April 23, 2022 WANT TO BE ONE OF THE FEW ?
Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. How narrow is the gate, and restricted is the way that leads to life! Few are those who fine it.” (World English Bible)
“Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it.” (New American Standard)
In our culture, we prefer the ‘wide’ way; we like having many options and choices; we are proud of being tolerant and all inclusive. We encourage others to ‘do what they feel is right in any given situation;’ we reject the idea of moral absolutes; and we want no one telling us what to do. The verse above serve as a stark warning to our culture as a whole. Proverbs 14:12 tells us “There is a way which seems right to a person, but its end is the way of death.” Contrary to the ways of the culture, Jesus tells us that the gate is narrow and that the path that leads to life is narrow, or restricted-what a great contrast to what the world tells us. Suppose you are a soldier walking through a dense forest and you are using a map that someone gave you that would insure that you would get through the forest, and this map showed a clear path that you must follow. There are many paths in the forest, but only one takes you through the forest. On this path you will come to what looks like a great detour, perhaps a shortcut, or a path that leads to a clear spring of refreshing water. But, off of the path there is danger; the enemy has placed land mines and has set traps designed to ensnare and destroy you. It becomes clear in this story that we must make decisions to stay on the narrow path, even if we are tempted to get off the path, if we are to find life. Sadly, many take the wide path and only a few take the narrow, restricted path. Even though the path that Jesus says to take is narrow and restrictive, it is the only path that leads to life. The path is restrictive in the sense that the gospel, the commands and teachings of scripture, is the only way that leads to life. For example, in the gospel, we are told what to think about and what to set our mind on; to think wrong thoughts is to get off the narrow path. We are instructed to speak words that edify and build up; to speak words that tear down is to get off the path. You get the idea-there are many examples we could give. The narrow gate refers to Jesus being the only way of salvation; all other gates lead to destruction. Let us be counter-culture; let us walk through the narrow gate and embrace the narrow, restrictive way, or path, that leads to life. May we read the scriptures with the mindset that they are the path that God has set before us. In reality, following the path that leads to life is liberating; staying on the path enables us to discover our full potential as sons and daughters of God. Thank God for showing us the way, and thank Him for the narrow way that preserves us and keeps us form destruction and leads us to life.
John 10:27-29 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. My Farther, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Fathers hand.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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