The Path
November 18,
2012
Matthew 7:13-14
Enter through the narrow gate;
for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there
are many who take it. For the gate is
narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
Our lives are moving us down a specific road to a
specific gate that leads to a specific end.
The hard road to the narrow gate leads to life while the easy road to
the wide gate leads to destruction.
Jesus doesn't give a lot of wiggle room in this statement. It’s very clear which way is best and which
way Jesus wants us to go.
So why the hard road to the narrow gate? The image is dramatic isn't it. Couldn't God make life easier? I wonder, is greatness ever easy? Make no mistake, the Lord’s desire is that we
live amazing lives that impact this world for generations after us. Greatness doesn't just happen. It takes time, attention to detail, and a lot
of effort. It is a disciplined
life. Living the great life God has
planned of us requires us to make choices and take action. Often those choices will require us to go
against the flow of our culture and society that tends to work against God and
embrace sin. Living God’s way isn't easy
not because God made it hard as much as it puts us against the sinful, wrong
things of this world. Let’s consider…
Everything in this world has two aspects—how it looks at
the moment, and how it will look in the time to come. The easy way may look
very inviting at the moment, and the hard way may look very daunting. The only
way to get our values right is to see, not the beginning, but the end of the
way, to see things, not in the light of time, but in the light of eternity.[1]
Let’s take the more challenging path. Let’s work and strive for greatness in the
Lord. Let’s live for eternity and not
for the moment. Let’s make the choice to
follow the path that leads to life.
[1] The Gospel of
Matthew: Volume 1, ed. William Barclay, The Daily Study Bible Series
(Philadelphia, PA: The Westminster John Knox Press, 1976), 280.
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