WHICH WAY ARE YOU GOING?
“There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 16:25).
“My way or your way, what’s the difference?” Those were my last words to my friend as we were climbing a mountain together. The next thing I knew, I was in a dangerous position, ready to fall 30 feet to the jagged rocks below. My friend had gone a different way, and he easily found himself at the top of the mountain waiting for me. There in safety, he wondered where I was; I was shaking in horror on a narrow ledge at the stupidity of my decision. I truly thought I was going to die! I should have listened to my friend.
Many will argue, “what is the difference between your way and my way to Heaven? Don’t all religions lead to paradise in the end?”
Notice first of all, “A Way that Seemeth Right”. When it comes to the matter of your eternal destiny, it is essential to be certain you are right! Satan is the “father of lies” Jesus said in John 8:44. He deceives multitudes of people, convincing them that “their way” is okay. The Devil wants you to believe that just as all roads led to Rome during their empire, so all “spiritual roads” will lead to Heaven. Although this may SEEM RIGHT to some, it is a lie!
Have you ever been so sure of yourself and then found out that you were wrong? Certainly you have, we’ve all done that at one time or another. Perhaps on a test when selecting an answer. You thought you were right, only to learn otherwise… Or in calling to mind an event of the past, you spoke with authority proclaiming what had happened, only to be corrected by a friend or relative who remembered the incident! All at once, you realize you made a mistake recalling the event. Suddenly, you see you were wrong! Strange isn’t it? We can be so sure of ourselves at times…
The Bible says, “There is a way that SEEMETH right unto a man…” Your way seems right! Feelings and opinions are subjective, they come and go. But truth and facts are objective, they are certain and unchanging.
Notice the last part of our Scripture says, “… but the end thereof are the ways of death”. Going the wrong way will lead you to an eternity in Hell! Man’s way is not God’s way! Man’s way can never solve the problem of sin. Religious philosophy and various theologies may seem like the right way, however sin must be paid for! “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 6:23). Man’s way doesn’t pay for his sin.
God’s way leads to eternal life and Heaven! Jesus warned us saying, “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat” (Matthew 7:13). The mass majority of the world is going the wrong way according to the Word of God. We are told, “… broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction…”
“Many”, we are told are following the Devil’s worldly chants, philosophies and fads. Perhaps you’ve been told not to worry, “a God of love would never send anyone to Hell”. Not to worry, “you’re not as bad as some others…” Not to worry, “you were born in a Christian nation…” But I say unto you, “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Prov. 16:25).
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me” (John 14:6). People are looking for the right way, but they don’t see it. People are listening for the right way, but they don’t hear it. “… Few there be that find it”. Their hearts are hardened by pride and selfishness. Their eyes are blinded by religious hypocrisy and social injustice and they decide to go their own way. This is the dilemma of sinful man! “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isa. 53:6).
I beg you to consider the direction you are going. Are you in Christ, walking God’s way to Life eternal? Or are you walking your own way to eternal damnation? I encourage you, to examine your own heart. If tragedy struck today, and you passed on out into eternity, do you know for sure you would go to Heaven? Have you received Christ as your personal Savior? “...This is the WAY, walk ye in it...” (Isa. 30:21).
TJM