January 14, 2022: The Narrow Gate Leads to Life...The Wide Gate to Destruction. Which Do We Choose?

I have read the following verse in Matthew many times over the years, but I never fully understood its full meaning. But as the Lord is continually teaching me what true surrender means, one can apply the following verse to come to mean that we must completely surrender everything in our lives before we can enter heaven.

Matthew 7: 13-24

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

It struck me after reading this verse the other day that if we are planning to enter a narrow gate, we cannot be taking anything with us. We must enter "empty-handed". We cannot enter carrying anything or anyone with us. Everyone must enter on their own accord.

But on the other hand, if we are entering by the wide gate, we can carry anything we want...a backpack full of stuff, someone in our arms or whatever we want. But if we do choose the wide gate, we are choosing to carry the things we think we may need.

Jesus tells us that if we want to walk on the road that leads to "life", we must take the narrow gate to enter that "road of life". We must be willing to "surrender" everything before we enter.

Think of it this way: Have you ever gone for a long walk, and you decided to bring along a backpack. That backpack after a while becomes heavy and you want to just get rid of it, but you can’t because all the stuff you brought with you is in it. But now imagine going on that same walk with nothing on you. Don't you feel much freer? Nothing heavy is weighing you down.

That is the same way God is calling us to be free by accepting His son Jesus into our lives. As we come to "totally surrender of everything" to Jesus, we are now free to enjoy life as we should, in total dependence in Him. Nothing we need to carry with us, only the "cross of Jesus"...He will provide all our needs as we need them.

Matthew 10: 37-39

“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.

PERSONNAL COMMENT:

We must not put anything or anyone between our relationship with our Lord...Mother, father, brother, sister...Nothing! We must be willing to “lose our life” to be able to find Jesus. All of Him, none of me!