you make this choice, then know that there is only one way to go.  If you choose an eternal life in heaven over the fiery pits of hell, there is only one way to get there.  This is through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.  Making that total commitment may be hard.  You may be thinking about the things that you have to give up.  But let me tell you something, I don’t miss anything that I have given up to follow Jesus.  God has blessed me so much more, with much better things in my life.

My prayer for you today is that you are already on that narrow pathway following Jesus to your eternal home in glory.  But if you are not, it’s not too late.  Turn to God now, confess your sins, repent and ask for His forgiveness.  Ask him to fill your heart with his Holy Spirit to give you the desire to sin no more.  Ask for His strength and power to help you when the devil comes against you.  This is one journey you can’t afford to miss.

Have a great day!