Welcome back! It took a while, but now our journey continues on the wide road! 🙂
We were left with the challenging topic of cinema. You can read it again here.
Today is no less challenging! Are you ready to continue your journey?
False religions
Some pilgrims on the wide path now notice that their inner emptiness is increasing. Despite all the entertaining pleasures, one need remains unfulfilled. Many realize that a life without religion is not fulfilling. Following a religion gives life meaning and direction. It helps to find structure and direction. That's why more and more people are getting involved with different religions. One trend that I am observing is that people like to make up their own religion. You take what you like from the various religions and turn it into a belief system that suits you. That way, everyone can find a religious home.
Despite an increase in general religiosity, churches in this country are shrinking. More and more people are leaving the church. The large churches have lost their appeal. To counteract this trend, many churches are adapting to the spirit of the times. The sermons are becoming shallower. There are no longer any stirring messages that show the listener their need for redemption. Instead, a gospel is proclaimed that only encourages the listener. God accepts everyone. You don't have to change. As long as you believed in Jesus, you would be saved. Lifestyle is not the decisive factor. Cornerstones of Christian doctrine such as the authority of the Bible, creation in seven literal days or marriage consisting of a man and a woman are disappearing more and more. Jesus is portrayed as a chummy guy who takes a relaxed view of everything. We no longer hear much about the terrible wounds that sin inflicts on the human soul and about genuine repentance and conversion, away from the old life towards true freedom from sin, towards God. Where does anyone still talk about absolute devotion and self-sacrifice today?
Popular religion soothes the conscience, but changes very little in life. You continue to live with the things that hurt your soul and reassure yourself with the thought that Jesus still loves you and that as long as you believe in him, everything will be alright.
The same applies to all other religions. Here, many try to change their karma through good deeds or to earn points with their god. Everyone tries to appease the voice of their conscience.
This voice is the Holy Spirit, who works in every heart and shows people the things in their lives that are not right. However, many suppress this voice or try to achieve a balance through good deeds.
But everyone misses the essential point: Jesus freely offers the gift of his salvation. He has done everything so that we can be freed from our guilt. We don't have to do good works to wash ourselves clean or earn the gift of salvation. This gift can simply be accepted in faith. There is only one condition. The Bible calls it „repentance“. This is repentance. God can only heal the soul if man gives up the behaviors that hurt his soul over and over again. A burn cannot heal if you keep holding it in the fire. In the same way, we must stay away from things that harm our souls. But even here God wants to help us. If we live in a God-centered relationship with him, he will change our heart with his desires and inclinations. This will also change our behavior and habits.
The 10 commandments
In the Ten Commandments, he has laid down very precisely what a life with God should look like. We should give up all things that are more important than God. Everything we worship more than our heavenly friend is an idol. But only God can give us true life and freedom. Therefore, the first step is to identify and throw out all idols in our lives. We should also not worship and adore anything in this world except our Father in heaven. Nothing should receive our love and devotion more than the Creator of the universe. God's name should be sacred to us. If we love God, we will be careful to honor Him with our lives and words. We will keep the Sabbath holy and rest on it to recharge our batteries in communion with God. These are the first four commandments that describe the relationship between God and man.
The other six commandments regulate how people live with each other. To find true happiness and health, we should respect our parents. Because we see life as a gift from God, we will not kill. Jesus says that he who hates his brother has already killed. There are studies that show how such negative feelings affect not only our interpersonal relationships, but also our own health. God goes on to tell us to keep marriage holy. How much pain and suffering is caused by infidelity and the constant changing of partnerships. We live in a world of broken families because this commandment is not heeded. Out of these broken families come traumatized children who have no stability and identity.
Next comes the commandment: „Thou shalt not steal“. Even if not everyone is a thief, we often rob each other in many areas of life. We rob each other of our time and our affection. Everyone is only concerned with themselves and robs others of their affection. Another commandment that is no longer taken seriously today is „Thou shalt not lie“. White lies are not a problem. But every soap opera shows us what even the smallest lie can lead to. Lying destroys trust and therefore relationships. Honesty, on the other hand, creates trust and security.
