The Easy Path and the Right Path

We must all face the choice between the easy path and the right path while living in this world. During the Japanese colonial rule over Korea, some people chose to live an easy, comfortable life, but some chose the right path and devoted their whole life to the struggle for their country’s independence. According to their choices, they lived completely different lives and ended up with totally different outcomes; the former were branded as traitors, and the latter were hailed as the Korean independence activists, with their names honored for future generations.

It is the same for our life of faith. We have the choice to follow the easy path or the right path. Until now, we have chosen to follow the right path in our life of faith, which is the path that God has set out for us. Although many people worship on Sunday and believe that their faith is correct, we believe in God’s word and keep the Sabbath, which is the right path. Every year on December 25th, everyone around the world gets in a festive mood for Christmas; however, we are different from them. We cherish the New Covenant Passover, which God established through His precious blood, and we help people realize that they are following the wrong path as they are observing Christmas. In this way, we strive to guide them to the right path.

Everyone can choose the easy path; however, choosing the right path is not something that just anyone can do. We need to think about which path we have been walking on and which path we must walk on as we continue our life of faith. According to the will of Heavenly Father and Mother, we should always choose the right path and live an upright life.

To Enter the Kingdom of God

There are moments in our lives where we find ourselves standing at the crossroads between the easy path and the right path. Choosing the right path requires trouble and suffering. As we see other people choose the easy path in life, we are apt to mistakenly think, “Why shouldn’t I live an easy life like them?”

Satan always tempts us to take the easy path; however, God is always guiding us to the right path, because the Kingdom of Heaven awaits us at the end of that path.

They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said. Ac 14:21–22

Those who truly believe in God will suffer hardship. This world is under the control of Satan, who is making every effort to prevent God’s people from entering Heaven. When we shine the light, the forces of darkness hate and reject it, for fear that the light will expose all of their evil deeds (Jn 3:19–21). Consequently, we must go through many hardships in order to enter the Kingdom of God.

Trying to avoid the hard path by choosing to take the easy path is exactly what Satan wants us to do. The only thing that awaits us at the end of that path is judgment and destruction. We may feel somewhat tired and distressed while walking on the right path; however, the eternal Kingdom of Heaven awaits us at the end of that path. Therefore, we must patiently walk on the right path until the end.

Many people refuse to follow the right path. This is because it is impossible to walk on the right path without a firm determination to enter the Kingdom of Heaven without fail. Thus, only a small number of people will be able to follow this path until the end. The Bible describes the right path as the narrow path or the narrow gate (Mt 7:13–14).

Jesus Chose the Right Path

There will always be temptations at the crossroads between the easy path and the right path. Jesus set us the example of choosing the right path at the crossroads between the easy path and the right path.

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” Mt 4:1–4

Satan attempted to attack Jesus at His weakest point physically, when He was extremely hungry and distressed. He tried to tempt Jesus by saying, “Tell these stones to become bread.” The reason Satan attempted to have Jesus turn stones into bread was because he knew how easily Jesus could feed five thousand people with five barley loaves and two fish by prayer alone.

When facing the crossroads between the easy path and the right path, Jesus chose to take the right path without hesitation. What about Esau? When he was hungry, he only thought about satisfying his hunger first. In that moment, Esau did not care about his birthright. The only thing he wanted to do was eat, which led him to choose food at the expense of his own birthright. On the contrary, even though Jesus was in a desperately critical condition after fasting for forty days, He defeated the temptation to eat by saying, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” This teaches us that we must live on God’s word alone, even if we are in a situation where we are experiencing extreme hunger and distress.

Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’ ” Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’ ” Mt 4:5–10

Satan tempted Jesus to throw Himself down from the highest point of the temple, saying that He would not be injured because God had promised to protect Him. Satan tempted Jesus to choose the easy life; yet, Jesus responded by saying, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” Through this example, He taught us that God is the center of our faith and we should never test God. What if Jesus had chosen to avoid crucifixion by destroying all of His enemies: the soldiers, the chief priests, the Pharisees, and the teachers of the law? If He had chosen the easy path, we would have never been saved, would we? Even though God can do anything, He did not choose the easy path but the right path, the path of sacrifice that would enable Him to save His children.

In his last attempt, Satan told Jesus to bow down and worship him. In return, Satan offered to give Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. Jesus defeated his temptation with a teaching from the Bible, “Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.” Jesus’ response to each of the devil’s temptations demonstrated that He would never forsake the right path in order to take the easy path, regardless of how difficult that path was. This is a practical lesson for us, which Jesus taught while He was living on this earth in the flesh.

Jesus Chose to Live an Evangelical Life

Satan will always suggest an easy path. He tempts us by whispering in our ears, “If you do this, your life will be much easier than it is now. Once you do this, you can raise your status.” From the beginning of His ministry, Christ taught us to always proceed toward the right path with faith, even in the midst of suffering and adversity.

If we always take the easy path, we cannot help but fall into Satan’s temptations; however, if we choose the right path, we will be able to defeat any hindrance from Satan. Focusing on how to live an upright life, we should examine the life of Christ, who always chose the right path, and we should make every effort to fully follow His example.

From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” Mt 4:17

The first thing Jesus did after overcoming the temptations of Satan was teach people the way to enter Heaven by preaching the gospel. Jesus walked the path of the gospel before us. He showed us that preaching is the way to walk on the right path and we should prioritize it above anything else.

Christ’s last request was to preach the gospel to the entire world.

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Mt 28:18–20

During His three-and-a-half year public ministry, Jesus devoted Himself to preaching the gospel by saying, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” Before His ascension following His resurrection, Jesus asked His disciples to do what is right by preaching to all nations.

