The Bible says, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6). What is "the way" children should go? For that matter, what is the way any of us should go?
Society teaches that each person should do things his own way. For example, Frank Sinatra promoted this philosophy by singing, "I did it my way". The politically correct world view is that one way is as good as any other, that what is valid for one person may not be for another so you should find the truth within yourself. This sounds good to "itching ears" (2 Timothy 4:3) but it is dangerous: "there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death" (Proverbs 14:12).
The problem with finding the truth about the way you should go within yourself is that people are not perfect, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Truth must be verifiable outside yourself or it is not truth.
The first step in finding the right way is to determine where it is you are going. Pastor Charles Stanley likes to tell a story about a conversation he had with a young man who told him all about his life's plans after graduation. Charles Stanley kept him talking by asking, "then what?" each time there was a pause in the conversation. The young man told about his plans for a career, marriage, children, recreation, and eventually retirement. When Charles Stanley's continuous prompting exhausted the young man's plans, all he could say was, "and then I guess I'll die." At which point he was asked one more time, "then what?"
If you are not sure where you're going when you die, you have not found the way to heaven (1 John 5:13). The Bible is crystal clear on the way we should go. Concerning the heavenly realm of God the Father, Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6).
The world rejects this truth rationalizing that this way is just too narrow. But truth is narrow. It is true that 1 + 2 = 3. Adding 1 to 2 always yields the narrow result of 3. In reality, the way Jesus provided is wide enough for the whole world if the world chose to accept it. Instead of worrying about how limited it sounds to have only one way, we should be thanking God for providing a sure way to heaven!
Every one of us was born rebelling against God. The propensity to put one's self ahead of all others including God is hereditary. It is mankind's nature that has been passed down through the ages as a result of Adam and Eve's original disobedience to God (Genesis 3). God calls this rebellious condition sin. If a person insists on continuing in their own way (i.e. sin), they will suffer spiritual death: "for the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). This spiritual death is being condemned to hell at the final judgment where it is called "the second death" (Revelation 20:12-15).
But Christ did provide us the way to heaven: "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). The Almighty Creator became one of His mortal creations in Jesus Christ (John 1:1,14) so that He could pay the penalty for all who believe Him. We receive this gift when we accept it by trusting in Jesus: "if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9).
Sadly, most people in the world will reject this simple truth. It seems easier to just go with the crowd and convince yourself that you have or someday will find the truth within yourself. But Jesus who presented the truth to us and gave us the way to eternal life said, "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Matthew 7:13-14).
If you haven't already done so, now is the best time to get off the broad way and take the narrow gate of Jesus Christ. Procrastination in this area will lead to dire eternal consequences. You can pray to God right now and He will save you: "For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:13). If you are ready to take this momentous step, the following is a suggested prayer for you to make:
Lord Jesus, I need you. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. Lord, please forgive my sins as I put my trust in you alone. I receive you as my Savior and Lord. Thank you for forgiving me and giving me eternal life. Lord, please take control of my live and make me the kind of person You want me to be. Amen.