Roads and Where They Take Us

We have all seen them, those asphalt ribbons meandering from town to town. Roads. I was driving recently and a big truck was coming toward me on their side of the road. And the thought occurred to me, “What is keeping that driver on his side of the road?” Why am I not afraid? What power does that yellow, 4 ½ inch line have in the middle of the road?” And then I wondered back in time to how roads came to be and thought of the early vehicles that only went 10 mile per hour (July 3, 1886, Karl Benz drove the first automobile in Mannheim, Germany at a top speed of 10 MPH) and realized that there wasn't much concern of high speed vehicles running into each other. And then I thought of the stage coaches that traveled over mountains and through rivers to reach the far west (at one point, that was Ohio! And then later beyond to California) and they made our roads by their oft traveled routes. Now we have highways with multiple lanes of traffic, some separated with concrete or metal barriers.

So back to my questions! What is keeping that driver on his side of the road? Fear of getting hurt if he crosses the line? Probably. Also something called the law. I think that is the power of the 4 ½ inch yellow or white line down the middle of the road. The law is behind the line. Our forefathers made up laws to keep us safe and drivers must follow the laws to safely drive a vehicle. And this is also why I am not afraid. Besides the fact that if a driver crosses the line and runs into me causing damage to his vehicle and maybe to himself, he will be charged with a transgression of the law. And he may also lose his privilege to drive.

Then I thought of destination. In life we get in our cars and head to the grocery store or to church and a myriad of other places. We have a destination in mind. In the spiritual realm we also have a destination in mind. And the options are either heaven or hell. Matthew 25:46 says it this way: “And these will go away into everlasting punishment; but the righteous into eternal life”. In Romans 6:23 we read, “For the wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

We are all on a journey. It is up to us to determine which road we are going to take; the one that leads to Heaven or the one that leads to hell. Jeremiah 6:16, “Thus says the Lord; Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not.” Isaiah 35:8: “And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness.” We are cautioned to “Enter by the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.”- Matthew 7:13

How do you and I enter the narrow gate? How do we get on the road to Holiness? How do we set our GPS on Heaven? Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ!

Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”

Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Acts 16:30, “What must I do to be saved? So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.”

How to accept Jesus into your heart? Confess and Believe

John 1:12, “But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.”

Romans 10:9-10, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

You can pray this prayer (or one similar):

Dear God, I know that I am a sinner and that my sin has separated me from you. I want to start a new life with you today. I want to accept and trust Jesus Christ as my Savior. I believe Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected, is alive and hears my prayers. I believe His death and resurrection provided for my forgiveness and salvation. I accept Jesus in to my heart today. I trust in Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I commit my life into your hands, dear God. I choose life. Please help me to obey you and live a life that makes you happy. In Jesus name, Amen.

Robert Frost wrote a poem, The Road Not Taken. It ends with these words:

Two roads diverged in a wood and I -

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

My prayer is that you will choose the road that leads to righteousness and a life with Jesus in Heaven.