The way I see it is that when we become a Christian, two paths are put before us labeled, “Easy” and “Hard.” And then we have a choice to make… which path will I choose? In fact, Jesus was forever asking the people to choose which pathway they wanted to walk. These words from Matthew 16:24 are not only some of Jesus’ most popular words, but they are some of the most important ones. Basically, He’s saying that a true follower is one who makes a commitment. One who jumps ALL IN. This is the hard path. The easy path is what we might call a nominal Christian.
Let’s look at both pathways. The Easy pathway is someone who has given their heart to Jesus in salvation, but that’s as far as it goes. They put the brakes on and never venture into a life of commitment and devotion to Jesus. They are Christians in name only. They go to church on Sunday, but their ears and hearts are closed off. Someone once told me that when the pastor said something really good, her husband would nudge her. In other words, he never considered himself in the equation. A Christian who is walking the easy pathway is someone who doesn’t look any different than an unbeliever. He or she never talks about Jesus, never sacrifices anything, never serves others in the name of Jesus. A Christian who is walking the easy pathway does not care what God has to say.
But a Christian who chooses the Hard pathway, is the one who loves, serves, worships, and listens to God. In fact, this is the pathway Jesus wants all of His people to walk. But this pathway is not always easy. It will take some sweat, hard work, sacrifice, and 100% commitment. To walk this pathway, we put Jesus and others above ourselves, we seek Him above all things, we are willing… willing to go outside our comfort zones, willing to take on difficult tasks, willing to let God’s Word seep into the depths of our hearts. Those who choose the hard pathway must be both a worshiper and a warrior.
In 1 Corinthians 3:12-15, the apostle Paul talks about the moment we stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ. Those who build with materials that have eternal value (the hard pathway), rewards will be given. But those who build with materials that will burn up (the easy pathway), will lose rewards. We really cannot know everything about the rewards, but Paul reveals that getting rewards is so much better than losing rewards. I choose to walk the hard pathway… the pathway of sacrifice, love, and commitment. I choose to jump ALL IN. Will you join me?