A life of faith is not for the faint hearted. It takes real courage to allow yourself to spin around 180º and stop serving the world to begin following Christ as one of His disciples.
Jesus talked about living and walking on a difficult road after going through the narrow gate. Most are on a broad road but our journey is clearly defined and it takes real dedication and devotion to walk His Way.
“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.”
Matthew 7:13-14
What is the narrow gate? It is entering the journey into salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, abandoning all previous worldly dreams, desires and directions to single-mindedly follow Him.
It is hearing and believing the gospel message that He has paid for our sins at the cross and is offering us a new way of living as we willingly respond to the call and allow our life to be changed from following ourselves and our own ambitions to following Him.
Narrow gate
Jesus gave this information on the narrow gate to His disciples when they questioned why so few could be saved, especially as He gave parables with pointers to what it takes to be saved, as He journeyed through Israel. He explains this in Luke.
And He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?” And He said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able.
Luke 13:22-24
The time to enter is always today. Faith is a matter of the present that leads to the future. It is no good waiting for another opportunity sometime ahead in time when a person might feel better placed to make the decision. It is always immediate.
We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For He says: “In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
2 Corinthians 6:1-2
Waiting for another day is missing our greatest opportunity. I once met a man who wanted to believe and receive Jesus as Lord but felt he was not worthy enough, not righteous enough, and would wait until he had given up many habits so that he could come in a clean and clear state, but that is works. our works cannot save us.
He wants us now, as we are, before we offload those weights and burdens. He wants to take them from us, but the first step is believe and confession of Jesus as Lord, then those obstacles will be removed and all sin will be forgiven. The weights will come off, the habits will be broken. We will be clean. We will be guilt-free. We will be unburdened. We will be made righteous in His sight.
Constant journey
The journey continues as it began. There is no easy walk. We will be tempted, persecuted and challenged every step of the way, but the rewards are immense, and the life of faith is an amazing journey with so many benefits, far more than we knew before we were saved.
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life—In other words, the whole course is as difficult as the first step…
Jamieson, Faucett, Brown Commentary
The first step is through faith, and every subsequent step is through faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb.11:6), so living and walking by faith is a constant.
The good news is that we have the Word of God to teach us, the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us, and God has promised He will never leave us nor forsake us.
The great reward, of course, is the promise of eternal life, but we begin that life here and now, and we are well equipped to be filled with joy every step of the way, even when challenges come our way.
It is a different kind of life, with many great days ahead. It is not for the faint-hearted, but He gives us a new heart and a new spirit that emboldens us to become more than conquerors in Him.
Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
1 John 5:14-15