The last commandment is also highly topical today! „Thou shalt not covet!“ We always want what we don't have. Especially in times of social media, you see the great vacations, the happiness in love or the expensive car of others. This makes you want to have that too. Envy quickly arises. What the other person has is better than mine. My wife is annoying, but my neighbor's wife seems to be the perfect dream woman. And drama is inevitable!
With the commandments, God has given us a good roadmap for a happy life. Only the religion that elevates these commandments and leads us back to them is the true religion. However, many Christians have failed when they have tried to keep these commandments on their own. This is absolutely impossible and can plunge one into deep despair. This is what happened to Martin Luther, for example. The standard of the Bible is far too high and we are too alienated from it to be able to return to it on our own. That is why God wants to give us a new heart and let his Spirit dwell in us. If he is allowed to have full control over our lives, he will begin to heal our broken hearts bit by bit. We will live more and more automatically according to his commandments. The more we come into harmony with these commandments, the more peace will fill the heart.
I myself have been looking for the right path for a long time and have found it here! Yes, finding true peace costs everything. You have to give up everything you once loved and thought was good for you. We are often trapped in real addictions that we can't get out of on our own. But if we hand ourselves over to God every day and submit our will to his, he will bring us out of all addictions bit by bit. He will give us joy in things that we previously saw as boring. In return, we will detest other things that we once liked.
I very much hope that all churches will wake up and not fight for the recognition of the world, but that their only goal is to strive for the recognition of God! This is the core of the problem for me, also for my own church. But it is still nice to know that there are true Christians in every denomination who live their faith with full devotion. I am sure that God will soon gather all his children from all religions to lead us together to our heavenly home!
The self-optimization factory
Some people can't relate to religion in any way. They give spirituality a wide berth. There is also something suitable for them on the broad path.
Everyone longs for acceptance and acceptance. We want to belong somewhere. Basically, nobody wants to go through life alone. Society gives us ideals of what a happy, perfect life should look like. Women have to be slim and beautiful. Their skin must have an even complexion. No spots or wrinkles should detract from the overall impression. Men are expected to be muscular and heroic. Flabby beanpoles do not correspond to the ideal of beauty. Hollywood shows us how we have to be in order to be accepted and lovable. A small tummy line, skin blemishes or receding hairline immediately make us feel inferior. We worry that this will make us less likely to find a partner. Belief in evolution also plays a role here. In the animal world, the female chooses the strongest male that can impress her the most. The strongest wins. So everyone tries to be the most beautiful, the smartest and the best so that they have the best chances in love or at work. There are an endless number of coaches, influencers and products in this world that want to help us do this. Welcome to the self-optimization factory! The internet is full of videos on how to train our bodies properly so that we look athletic. We can find lots of beauty tips. Many want to help us make big gains with little effort. There are also masterclasses from influencers who coach us on how to find our dream partner. For all those who are insecure and introverted, there are many guides on how to become more self-confident. There is something for everyone. If you want, you can spend the whole day working on how to optimize yourself. And why all this? So that you end up with strong self-confidence and meet society's standards. We are promised that if we leave the self-optimization factory, we will lead a fulfilled life.
The attentive observer of the picture will have noticed that there are two golden signs in front of the factory. One reads: „You are precious in my eyes“. The other reads: „I love you! Turn back!“ Here God is speaking to the wanderer who wants to improve himself. In God's eyes, this self-optimization factory is unnecessary. He knows exactly how futile it is when people try to make themselves more popular and acceptable. Many people end up in the factory because they have low self-esteem. They long to be loved and accepted. Therefore, they try to fulfill the standards that this world prescribes for them. They try to dress and behave properly so as not to fall off the grid. But God says to all these people: „I created you, indeed I designed you myself. You are beautiful in my eyes. I have given you your personality and its strengths. Unfortunately, I also know that sin has destroyed a lot in you. It has left its mark on your life. Your heart is broken. You are trying to mend your outward appearance through this factory, but your broken heart will always remain wounded. Only I can really heal it. Yes, I even want to make it completely new. I want to restore you to who I originally created you to be, namely a princess or prince of God. You are to be my heir and heir to the throne. Do you know how much I love you?
