L. C. Perry
In a way, this is a misleading title, but it is one which expresses what most people consider is a description of their life. People tend to feel that life is one long succession of difficult choices. Certainly life is full of decision points, crossroads, partings of the way. However, what the Scripture teaches us as followers of Christ is that there really is no choice for us at any of the crossroads of life. The only course for the believer is to follow Christ where He leads, always in obedience to His Word.
True enough, we often let our own willfulness intervene and take the fork in the road which seems to please us most, or seems the most logical, or looks like the popular way, or is the path of least resistance. None of these rationales is supported by Scripture; they fire all of Satan.
God's Way Is the Only Way
This wonderful verse, which describes our salvation experience way back in the Old Testament, clearly brings out that when God invites us to sit down and reason things out with Him, He does all the talking and has all the answers. We really have nothing to say for ourselves. If we approach God full oaf self-justification, we will never be saved. The work of salvation is based upon God's satisfaction with the work of Christ on the cross, and it is only by God's grace and love that the offer of salvation is extended to us. Neither human reasoning nor human accomplishment play any part in the transaction.
What Jesus Required of Nicodemus
The Lord Jesus made this seemingly irrational statement to a man who came to seek Him out. We don't read about Nicodemus' accepting the Lord's words; what He said seemed to be too hard a concept for him to swallow. He asks, "How can these things be?” The Lord was referring to being born of the Spirit, obtaining new life from God. This is something to which our reasoning power will never lead us. It requires that we just take Christ at His word, even though we don't completely understand. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.
Joshua Saw Only One Path
Joshua saw only one right path for his feet. He knew that any other path would result in sorrow and judgment. He lays out the so-called "choice" for the people, but does so in such a way that there really is no choice—just one route leading to peace and contentment.
A Rich Man's Dilemma
"And a certain ruler asked Him, saying, Goad Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou Me good? none is good, save one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor thy father and thy mother. And he said, All these! me I kept from my youth up. Now when Jesus heard these things, I-te said unto him, Yet lackey! thou: me thing: sell all that thou host, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow Me. And when he heard this, he was vent sorrowful: far he was very rich" (Luke 18:18-2418And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 19And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God. 20Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor thy father and thy mother. 21And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. 22Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. 23And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich. 24And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! (Luke 18:18‑24)
Here was a fork in the road; one way was to fallow Jesus, abandoning all his riches, and the other way was to follow the path of greed and pride of possession. Only one led to eternal life. Is there really a choice here? Will the pleasures of sin for a season compensate for an eternity in hell? Never.
Treasure in Heaven
“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doll: corrupt, and where thieves break through mid steak but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doll: corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steak for where you r treasure is, there will your heart be also. The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eve be single, thy whole body shalt be full of light" (Matthew 6:19-2219Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 22The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. (Matthew 6:19‑22)).
The Lord Jesus said these words to people whose eye was not single. They were trying to keep to the rules while ensuring for themselves a path of ease and prominence. A single eye upon Christ and His Word will keep us from leading a double life. The truth about a double life is: "No man can semi' two masters: for either he will hale the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the Other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon [riches]" (Matthew 6:2424No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. (Matthew 6:24)).
Serving One Master
There are thousands of conflicting voices around, all of them seeking followers. The radio and TV are full of them—so are the universities and libraries. Even large corporations have become modern-day religions where their standards and objectives are intended to consume the soul of the employee.
The Lord Jesus sets out a simple pattern. If we will just be like sheep; which seem to know that the path of security, sustenance and satisfaction is based on following the shepherd's lead, we will avoid the pitfalls that Satan has ready for us.
Not Necessarily an Easy Path
We could never help bear the Lord's cross. That work was entirely His own. But He does tell us that we all have our own crosses to bear. It is part of following the Lord. In Matthew 11:2929Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. (Matthew 11:29) He tells us that we have a yoke to bear, but that the yoke is easy and the burden is light. How can this be? Crosses and yokes are inherently uncomfortable and heavy to bear, and a burden is by definition a load. The Lord promises that, in spite of the burdens of life, we need never lose our confidence in Him, our satisfaction with His work for us at the cross or the hope of His coming for us. Would I choose a life of ease? Not if it means following something or someone other than Christ.
Power to Follow in the Right Direction
"Bid we have the mind of Christ" (1 Corinthians 2:16).
These promises of protection and provision of resources are unlimited and unconditional. Just as we could contribute nothing to our salvation, so we are, in ourselves, helpless to sustain an exemplary Christian life. Following the Lord depends upon obedience to Him and complete trust in Him for everything.
This One Thing I Do
"That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death; if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:10-1410That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; 11If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. 12Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. 13Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:10‑14)).
Apprehend is a strong word. We use it sometimes when someone is arrested, just as Saul was on the road to Damascus. His life was completely changed by his encounter with a risen and glorified Christ. Similarly, our lives as believers will be changed, little by little, as the truth hits us and we bow to it. These verses give Paul's clear statement of the purpose and direction of his life. There were no choices to be made. It was always following Christ.
The thought of choice puts man in command of his destiny. However, no one lives very long before finding out that the circumstances of life cannot be made to order. Everything is in the hand of God, and that which comes upon us is allowed by Him for a purpose of blessing.
We are left with only one path for our feet and that is to follow where our Savior leads.
The more we have of Christ in our hearts,
The less room there is for self.