Narrow Road Ahead

Even though I wasn't Spirit-filled in '99, I still claimed to love me some Jesus.  So when Ma$e left Bad Boy Records to work in the field of saving souls for Christ, I was pretty excited and pleasantly shocked.  It's not everyday a platinum selling average MC with steroid-strong production and marketing teams drops it all for the Gospel.  But Mr. Betha did...until the bills pilled up and the creditors came calling.  Then it was a verse here, a verse there.  A sexually explicit lyric here, an N-word there.  And before the collection plate came around, Ma$e was back in the studio.

This isn't to judge Ma$e or his walk, but it is to bring some attention to the real difficulty of following Christ openly.  Most of us, because we're not in the public eye (no matter how many followers you have) have the benefit from having a personal and private relationship with God through Jesus Christ.  But imagine if people were zeroed in on you; monitoring when you went to worship services, cross-referencing everything you said to make sure it lined up with the Bible.  That can be pretty exhausting; and without a strong foundation coupled with a decrease of financial security, it can definitely push someone to get off his road.

So then, is it any easier for us?  Does a famous person-turned-Christian get a pass, but us peons have to suck it up?  What if I was to suggest that it's equally as difficult for the two sides?  Jesus compares living kingdom-minded in this sinful world to a narrow road; saying that only a few people will actually be able to even find it (Matthew 7:14).  That being said, I don't believe that there is discrimination between a hip-hop superstar or a customer service rep when it comes to finding that road.  I think each of our lives present a variety of circumstances that could make righteous living hard.  But the beauty is that we don't have to search for some street in order to be right with God.  All we have to do is allow ourselves to be found by Jesus.

Possibly, the reason Jesus compared finding Him to finding a hard-sought pathway is because He knew several things about us.  Maybe He knew people would get so hung up on doing the right thing that they would inadvertently miss the grace that  He offers.  I think He also knew that the influence of Satan in this world is so strong, that even millions of people who know Christ will move to disown Him (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3).  These are two reasons why purely relying on what Jesus has already done is imperative, as doing it any other way puts a person at serious risk of getting off track.

Please understand, the world doesn't love you because it doesn't love Jesus.  But don't allow that to threaten your journey, because through Him you have overcome the world.

Peace