I have left my throne, my claim to rule and the love and adoration of all my angels to come to this dark, unremarkable earth. I have become a little helpless baby, lived among the poorest and most despised to know what it feels like to be rejected. I have been betrayed and killed by my own people that I have protected and blessed for millennia. I was abandoned by my best friends. Yes, even my father, with whom I have been connected since eternity, had to withdraw from me when I took on all the sins of the entire world. That was unbearable for me. It broke my heart. But I also made all your sins, all your mistakes and weaknesses mine. I paid the terrible price in your place, namely eternal death, so that you could live my life as prince and king. I love you so much that I am offering you a trade: Give me your broken, shattered, guilt-ridden life. In exchange, I'll give you my joyful, sinless life as King of the Universe. You can have true peace and joy. You will never be lonely again because you are part of a huge heavenly family. Well, what do you think? Do you want to take the plunge? Then turn around and follow the path to the narrow way. It will lead you to this glorious destination!“
Unfortunately, many suppress this quiet voice with this great offer. They are not prepared to let go of their old life in exchange. They are convinced that they can find a fulfilled life without God's help. So they stomp confidently into the self-optimization factory.
But did you notice how the hiker leaves the factory on the wide path? He comes out bent over. It's not that easy to optimize yourself. No matter how hard you try, you will never reach the ideal. There will always be someone who is more beautiful, smarter, more talented and better than me. And some things simply cannot be changed, such as the ageing process. No matter how many creams you use, wrinkles can no longer be avoided at some point. Even beauty ops don't help in the long term. It's a race against time. Everyone will lose this race sooner or later. What remains when the beauty has faded and the health has disappeared? How do you measure your worth then?
Sooner or later, everyone will realize this. That's why there's a sign after the self-optimization factory that says: „Didn't work after all?“ Right behind it is another sign: „Try spirituality!“ When the lies of self-optimization have lost their magic, some people start to think about something supernatural. They embark on a search for a meaning to life in some form of spirituality. But even here they often fail to find the answers they have been searching for so long.
The second fork in the road
Many are now disillusioned with their life path. Self-optimization has not helped them to find deep peace of heart, love and acceptance. Even the various religions are usually no real help. Discouraged, these people continue to drag themselves through life. The path now leads ever more steeply downhill. It also becomes increasingly darker and narrower. Hope is fading more and more. But there is still a light on the horizon!
The pilgrims on the wide path now come to another crossroads. There, a sign points to the true religion. At the same time, another sign warns that this is the last chance to change to the narrow path. A man stands in front of the signpost, pointing out the narrow path. He explains to passers-by the difference between the false and the true religion. He also exposes the lies of the self-optimization factory. He tells of the peace he himself has found on the narrow path. The outward appearance of the man confirms his words. He radiates a deep sense of calm. You can really sense that he is at rest in himself - or rather, in God. His face lights up when he talks about the love of God that has healed his broken heart. He courageously calls on his listeners to leave the broad path. Even if the ascent to the narrow path is steep, it would definitely be worth the effort! Right at the end of the ascent, on the other side of the ditch, the Sabbath rest awaits the weary pilgrims. There they could finally find the rest they had been looking for.
Some hikers take a closer look at the ascent to the narrow path. The path looks very narrow, steep and difficult. But from above, a pleasant light shines on the fork in the path, making it look inviting. One or two people consider taking the path and perhaps even climb the first few steps. But they soon give up, discouraged. Although the warm light wants to give them strength, they only see the difficulties of the path. It is much more pleasant to follow the wide path leading downwards than to struggle up the narrow path. So most people turn back and continue along the path to destruction. You don't have to exert yourself on this path. What's more, there are still plenty of exciting things to discover along the way.
Only the few who follow the light shining from the narrow path reach the cross in front of the abyss. The path here is much longer and steeper than at the first fork. This shows that it becomes increasingly difficult to turn back to God the longer you have followed the broad path. But those who do not give up will find forgiveness of their guilt on the cross, just like the wanderer on the narrow path. The heavy burden that you have been carrying around with you all this time now falls away. The exchange takes place there on the cross. Jesus takes on the burden of sin, pays the price through his death on the cross, so that the believer can now start his new life free. The bridge to the narrow path is also much more unstable and shaky. The abyss is deep and dark. It takes courage and faith to cross this bridge. But those who dare will be rewarded with the promised peace on the narrow path.
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