Wednesday, March 10, 2010

gates and roads


The Narrow Gate

13 "You can enter God's Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hells is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way.14 But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.
matthew 7
this verse actually gives me hope when things are kind of piling on top of me when i try to live for God.  it's an amazing reminder that Jesus never said that following Him was going to be easy.  we know that His yoke is easy and His burden is light (matthew 11:28-30), meaning we're not held down by endless rules, laws, and regulations.  this means that we have true rest and comfort in Him by simply committing to Him.  but this does not mean that living for Jesus will be a piece of cake, either.  numerous times throughout the scriptures, we see Jesus again and again testing people to their limits, to see if they actually wanted Him or His miracles.  we see people drop Him because His teaching is too hard.  but when i think about how He says that the way to life is narrow and difficult, i'm kind of encouraged because then i kind of know i'm going in the right direction.  following Jesus isn't an easy stroll in the park, it's a race to the finish.  but it's only done by depending on the Holy Spirit, our comforter, our counselor.  because i think if we were just following Jesus and only looking for difficulty in our lives without looking at the big picture, this becomes legalism, religion, and meaningless.  it's about how even though following Him is hard, it doesn't have to be.  it's hard to explain!  the burdens that the world sees that we have to us aren't really burdens because we're depending on Jesus!  is this making sense?  from the outside, it looks like this following Jesus business is really hard, we have to give up too much, we have to risk ourselves too much, we get too little recognition, etc.  but from the inside and having a relationship with Jesus, it doesn't become the "have to's" it becomes the "get to's."  "i get to give up things that would never last, i get to give up the burden of having to worry about things that God would have already provided for, i get to be humble like Jesus, i get to be a stronger person because of the difficulties and lessons that God puts in my life."  that's where we stand as Christ followers, and i don't think i would trade it for anything in the world.  
the sad part is, people see the narrow way and pass it up.  they see the easy and broad gate and waltz right on through.  it's easier living for and caring for yourself.  we know that.  it's easier keeping the things that make us happy.  it's easier not sacrificing our time, effort, and energy for other people.  it's easier to not face our depression and anxiety.  it's easier to sweep things under the rug.  it's easier to just live in sin without acknowledging it.  can't we see that the easy way out doesn't make us any stronger?  can't we see that to be stronger people, courageous people, people with something to live for, we have to go through difficulties?  the world tells us differently.  media blocks out the children in need.  the desperate families.  the oppressed people.  the hungry people.  the dying people.  and we're amazed by televisions, computers, gadgets, clothes, magazines, celebrities, ipads and we forget about haiti, chile, and new orleans.  to go through the narrow gate, the difficult road, doesn't just mean putting yourself in a tough place, it means depending on Jesus and trusting Him to use you for amazing things.  to strengthen your character and make you the person that your children look up to.  that's what the narrow gate offers, and the wide one, well, in the end, it does lead to nothing.  

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