I REMEMBER MY COLLEGE DAYS when the socially acceptable attitude in the more intellectual circles doubted the faith of our fathers to embrace personal intellectuality. This attitude provided quite a heady trip to philosophize, intellectualize, and then rationalize whatever diversions of behavior our deceptive hearts took us.

I learned that the worldly-wise say there is no God beside ourselves, or we cannot know him. The inclusive-religious teach there are many paths of God and all paths lead to God. The self-righteous tell us the path to God is a legalistic code.

Robert Frost wrote, “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.” In that same place of divergence, the Lord Himself led me to make a conscious decision to remain on the path less traveled and that certainly made all the difference in my life.

I read in Psalm 14:2-3 that The LORD has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men To see if there are any who understand, Who seek after God. They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt; There is no one who does good, not even one (Psa 14:2-3).

Romans says, Therefore (because righteousness comes by faith) no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather through the law we become conscious of our sin (Rom 3:29). Romans goes on to describe how God reached down to save us because we could not save ourselves. He saved us by sending His perfectly righteous Son to take our punishment on the cross. He declares those righteous who by faith in His Son, receive His free gift of salvation. The Scriptures clearly declare only one way to God, only one way to walk in paths of righteousness—by His undeserved favor and a gift of faith in His Son’s redeeming blood.

The path of righteousness is not only hard, it’s humanly impossible! Attempting to ascend the narrow slope will crush my pride, strip away my filthy rags of self-righteousness, nail my prideful self-worship to the cross, peal my fingers from self-sufficiency, and remove the temporal pleasures of self-gratification. However, it also clothes me in the security of His righteousness, gives me personal significance by purchasing me with the highest price in the universe, grants me assurance of His all-sufficiency, and gives me overflowing satisfaction in a living, breathing relationship with Himself.

The grace that saves us is the same grace that empowers us. Paul says to the Galatian people, You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?. . . I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh? (Gal 3:1-3).

Not only did God have to save us and give us faith to believe, but He also had to give us His Spirit to empower us to walk in paths of righteousness. All this just for the asking. He did it ALL. Our job is to humbly receive all He desires to give to us.

GOD’S BEST

Narrow the path the Savior leads,
Rough and steep the way,
And few are left to follow Him,
Day by day…by day.

Oh the regrets of those who choose
To follow the crowd’s strong flow,
For wide is the road leading down to death,
And many there be that go.

The harder path to snowy peaks,
Strengthens disciples’ quest,
Until on eagle’s wings they soar
And find God’s very best!

—MarJean S. Peters