The Narrow and Strait

Matthew 7: 13-14 (KJV) “Enter ye at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be that go in there at: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”

This one might hurt!

These are the Lord’s own words, and He always means what He says! So what is He telling us? Only a few of us will find the way. I ask; Do we smugly sit in our pews looking around and saying, “We all have it made,” when we do not even begin to understand what that means? I can’t help but think of the man at the wedding feast.

Matthew 22: 11-14 (NASB) “But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?’ And the man was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Many of us heard the call long ago in our past. But have we remained true to the call? Are we further ahead than when we started? Has our love for Christ grown richer in time? Do outsiders look at us and say, “There goes a true follower of Jesus Christ?” Has that call to belong to Christ become lukewarm or complacent? If we are not constantly scrutinizing and revaluating our walk with Christ then most likely we have fallen into mediocrity. And mediocrity can only cause us to show for the wedding feast naked!

Have we compromised our walk for the sake of comfort? Has ritual weakened our faith to the point of destruction? Sometimes it seems as if we are only going through the motions and that is dangerous. Why don’t we examine ourselves? Are we afraid we will be told we must give up or stop doing? The walk is not about the dos and don’ts. It is about loving our Lord! Now, we do show our love through obedience to His words.

Reexamine your commitment. Count the cost. Are you following Christ with every ounce of your energy? Do you know what a nominal Christian is? It means ‘in name only.’ That is not the way to approach eternity. Search yourself and make sure all is well between you and the Lord.

Amen?