- Power and Responsibility — Using Influence Well
- Power Perfected in Weakness (2 Cor 12:9)
- Engineering Decisions That Carry Weight
- Servant Leadership: Christ’s Model (Mark 10:42–45)
- Permissions, Access, and Ethical Control
- The Danger of Self-Reliance
- The Responsibility of Accurate Data
- Authority as Stewardship
- Security Choices That Protect Real People
- Choosing the Narrow Way (Matt 7:13–14)
Every day is filled with choices.
Some are ordinary.
What to say.
How to spend our time.
Whether to speak or remain silent.
Others shape the direction of our lives far more profoundly.
How will we use our influence?
What kind of character will we cultivate?
Whom will we trust?
Near the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus presents one of the clearest choices in all of Scripture.
There are two gates.
Two roads.
Two destinations.
One is broad and easy.
The other is narrow and difficult.
And Jesus invites us to choose carefully.
The Attractive Broad Road
The broad road is appealing.
It requires little thought.
Little sacrifice.
Little resistance.
It follows the natural current of human instinct.
Pride over humility.
Comfort over obedience.
Power over service.
Recognition over faithfulness.
It is spacious because very little needs to change.
People simply continue following the path that feels easiest.
Jesus never suggests this road lacks companions.
In fact, many travel it.
Popularity, however, is not the same as wisdom.
Why the Narrow Way Is Difficult
The narrow way is not difficult because God delights in making life hard.
It is difficult because it requires transformation.
It asks us to surrender:
our pride,
our self-sufficiency,
our desire for control,
our need for recognition.
Walking this road often means choosing faithfulness over convenience.
Integrity over compromise.
Service over status.
These choices rarely happen only once.
They become a daily pattern.
A Month About Power
Throughout July we have explored power and responsibility.
Power itself is not the problem.
The question has always been how it is used.
The broad road says:
“Use influence for yourself.”
The narrow way says:
“Use influence to serve others.”
The broad road accumulates power.
The narrow way stewards it.
The broad road asks,
“What can I gain?”
The narrow way asks,
“How can I faithfully serve?”
Small Choices Form the Road
Life rarely changes direction through one dramatic decision.
Instead, countless small choices shape the path beneath our feet.
Choosing honesty when deception would be easier.
Protecting another person’s dignity.
Refusing to misuse authority.
Acting with integrity when nobody is watching.
Each decision may appear insignificant.
Together they determine the road we walk.
Character is built one ordinary choice at a time.
Walking Against the Current
The narrow way often feels lonely.
Not because Christians seek isolation.
But because faithfulness sometimes requires moving against prevailing culture.
There will be moments when:
ethical engineering costs time.
servant leadership appears weak.
integrity seems inefficient.
humility receives little recognition.
In those moments, Jesus reminds us that the value of a path is not determined by how crowded it is.
The Freedom of Obedience
At first glance, the narrow way appears restrictive.
It asks us to surrender.
To deny ourselves.
To follow Christ.
Yet those who walk this road discover an unexpected freedom.
Freedom from constant comparison.
Freedom from the exhausting pursuit of status.
Freedom from allowing success or failure to define identity.
Obedience narrows our choices.
It also liberates our hearts.
The Narrow Way in Technical Work
The principles explored throughout this year apply here as well.
The narrow way in engineering may involve:
building accessible software even when it takes longer.
protecting user privacy even when exploitation would be profitable.
writing maintainable code instead of impressive code.
admitting uncertainty instead of pretending certainty.
Making decisions that honour people above convenience.
These choices are rarely the easiest.
But they are faithful.
Following a Person, Not Merely a Path
The Christian life is not ultimately about choosing better principles.
It is about following Jesus.
He is the one who walked the narrow way perfectly.
He chose obedience over comfort.
Truth over popularity.
Service over status.
The cross over worldly power.
He never asks us to walk a road he has not already travelled himself.
Looking Towards the Destination
Jesus reminds us that roads lead somewhere.
Every decision has direction.
Every habit shapes destiny.
The destination matters more than temporary ease.
Faithfulness may not always produce immediate reward.
But it leads towards life.
That promise gives courage for today’s choices.
Carrying This Forward
July has challenged us to think carefully about power, leadership, authority, responsibility, security, and service.
Every one of these themes ultimately returns to this question:
Which road are we choosing?
The one shaped by self-interest—
or the one shaped by Christ?
The Invitation
Today, choose the narrow way.
Choose integrity when compromise seems easier.
Choose humility when recognition is tempting.
Choose service when power could be used for yourself.
Choose faithfulness when nobody else notices.
These choices may appear small.
But they become the path beneath your feet.
And over time,
that path leads not merely towards success—
but towards life.
July Complete
Across the month we have explored how influence should be exercised with humility, integrity, stewardship, and love. From servant leadership to ethical engineering, from permissions and security to dependence upon God, the central message has remained the same:
Power is safest when it is exercised in service of others and under the authority of Christ.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®). Copyright © Crossway.
