Chapter 14 (stub: see new version at Chapter 14: Choose the Way of Life)
Your Decision to Serve God
All of us have to decide: whose side are we on? If we run away and try not to decide, we are by that act choosing, but not the way that leads to life.
At Matthew 7:13, 14, Jesus teaches us: “Go in through the narrow gate; because broad and spacious is the road leading off into destruction, and many are the ones going in through it, whereas narrow is the gate and cramped the road leading off into life, and few are the ones finding it.”
Can you be on the narrow road and the wide road at the same time? No, no more than you can travel any two roads at the same time. If two paths are going in the same direction close together, they are really one path. And if two paths diverge, you will find it increasingly difficult (not to mention uncomfortable) to keep your feet on both of them.
On the wide road there is plenty of room to wander, but on the narrow path you have to watch your step and pick your way carefully. You will stay with it only if you are quite sure that it leads where you want to go. It would be easy to convince yourself that the wide road is the right one, because so many people are travelling it, they seem to be enjoying themselves, confident they will end up in a good place (if they are thinking at all where they are going). The only way we know the narrow, almost hidden path is right is that God has revealed its secret to us. We choose it because we trust Him, not because its destination is obvious at first glance.
The narrow road is not without risk. Satan targets those who choose it, especially at its entrance. If you are just learning about God and trying to decide whether to step off the highway to oblivion your current friends are on, you need to check your readiness to make the leap. Like a halfway jump across a chasm, a weak and tentative choice is not a good idea. Prepare. Decide. Do. Jesus tells us the stakes: “If anyone wants to come after me, let him disown himself and pick up his execution timber and follow me continually. For whoever wants to save his soul [puts himself first] will lose it; but whoever loses his soul [dies loyal to God] for the sake of me and the good news, will save it. . . For whoever becomes ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of man will also be ashamed of him when he arrives in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” —see also 1 Kings 18.21.
Preparation
God has given us a mind to think with and a heart to sense what is right. Prepare your heart first: it must believe in honesty and fairness. Root out pride, especially any tendency to insist that what makes you feel good has to be correct. Viewpoints that flatter us are usually wrong; get used to it. Truth does not come from within, sorry. Prepared with humility, now sincerely appeal to God for help. He can work with a properly prepared heart, but He will not help those who are simply trying to prove themselves right. (Psalm 138:6) He will help you use the mind he gave you to consider what is true about Him. Chapter 1 of this book is a good introduction to this.
Some may tell you that you must not try to use "reason" or "logic" to learn about spiritual things. They urge you to trust your feelings, and to assume those feelings come from God. If that were true, however, the Bible would be useless, or worse, a hindrance, and certainly not from God, because it urges us to seek knowledge, understanding, discernment and wisdom. There are things in it that are not immediately easy to understand, that challenge us to think. No, God gave us a brain to use, and we can't beg off from doing so.
But if you try to listen to every side of religious issues, you will find much loud argument about truth, and bitter debates about words. Such manner in itself tags many viewpoints as not from God, so saving you considerable time pursuing them. As the disciple James puts it, “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show out of his fine conduct his works with a mildness that belongs to wisdom. Do not be bragging and lying against the truth, [which you will do] if you have bitter jealousy and contentiousness in your hearts. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, animal, demonic. For where jealousy and contentiousness are, there disorder and every vile thing are. But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, reasonable, yielding, full of mercy and good works, not partial, not hypocritical.” (or as The Living Bible puts it, “The wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure and full of quiet gentleness. Then it is peace-loving and courteous. It allows discussion and is willing to yield to others; it is full of mercy and good deeds. It is wholehearted and straightforward and sincere.”) This helps us to discern who to listen to. —James 3:13-17; see also 2 Tim 2.14, 15, 23-25 and 1 Pet 3.15.
We do not mean that truth is weak and yields to falsehood. "Wholehearted and straightforward" means being clear and definite, but even so it is as tempered with kindness as the audience permits. Jesus did occasionally speak right bluntly to those who misled and exploited others in the name of God (see Matthew 23), but that is not the way he taught those who came to him for help. Nor did he get caught up in debates and arguments. —see Matt 12.18, 19.
As shown in chapter 12 of this book, Jehovah has established a united and loyal people in the end times. These will patiently assist your growth to Christian maturity. Although not perfect themselves, they are the agents God has chosen, and he expects you to respect his arrangement. He will limit his blessing on you if you refuse their help. Of course, if you are isolated from them by circumstance beyond your control, that does not condemn you to failure; God's power is not limited by his people. —see Ephesians 4.11-16.
Because Satan is the "world ruler of this darkness," he provokes intense attack against any viewpoint that could diminish his influence, especially the peaceful teaching work of God's people. So, in looking for truth, do not look for views that are popular or uncontroversial; the truth will be carried by a kindly, respectful and calm people who are widely despised, ridiculed and persecuted. If this causes you to avoid getting involved, Satan has won in your case. Have the courage to investigate what true Christianity teaches. Then have the courage to let it change your course in life. You will encounter resistance at every step. That is part of your training. It weeds out the indecisive. To succeed, you must be able to see beyond the "me" and "now." Satan contends that you are just an animal and will react to fear by flight or submission. You prove you are a human by rising above the instinctual reactions Satan tries to provoke. —Ephesians 6:11, 12; 2 Timothy 3:12; 1 Peter 5:8-10; Hebrews 11:27.
As your knowledge and understanding grows, you will reach many points of decision, as you no doubt noticed in the previous chapter. Each adjustment in viewpoint and behavior will move you closer to the realization that this is the path you want to stay on forever. You do not need to study until kingdom come before making up your mind. When you finally are sure that this is true and nothing else in the world compares (and you have looked around), you are ready to make your stand.
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