Stay Out of the Ditch!

Here’s a radical thought: living the Christian life is largely about managing to stay out of ditches. 

After passing on the Ten Commandments, Moses instructed the Israelites “You shall be careful therefore to do as the Lord your God has commanded you.  You shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.” (Deut 5:32).  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told his disciples, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matt 7:13-14).

So, one way to view our Christian journey in life is that of following a narrow road, being mindful to stay out of the ditches on the right and left.  And there are plenty of ditches along the road!  

There are legalists on the right who want to burden us with rules, while there are libertines on the left who would have us abuse our liberty in Christ.  Some demand we follow only a specific Bible translation, while others completely deny the divine revelation of Scripture.  Some preach only hellfire and brimstone while others focus exclusively on social justice.  These (and other) extremes are ditches we need to avoid to stay on the straight and narrow path.

How do we avoid the ditches?  Look to Jesus.  He completely fulfilled the Law, yet He consistently showed mercy.  He forgave sin, yet accompanied it with the instruction to “sin no more.”  He gave us a tough example to follow, but also showed us that He is the narrow way (John 14:6).  If we are growing in Christ, and He is growing inside of us, then He gives us the light to see the narrow path and stay out of those ditches!