Crucial choices – from grit to grace ∙
There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death. – Proverbs 16:25
Matthew 7:13-14
13 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.
14 But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.
Even under favorable weather conditions, traveling on some roads can be extremely dangerous. Imagine driving through a mountainous terrain filled with twists and turns, inclines and declines. The consequences can be dire if you don’t know they are coming and adjust driving accordingly. Missing a turn in the mountains can result in driving off a cliff.
Caution signs are erected along these roads to safeguard drivers and their loved ones. These signs alert drivers of upcoming turns and other potentially hazardous road conditions.
Similarly, the Father is fully aware of the hazards we face traveling along life’s highways. He has posted many warning signs in His Word to help us avoid danger and devastation.
Could it be that people have misconceptions about which choices are beneficial or detrimental? Many parents influence their children to believe that hard work will bring success. Take, for instance, the popular saying from the Emmy-winning TV show Friday Night Lights, “Clear eyes. Full hearts. Can’t lose.” Recent studies have identified “grit,” a measure of one’s work ethic, as a crucial determinant of success in life. Grit is all about your work ethic. Grit motivates individuals to labor diligently and persist regardless of the obstacles.
In the world, grit can lead to extraordinary achievements in life. In the kingdom of God, can grit bring us into the presence of the King?
The Lord Jesus Christ provides an answer to this. He presents two options for people to choose from. One path leads to life, while the other leads to destruction. The route to eternal life is described as “narrow.” It is the road less traveled. This choice is not popular, and few choose it.
Luke 13:24 Strive to enter the narrow door to God’s Kingdom, for many will try to enter but will fail.
The path most people opt for is broad and effortless. The Lord Jesus Christ asserts that the popular consensus leads to destruction.
What is being overlooked by the majority? What are they missing? There is an immense difference between the nature of God and the nature of the human race. It is often not fully grasped or considered. The Father is holy, righteous, and good. His is perfect. Fallen humanity is not. Even the best of us fall short of the absolute holiness of the living God.
It is a sobering truth that no amount of hard work or determination can bridge this gap. We cannot, through our own efforts, overcome this disparity. We cannot make up the difference. We cannot save ourselves from our sins.
Knowing this, The Father sent the Lord Jesus Christ to come into the world for the express purpose of saving us from our sins.
The Father has posted warning signs in His love to keep us safe. Is it prudent to disregard these warnings, trust in ourselves, and optimistically hope for the best? On a hazardous mountain road, there are many risks. How do we protect ourselves from danger and destruction? We watch out for warning signs and heed their message. Is there a more sensible decision?
In life, we safeguard ourselves by adhering to the Father’s wisdom and the warnings and guidance He has given us. He alone provides the Way, the Truth, and the Life to come to the Father. Trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ means discarding any idea of gaining the Father’s approval through our own actions. We acknowledge that the chasm is too great to overcome by ourselves.
REFLECT & PRAY
Acts 4:12 There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.
Father thank You for providing warnings and directions. Thank you for providing the Way to come into Your kingdom. It is narrow and hard. Yet, anyone can find it and choose to enter Your eternal kingdom.
INSIGHT
Matthew 7:13-14
13 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.
14 But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.
The Greek word translated as narrow is stenos. When referring to physical space, stenos has the sense of narrow or thin. Metaphorically, when it relates to the entrance and path to eternal life, it means narrow, strict, exacting, and, or restricted. It is a hard choice. Therefore, few choose it. The Lord Jesus encourages people to overcome the difficulty and choose the narrow gate.
The Greek word for broad is euruchoros. Euruchoros connotes spacious and roomy, regarding a road broad and wide.
In Matthew 7:14, the word translated as hard or difficult is thlibo. Thlibo means to experience trouble or difficulty. It means to oppress with evil, afflict, or distress. The English word tribulation comes from this term.
You cannot just mindlessly follow the crowd if you want eternal life. “You really have to want to get in through this gate. If you just drift, allowing the current to take you where it will, you’ll miss it. But this gate leads to life, and the other sort all lead to destruction . . .. Choices matter; actions and motives matter. Learning to follow Jesus and to know God as a father matter. Eternal issues are at stake” (N. T. Wright).
Children of the King throughout the ages have always been a remnant, a small minority of the human population. “The reason is not difficult to discover: The way of life is narrow, lonely, and costly” (Wiersbe).
“There are only two religions in the world. There is the religion of human achievement, the religion of works, the religion of the flesh, the religion that says you can be good enough, holy enough, religious enough, spiritual enough. And there is the one other option, the religion of divine accomplishment, the religion of faith, grace, mercy and not of the flesh but of the Spirit and they do not mix” (John MacArthur).
The Lord Jesus Christ came to planet Earth to become the Savior of the world. He alone made it possible for people to enter into the kingdom of heaven. He was emphatic and clearly stated that there was no other way.
John 14:6 I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
“Is it not arrogance or narrow-mindedness to claim that there is only one way of salvation or that the way we follow is the right way? I think not. After all, do we fault a pilot for being narrow-minded when he follows the instrument panel [while] landing in a rainstorm? No, we want him to remain narrowly focused!” (Billy Graham)
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© Dr. H 2024
Dr H Reflections 