The Narrow Gate

Bible:

[Jesus said:] “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” Matthew 7:13-14 ESV

You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11 ESV

Reflection:

When a young man named Hercules was taking care of his foster father’s flock on a mountain one day, two beautiful women came to him. They said that he would have to choose one of them, and that the one he chose would make the difference as to what would happen in his life. One of these women was a picture of pleasure. She offered Hercules flowers and fruit and music, and if he chose her, he would have a life of good times and happiness. The other woman was a picture of virtue. She pointed Hercules to the difficult path to wisdom, and if he chose her he would have a life of hardship, but he would become a great hero. Hercules chose the difficult path of virtue, where he would work hard but would accomplish many great things and achieve glory.

Jesus talked about two roads and two gates. Most people, he said, will choose the wide gate and the easy way, but that way leads to destruction. There is also a narrow gate and a way that is hard, and Jesus said that we should be sure to take that road. Jesus was talking about following him or going our own way. Most people want to go their own way, and do the things they want to do. People who take the easy way want to live with their own priorities instead of God’s, and they want to make things right with God on their own with their own work and rules. Many people believe that there are many roads that lead to God, and they don’t want to hear that Jesus is the only way. So they go on along their own way, and don’t realize that they are traveling further and further from God and from the truth.

Even though the gate is narrow and the way is hard, there is room for everyone to follow Jesus, and he wants everyone on his road. Jesus died on the cross so that our sins could be forgiven, and he gives forgiveness and life to everyone who believes in him. He himself is our gate and our way. Following Jesus can be a struggle, like hiking on a steep mountain path, but we are never alone on our journey. Jesus is always with us to help us with his comfort and strength and hope, today and every day until the end.

Prayer:

Dear Jesus, thank you for opening the way to God for us, and for being that way. Please be with us and keep us with you. Amen.

Source:

https://www.hermitagemuseum.org/wps/portal/hermitage/digital-collection/01.+Paintings/31540/?lng=en

Two Choices

Bible:

At the end of ten days the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah. Then he summoned Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces who were with him, and all the people from the least to the greatest, and said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your plea for mercy before him: If you will remain in this land, then I will build you up and not pull you down; I will plant you, and not pluck you up; for I relent of the disaster that I did to you. Do not fear the king of Babylon, of whom you are afraid. Do not fear him, declares the Lord, for I am with you, to save you and to deliver you from his hand. I will grant you mercy, that he may have mercy on you and let you remain in your own land. But if you say, ‘We will not remain in this land,’ disobeying the voice of the Lord your God and saying, ‘No, we will go to the land of Egypt, where we shall not see war or hear the sound of the trumpet or be hungry for bread, and we will dwell there,’ then hear the word of the Lord, O remnant of Judah. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: If you set your faces to enter Egypt and go to live there, then the sword that you fear shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine of which you are afraid shall follow close after you to Egypt, and there you shall die. All the men who set their faces to go to Egypt to live there shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. They shall have no remnant or survivor from the disaster that I will bring upon them. Jeremiah 42:7-17 ESV

I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them. Deuteronomy 30:19-20 ESV

Reflection:

Once there was a king who had an unusual way of finding out if a man was guilty or innocent of a crime. He would bring the man into an arena, and offer him a choice of two doors. Behind one door would be a hungry tiger who who would kill him and eat him, and behind the other door would be a beautiful woman who would marry him. The accused man would have a choice of which door to open, and whichever door he chose would determine his fate. One day a man fell in love with the princess, and this was against the law. He was brought into the arena and given his choice. The princess loved him, and she found out which door had the lady and which had the tiger. She signaled the man she loved which door to choose, and he trusted her and went to the door she told him to go to. This is only a story, and the person who wrote this story didn’t tell us whether the man met the lady, because the princess wanted to save his life, or the tiger, because the princess was jealous of the woman who would get to marry him. It’s up to us to guess–the lady or the tiger?

The people who were left in Jerusalem were facing an important choice, too. Should they go to Egypt, where they might be safe from King Nebuchadnezzar? Or should they stay home? They didn’t know what to do, so they asked Jeremiah to tell them what God wanted. God gave Jeremiah a very clear message. He told them that they should stay in their own country. If they did that, the Lord would have mercy on them and keep them safe from King Nebuchadnezzar. But if they went to Egypt, God would be very angry with them and punish them with more death and destruction. The man in the story might not have been able to completely trust the princess, but the people left in Jerusalem could trust the Lord fully. They could be confident in obeying what he told the prophet Jeremiah.

God loves us just as he loved his people of old, and he wants us to live forever with him in his heavenly kingdom. But we aren’t able to make the right choice on our own to follow the Lord’s ways and come to him. So God came to us in Jesus to die on the cross so that our sins could be forgiven. He sends us his Holy Spirit to help us put our faith in Jesus so that we can have eternal life. The Holy Spirit helps us follow God’s ways, and he keeps us trusting in Jesus, now and always.