Preaching the gospel is not an easy thing to do and it requires that we endure many hardships. It is very difficult to lead people to repent and turn to God, because in many instances their hearts are only filled with worldly desires. This is why the Apostle Paul likened the labor of preaching to the pains of childbirth (1 Co 4:15; Gal 4:19). This is also the reason we exist on this earth, as well as the way to live an upright life on this earth. God taught us to care for the people all around us and not to think only of ourselves. Our Holy Heavenly Father and Mother gave us the command to save everyone around us. By doing so, we will be able to return to our eternal home Heaven together.

God has clearly shown us a guidepost for our life of faith through the Bible. This guidepost allows us to follow the life of Christ. If we choose to follow the path that Father and Mother have walked, instead of choosing the easy path, we will never stray from the right path, and we will be able to save many souls through our determination and faith.

The Easy Path and the Right Path That Jonah Chose

We should always choose the right path, regardless of what kind of difficulties we may face when we preach the gospel. The choices and actions of the prophet Jonah show us the results of choosing the easy path and the right path, respectively.

The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish . . . Jnh 1:1–3

God told Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach His message to the people there. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria that was Israel’s enemy and notorious for oppressing the Israelites. The people of Nineveh did not believe in God, and they worshiped idols. As Jonah knew this, he refused to go to Nineveh and even tried to flee to Tarshish, forsaking his prophetic mission. In an effort to escape his difficult situation, Jonah chose the easy path instead of following the right path, the path of obedience to God’s command. Despite his attempt to run away by boarding a ship, Jonah could not escape from God.

Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up . . . Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. Jnh 1:4–7

Jonah was thrown into the sea and swallowed by a great fish that God had provided. While Jonah was inside of the fish, he offered up a prayer of repentance to God and renewed his determination to live according to God’s will, even though it might be difficult to do at times. God caused the fish to vomit Jonah onto dry land as he turned his life in the right direction. Once again God commanded him to go to Nineveh.

Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.” Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh . . . On the first day, Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed: “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned.” The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast . . . Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let any man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.” When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened. Jnh 3:1–10

When God told Jonah to go to Nineveh again after he had repented, Jonah chose the right path without hesitation. As he went to Nineveh and preached God’s word to the Ninevites, something unimaginable happened. All of the people in Nineveh, including the king, believed in God and repented of their sins through fasting. As a result, over 120,000 people were saved from an impending disaster (Jnh 4:10–11).

The Bible says that everything that was written in the past was written to teach us (Ro 15:4). What does the book of Jonah teach us? At first, Jonah chose the easy path and was punished by God. After repenting of his sin, Jonah boldly preached God’s word to the Ninevites. This produced an amazing result; 120,000 people immediately repented and turned to God. In the New Testament we can see that Peter led 3,000 to 5,000 people to repentance in one day; however, in the Old Testament we can barely find a record which shows such a large-scale repentance being achieved by the Gentiles who did not know God. All of this was the result of choosing the right path with the strong determination, “If I perish, I perish.”

The Choice of Those Whom God Approves, and Their Result

Most people want to take the easy path. We should be the ones who choose the right path instead of the easy path. If we take the right path according to the will of Father and Mother in any difficult situation, Satan’s power will be completely broken.

As the children of Heavenly Father and Mother, we have been taught to live an upright life, even in difficulties, instead of choosing to follow the easy path. Father and Mother have set this example for us to follow. As a result of following the example of Father and Mother, the Church of God has grown at a remarkable pace.

Our brothers and sisters all around the world are now preaching the gospel together in unity, with a firm determination to save all mankind. The reason we preach the gospel is because it is the right thing to do. If we choose not to preach to people but instead leave them to their own devices, they will all go to hell. We should worry about their souls by thinking, “What must I do to lead them to repentance so they will be able to enter Heaven?” Shouldn’t we preach the gospel with such an earnest heart? What will happen if we simply want to live an easy life? When Jonah took the easy path, he did not think of others but only cared about his own safety; however, when he chose the right path, he was even ready to die while preaching God’s word. As a result, God helped him lead all of the people of Nineveh to repentance. I am confident that if we choose the right path with this kind of determination, God will surely give us the same power and grace that He bestowed upon Jonah, enabling all mankind to be saved.

. . . On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts. 1 Th 2:3–4

Preaching is the right thing to do and it is something that can only be done by those whom God has approved. The Bible says that those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars in the heavens forever and ever. This is because God knows how difficult it is to bear fruit while carrying our own crosses and sharing in the suffering of Christ.

In the parable of the talents, the man who had received five talents immediately went off and worked hard, which allowed him to gain five more. On the other hand, the man who had received one talent did not do anything, but simply buried his talent in the ground (Mt 25:14–30). If we bury our talents and keep silent, we cannot change the people around us. On the contrary, if we overcome difficulties and preach the gospel fervently, we will produce abundant fruit with our God-given talents.

I hope that all of you, brothers and sisters in Zion, will continue to walk on the right path with obedience to God’s word, regardless of the hardships you face. There are many difficulties awaiting us on the right path, but the fruit we bear on that path is so precious. Let us reflect upon ourselves and consider what kind of life we are living right now. We should ask ourselves, “Am I living an easy life like the man with one talent? Or am I walking on the right path that will allow me to gain ten more talents?” I would like to ask all of you to follow the right path, which Father and Mother have walked ahead of us, and to lead everyone in the world to Heaven. By doing so, you will always be filled with the blessings of the Holy Spirit and enter the Kingdom of Heaven without fail.