The Narrow Gate
Posted by Rev. K.H. Marple on August 16, 2010
Entering through the narrow gate makes demands on the person passing through. First, you must enter alone. You can bring no one else and nothing else with you. Baggage not required; lack of faith, worry, your past, grief, hate. What is the cost? What is needed to go through the narrow gate?
“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”*
Don’t have to be rich; in fact Jesus said ‘sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me (Mat 19:21)’. That statement alone should not grieve you, it should relieve you. Finding out that there are no earthly goods needed is truly astonishing to the ‘rich’ man. ‘How can that be?’ the rich man wonders. While still on this earth, all that is needed is your faith, prayer and well shod feet; ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15)’. If money comes, then I assure you He has a mission for it before it ever touches your hands.
Jesus made the way to Him so easy. Life is precious to Him; every unborn child that will succumb to abortion, children gunned down at school, inmates on death row, murderers – everyone. ‘If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved (Rom 10:9)’.
The narrow gate is not so hard to go through. Bring nothing, He has everything. Do you hurt? He heals. Are you poor? He has a mansion for you. Are you hungry? You will never hunger or thirst again.
What could you possibly have that he wants? Faith alone.
*Matthew 7:13-14
