Posted on April 29, 2024 Posted By: HCCCategories: journey
Heartland Community Church
THE JOURNEY
Choose Your Path Wisely
by Bill McMurtrey
Choose a path. We all have this in common: We have had to do this in life. And if you haven’t yet, you will.
When in your life have you had to make a hard choice? What did it involve? Did you have to love someone or something from afar because they weren’t on the same path as you? It wasn’t easy. But I’m willing to bet you would say it was worth it.
18 years ago, I did just that. I’d been at Heartland for over a decade at that time, but I felt called to deepen my connection and commitment to following Jesus. I left a large, established group of friends who weren’t on the same path as me because I wanted to grow closer to Jesus.
One pivotal night, 14 of us gathered, 9 women and 5 men, including me. I remember because I counted. I had invited all of the men to a men’s event. When they asked where I was going to church, a handful, including one with influence, mocked and ridiculed my decision to spend more time at Heartland and not with the group’s activities.
As they shared their thoughts, I remained silent. When they finished speaking, you could feel it in the air. My response was simple, "I don’t know anything of what you’re talking about, but what I do know is that the people of Heartland wouldn’t talk about you like that." We were no longer a group of 14. It was 13 of them, and me.
This was more than a circle of friends. My livelihood came directly from those contacts. Leaving the group meant leaving my current contacts, comfort, and security." But the path I knew that I was called to was to grow closer to Jesus.
Matthew 7:13: "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it."
I gave my all to Jesus when I wanted to and not when I had to. Jesus confirmed for me that the path is narrow but worth it. How will you decide if you are ever in the position of having to choose your path?
What does this passage hold for listeners vs doers? Have you reached a point in your faith journey where you are actively living out the teachings of Jesus? Which teachings do you struggle to live out? How can you invite Jesus into that opportunity for growth?
When faced with the hardest teachings from Jesus have you ever balked? Prepared a list of questions and sought knowledge, or prayed for clarity from him? This passage also holds a hard challenge from Jesus…some followers deserted him and some re-upped in their devotion and commitment to followng him.
In this story Jesus appears to a group of apostles as they walk to Emmaus. They are processing what happened in Jerusalem as Jesus was crucified and died. If you were on this walk, what would you have been processing or wondering? Would you have recognized Jesus? What happened that opened their eyes to who he was?
How can we discern between wise/true and false teachings? What causes us to be drawn toward false teaching? How can we strengthen our eyes and ears to tell the difference? Who are the trusted sources you can talk to as you are discerning?
{extra journey resources}
CLICK HERE to visit The Bible Project site and explore their super simple, super informative Bible videos (and other resources). You can also download The Bible Project App HERE.
CLICK HERE to get the Read Scripture App, from our friends at The Bible Project.
CLICK HERE for more on how to use the observe-reflect-apply approach to getting the most out of your Bible reading.
The Bible App Get the free YouVersion Bible for your phone, tablet, or computer. Experience the Bible anywhere, with options to highlight, save notes, and share what you are reading with others.
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Bible Gateway Provides advanced Bible searching capabilities, which allow readers to find passages in scripture based on keywords, phrases, or scripture reference.
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