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, help us to always trust Jesus and follow the way that brings us home to you. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Source:

http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/LadyTige.shtml

An Important Decision

Bible:

And Solomon slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David his father. And Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.

Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. And as soon as Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it (for he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon), then Jeroboam returned from Egypt. And they sent and called him, and Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came and said to Rehoboam,“Your father made our yoke heavy. Now therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke on us, and we will serve you.” He said to them, “Go away for three days, then come again to me.” So the people went away. I Kings 11:43-12:5 ESV

For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written,“Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. Galatians 3:10-14 ESV

One’s pride will bring him low,
but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor. Proverbs 29:23 ESV

Reflection:

There has long been a television game show called “Let’s Make a Deal.” One thing that usually happens on this show is that a contestant wins a prize that has a good value, such as some money or a TV set. The contestant then is given a choice. Will he or she keep the good prize, or trade it away for a prize that might be better? The problem is, the new prize is hidden behind a door or in a box, and there’s no way of knowing if it is something better than the good prize, like a car or a trip to Hawaii, or instead a “zonk,” like a llama or a room full of ruined furniture. The contestant has to make a choice without knowing how the choice will turn out.

When Solomon’s son Rehoboam was about to be made king after his father’s death, the people had a request for him. They might have been proud of the beautiful temple and of Solomon’s magnificent palace, but they were tired of being forced to work to build all these things. They wanted life to be easier for them in the future. Jeroboam came back from Egypt to speak for them and ask Rehoboam to lighten their load. Now Rehoboam had a choice. He could give the people what they asked for, and then they would serve and obey him as their king. Or he could try to keep the power his father Solomon had. Rehoboam didn’t know what the consequences would be if he made that choice. What should Rehoboam do? Should he accept the idea of being a weaker, kinder king, or should he go after power and risk losing the people’s loyalty? He would let the people know his decision in three days.

Rehoboam’s choice was the difference between being proud or being humble. It was a choice between being greedy for power, or being satisfied to be a king who cared for his people’s needs. Being proud and greedy often leads to trouble and loss, and being proud before God is especially foolish. We want to think we can do good things to earn more favor and blessing from God. God provided everything we needed to be his people forever when he sent Jesus to die on the cross to pay for our sins. Sometimes we don’t want to admit that we are sinful and need God’s forgiveness every day. We want to be able to feel proud of our own work and efforts, but then we risk losing everything God wants to give us through Jesus. He sends us his Holy Spirit to help us stay humble and be satisfied with his free gift of love and forgiveness.

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, please help me be humble and satisfied with what you give me, especially forgiveness through Jesus. In His Name, Amen.

 

An Important Choice

Bible:

At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.” And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day. And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?”

It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days. And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.” I Kings 3:5-14 ESV

For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. I Corinthians 1:22-24 ESV

Reflection:

Once there was a quarrel between three goddesses about which of them was the most beautiful, and to settle the argument the god Zeus brought the three goddesses to a man named Paris to let him decide. Each of the goddesses offered Paris something in exchange for his choosing her. Hera offered him wealth and power, Athena offered him knowledge and skill, and Aphrodite offered him the most beautiful woman in the world as his wife. Paris chose Aphrodite as the most beautiful goddess, and his choice had serious consequences for his life and for the lives of many people.

After Solomon became king he had a dream. God promised to give him whatever he asked for. Solomon had a choice to make, and it was a very important choice. Should he ask for a long life, or death to his enemies? Should he ask to be really rich and powerful? Should he ask to be the most famous king in the world? Solomon made his choice. Instead of any of these selfish ideas, he asked God for wisdom so that he could be a good king for God’s people. For Solomon, wisdom from the Lord was worth more than anything else he could possibly have. This choice pleased God, and the Lord promised to give him not only wisdom but everything else he hadn’t asked for.

God made a very important choice for us when he sent Jesus to us to be our Savior. Jesus gave up everything he had to win us back to our Heavenly Father. He gave his life for us on the cross so that our sins could be forgiven. He showed us that we are precious to him, and that he was ready to give up everything so that we could be his. This might seem like a very foolish bargain, but the Bible calls Jesus and his cross the wisdom of God. What he’s done for us on the cross is more valuable than anything in the whole world. He sends us his Holy Spirit to help us choose to love and serve him and to never exchange the love of Jesus for anything else in the world.

Prayer:

Dear Jesus, thank you for giving your life for us so that we could be yours forever. Please keep us close so that nothing ever takes us away from you. Amen.

Source:

https://www.greeklegendsandmyths.com/judgement-of-paris.html