Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
The Road Not Taken ~ Robert Frost ~ 1916
Two roads lie in front of us, a choice. We want to sample the path of both, but alas we must choose and travel but one. We use all of our sense and awareness in this choice; is the path safe, is it worn, who else has chosen it, what does the path truly offer us? A choice must be made. As we travel our chosen path, the thoughts of life populate the mind. Did I make the right choice? Is this really the best road? As the problems of life arise on the road, we question. Is it too late to turn around and choose the other? If so, how much progress would be lost? We determine it’s easier to just continue the current road. And this choice, not just the road but the choice to stay on it, makes all the difference in a life.
True contemplation lies within Mr. Frost’s timeless poetic offering. It's true of all lives. All lives have choices. Roads diverge everyday and choices must be made. We exhaustively examine the roads, try to sample them, and even attempt to change roads as one road treats us contemptuously. But eventually we end up on a path and it defines who we are. And that choice must be lived with. What road are you on today?
1 Chronicles chapter 8 continues in our God given genealogical odyssey. As I study through it today it becomes apparent to me that as complicated as the genealogies appear, instead of a forest of family trees, there are really only two trees. If you really take an aerial view of these 9 chapters, you can glimpse an overview that hones those hundreds of names from an expansive orchard into two lone, towering timbers. The tree of Adam and the Tree of Jesus Christ. The first Adam and the last Adam.
The first tree, that of Adam, is the family tree of man. Way back in Genesis 3 we find God’s telling of the entrance of sin into the perfect world He intended. But as satan also entered the world, the plan was altered. Adam and Eve in the root of all sin, pride, wanted to think and be like God. And in their selfish pride, sin was born. And the creation of sin altered the family tree of man. From then on, every single male and female would be born with an inheritance. A predisposed leaning. An inborn nature that leads all people to serve themselves first. A nature that will lead them to mistreat the world to get what they want. A nature that will easily violate the laws of God to feed the flesh. A nature that is built to embrace sin and reject God.
If you have ever questioned this inherited sin nature, I suggest you simply go hang out with a bunch of toddlers. In fact, perform your own experiment. Collect twenty 1-year old's from every race, religion, continent, sex, family background and income level and throw them all into a room together with only 10 toys. Then stand back, way back, and take notes. These children have not been taught to be intensely selfish, but they will quickly claim a toy for themselves and refuse to share. These kids have not specifically been taught to fight, but they will argue, push and shove to get what they want. These toddlers have not been taught to lie, cheat, and take, but they easily preform it to get what they feel they not only need, but deserve. And folks as you’re taking notes on your toddler experiment, realize that this experiment on a larger scale is the world we live in today. Over 7 billion people scrambling to get what they want out of this life. And the adult version of this experiment quickly escalates into include adultery, addiction, rape, idol worship, murder, and war.
The second tree is that of Jesus. God goes to amazing effort to see that the perfect genealogy of Jesus Christ is maintained, protected, and preserved throughout history. Did you know that the genealogies we read in 1 Chronicles were kept in the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem? Do you know what happened when the temple of God built by Solomon was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians in 598 B.C.? Yep, the genealogies were protected and preserved by God. Do you know what happened to the genealogies when the Roman empire destroyed the temple again in 70 A.D.? Yep, these very genealogies we read today were miraculously protected against the ravages of time and war. Why? Well, Jesus' lineage is in these genealogies. And God knows it’s important to be able to prove the lineage of the world’s one and only true King, King Jesus.
When Jesus appeared, He changed the very structure of His tree. He started a new family lineage. Yes, we are born into sin, but the tree of Jesus allows us to change paths. To jump from one tree to another if you will. You see, if we realize, recognize and admit that we do indeed possess a sin nature that is beyond our control, it will move us to see that we are out of control in our sin. Have you ever tried to control your sin? If you’re honest then you know that it runs you and not the other way around. Well, that uncontrollable sin is enough to bar you from entering Heaven. God in His perfection cannot be in the presence of sin. You naturally see the problem. You have sin and there can be no sin in Heaven. There must be atonement for that sin. A covering, an offering, a payment. Your sin costs and somebody has to pay. Enter Jesus Christ.
Throughout the Old Testament God demanded that an unblemished animal be sacrificed and offered as payment for their sin. Bit since people could not ever hope to control their sin nature, millions of innocent animals were being slaughtered every year. So God decided to send a once for all time sacrifice to cover the high cost of sin. He sent His only Son Jesus Christ. In the ultimate show of unconditional love, God the Father sent His only Son, immaculately conceived and born of a virgin so that no sin nature could taint the perfect lamb of God. He sent His perfect, sinless Son as an example. As a messenger. As a Savior. Your sin can be forgiven if you only believe in what He came to do. Save sinners. That’s what Jesus came to do and that’s what Jesus does even to this very day…Jesus saves sinners.
Do you know that the message of Jesus has not changed in 2000 years since He walked this very planet? Do you know that the Salvation He offers you today has not been altered since he offered it to the Jews and Gentiles of Israel in 31 A.D.? The Gospel of Jesus is and always will be the same.
Step 1) Admit that you’re a sinner and that your sin creates a barrier between you and God. It’s a barrier that’s real, you can feel the great empty distance in your life when you embrace and live in your sin. As your heart endures that distance, it cries out to be close to its Creator, close to its God.
Step 2) Understand and confess that Jesus came to be a sacrifice for your sin. That He, as an innocent sacrifice, hung on a Cross to pay the price of your sin that you could never pay. He did it all just for you. So that you could be in Heaven with God when your Earthly body expires. So that you could spend eternity in the presence of God. That is how much God loves you.
Step 3) Make it real, make it verbal, say it out loud. Ask Jesus to come into your life and save you from your sin. A sin that will keep you out of Heaven, a sin that separates you from God, a sin that will steal everything you have in this life. Just ask Jesus to be your Lord, He is faithful to save all that ask.
“For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:13
There are two roads before you today. You can examine both. You can ask others about these roads, shopping for advice on which one is best. You can stand back and see which road most are taking and then follow the crowds. But whatever tactic you take, you will take one of the roads in this life. And which road you take will make all the difference in where your eternity lies. I pray you take the road less travelled, the one only a few will find. For that road leads to Jesus Christ.
“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.” Matthew 7:13-14
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