Proverbs 14:12
Life - it’s what happens every day! Life forces choices upon us. Choices of all kinds from such things as jobs, careers, schools and marriage to these types of things: morality, purpose of life, faith and world view. Some of these choices we make with thoughtful effort, but others we just kind of grow into. We might say our environment chooses for us. That can be good, or it can be bad.
The Bible speaks repeatedly of a way of life. Jesus spoke of the straight and narrow way which leads to life and a broad way leading to destruction (Matthew 7:13-14). Our text has the same idea in mind where a way which seems right to a person leads to death (eternal death is in view). This being the case, how vital it is to examine the way we live for the warning is chilling - you may be on a path which looks good to you, but its end is destruction!
What would make a way of life seem good to us when it really wasn’t good at all? First, we tend to like to go with the crowd. If others are living a certain way, and that way of living is being validated by certain people “in the know,” then we will often follow it. If others are living in such a way, it must be all right for me.
Another way in which we choose the wrong path is that we often choose the one which requires the least effort. We don’t like hard work. We don’t like change. We don’t like to sacrifice. So unless we see really good reason to choose a way of living which requires any of these, we’ll balk at it and choose an easier road.
Lastly, some ways just seem good to us as our text says. It fits with our current view of things. It “strokes my ego” and “inflates my pride.” Every thing about that way of life just lines up with my way of thinking and seeing life. So, if it seems good to me, what can be the harm in it?
How crucial it is that each one of us evaluate (and regularly do so) the way of life which we are taking for death could well be its destination! Only the Word of God can keep us on the path of life.