Which Gate will You Take?

Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter it. For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those that find it.

Taking the Path of Least Resistance finds you in a crowd of under-achievers and spineless leaders that will never reach the pinnacle. If you do not walk the narrow path of righteousness with integrity and perseverance you might was well stay home.

Those two sentences above were dropped into my head one day last week and I didn’t know what to do with them. I did write them down and even posted them on facebook thinking maybe God wanted me to get them out to someone that needed to hear them. To tell you the truth, I had forgotten about it until this morning when I was preparing to write Truth in the Morning. I was waiting for the ‘holy tap’ on my shoulder for direction for this devotional and when I pulled up a blank new page to write on the laptop, this page opened again. Okay, I can take a hint, some days I am just slower to catch it when it comes around.

I pulled out my Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible and looked up our reference scripture in Matthew. I have to say I may be thwarting my progress in writing today because I remembered I had taken some artistic license and edited the original thought.  ‘Taking the Path of Least Resistance finds you in a crowd of under-achievers’ was originally ‘Taking the Path of Least Resistance finds you on a road overrun with under-achievers’. Writers edit, we just do. I know better than to edit what God gives me and I have since asked for forgiveness.

When I heard ‘road overrun with under-achievers’ in my head I had a visual of crowds following along like lemmings, moving in mass in search of the easy way out. Jesus said, ‘…for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter it…’ I have been seeking direction for my life and, trust me, the easy way out has presented itself over and over! I’m a stubborn lass when I believe something but I do take time to ponder opinions and suggestions other than my own. Sticking to my convictions is not always the popular path and I find there those frustrated by my choices.

If you do not walk the narrow path of righteousness with integrity and perseverance you might was well stay home. That line, Friends, is a direct quote. That which is popular and the way of least resistance is not necessarily the best option. The phrase ‘If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything’ comes to mind. If you, too, find yourself at a crossroad and in need of direction I encourage you to look only to God for answers. Friends and family mean well but often want our painful situations to end so they may push for that easy way out option. 

I leave you with these words of encouragement: For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those that find it. Regardless of the challenges we face, look for that narrow, small gate and don’t give up until you find it. Your eternal life is worth the effort and pain of the search!