“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway of life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14 NLT)
Though Jesus spoke only of a single, narrow gate we must enter to have eternal life, I tend to believe that life is filled with gates. Think of the “gates” of opportunity that presented themselves throughout your life. That job opportunity that seemed to be a sure thing, but the “gate” closed. Or that relationship that seemed to be going so well, then all of a sudden, the “gate” slammed shut.
But sometimes it’s not someone else who closes those gates, we close them ourselves. The gates of life are often closed and locked by the haunting secrets of the past and guarded carefully by the worries of the present. Many are those whose dreams lie shattered at life’s locked gates, dreams broken by the demands of an empty life.
The truth is, much of the time our dreams have nothing to do with eternity, we’re simply trying to make a bigger splash on the shorelines of this life. As I think of the “dreams” I had as a younger man, if the Lord had let me have them, would it have resulted in my being more like Him? I seriously doubt it. It wasn’t about Him; it was about me.
I was pursuing things that would have promoted my dreams and desires, not His; trinkets of this world that may easily have blocked my view of the Treasure He desires to be in my heart and life. Could it be the “narrow” way isn’t intended to be hard to find at all, yet, for some it seems very elusive. But why?
Could it be our view and God’s view of “life” are quite different. Often the picture we try to paint for our kids or grandkids isn’t really our dreams for them, but our spoiled dreams for ourselves. It’s like we think we can get another shot at fulfilling our dreams vicariously through them. If only we’d focus our eyes on God, rather than on ourselves, we would clearly see the plans of God for us are better than anything this world has to offer, better than anything we could have imagined for ourselves.
What do we really want? What were those dreams supposed to give us that we can’t find in a relationship with Jesus? Many professing believers aren’t really looking for a committed walk with Jesus, they want a respectable religious life that allows them to be all they want to be, not all they could be for Him.
Here’s the deal – God doesn’t want to make us religious; He wants to make us righteous! He wants to put you and me in a right relationship with Himself that likely won’t result in us being rich and famous in this life but will prepare us to live life to the fullest now, while preparing us to live forever with Him in heaven.
What might that preparation entail? Submission to His authority over us; a God-centered focus on what He wants for us, not fulfilling the desires of our heart, but His. Sanctifying our outcomes to bless people for His name’s sake in a way that will lead them to heaven, not hell.
The hardest part of the Christian life for me has been to learn to want what God wants for me more than what I want for myself. Gratefully, I’m learning that the Lord knows me better than I know myself, so His choices for me are always much better than my choices for myself.
The narrow gate that leads to life isn’t a destination, it’s a Person. His name is Jesus. When you find Him, you’ll find life.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 