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Second, following Jesus requires seeking. God created a world where you can have real freedom. He does this by not compelling your obedience through His overwhelming presence. He has left enough of Himself in the world to encourage people to seek Him. He has left enough of Himself out of the world to allow selfish, sinful people to go on about their business. You must look for the path that leads to life, you have to want
it, and you have to be willing to work for it. Seeking God isn’t something you do in your spare time. It is something that you make the primary focus of your life or it is doomed to failure. Jeremiah 29:13 says, “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”
Last, following Jesus is not always popular. If you are using societal norms as an indicator of which path to follow, you are more likely to find an easy path that leads you someplace you don’t want to go. We all need help finding our direction. We need mentors and role-models who can show us the way and help us get back on track when we get lost. But we need to realize that following Jesus will not always lead to worldly success or approval. The path that Jesus calls us to walk may be solitary sometimes. We need to be prepared for that so when the rest of the world is headed in one direction, we aren’t startled into disobedience by the realization that we are standing by ourselves on a lonely path. The same Jesus who calls us to walk this path promises to be with us always (Matt 28:20).
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. Do you have a story about picking a path based on ease of travel only to find out it led somewhere terrible? How about a story of a hard path that led to a great destination?
2. How do some people find the wrong path simply by failing to make a choice?
3. What does it mean that the gate is small? What is the difference between sin and encumbrances? How can we learn to spot our encumbrances?
4. What does it mean that the way is narrow? How does God’s path restrict us? Why does God’s path restrict us?
5. What does “few are those who find it” mean? How might it be misunderstood?
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