The Narrow Gate

As the picture at the top of this blog indicates...the road to Heaven is narrow and the path is treacherous. If you look closely at the picture you'll notice that not many are passing over the lake of fire into eternal life.

It is not always easy to follow and obey the word of the Lord. However, scripture makes it clear that in order to obtain eternal life we must eliminate sin in our lives, ask for forgiveness, serve one another and put God first.

Today, I've include a devotional written by Brent Barnett, who runs the website http://www.relevantbibleteaching.com/

I found it very fitting to add his comments about walking the narrow path to Heaven and how we sometimes put the selfishness and the pleasures of the world first, then ask God for forgiveness later (we often assume it's okay to sin since we can always ask for forgiveness - this seems to be our fallback plan).

If you take the time to read Brent Barnett's devotional, I promise that you will take something very valuable away from it.

Here is Brent's devotional...

The road to heaven is narrow, as Christ said, while the way to destruction is wide (Matthew 7:13).

Many take the wide road to their own peril, knowing all the while that they are breaking the ordinances of God and deserving His wrath for doing so (Romans 1:32). Some haven't joined the narrow road because they haven't yet heard the gospel of Christ. Others are just stubborn, choosing to pursue an agenda that is free from the control of God. They choose to live out an illusion of freedom, thinking they would rather be able to sin as they want to than have to succumb to the ordinances of God. They have been fooled into thinking that they have true freedom, for they are prisoners of the law of sin and death in their members (Romans 8:2).

Rather than deal with the guilt of their sin before a righteous God, they would rather enjoy sin as much as they can until they have to meet God and be forced to bow their knees to Him (Philippians 2:10).

The appeal to be able to live as we want to with no accountability and no remorse is highly attractive to the flesh and the sinful nature. Satan told Eve that God was keeping something good back from her by instituting a rule about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He convinced her that she was a slave of an unfair God Who withheld pleasure from her. She came to believe that true freedom could be found in exercising her free will against the will of God.
Adam and Eve found out the hard way that the freedom that they thought they would gain by eating of the tree was actually a curse that would lead to division, death, destruction, harm, suffering, and a loss of pleasure. When we sin, we will experience the pleasures of sin for a while, but we must understand that its pleasures are passing (Hebrews 11:25).

The curious thing about sin is that it must be indulged more and more deeply in order for it to continue to bring the same level of pleasure. Sin's exploits must grow grander and grander until it eventually consumes us. Its wage is death and the lake of fire. Thus, sin provides us no advantage for the life to come, only misery, pain, and horror.
Its pleasure is most certainly bound to this life on earth, and even this pleasure is nothing compared to the joy of the Lord.

Satan's way is always a way of bondage. It is thievery because God's pleasures are far better, more fulfilling, and longer lasting than the devil's concoctions could ever be. There will be an eternal bondage in hell for those who remain under the control of sin, Satan, and self. True freedom can only be found when we are freed from our sinful ways, propensities, and natures.
Only the Spirit of God can give us rebirth and regeneration that will enable us to finally be who God has created us to be. True freedom is found in submission to the truth, which alone sets us free (John 8:32).

Romans 6:17-18 says, "But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness." There are two options for living. The first is to obey sin, and the second is to obey God. Either way we are slaves, though one way leads to the freedom, life, and joy that we have always wanted.

Many people don't want to enter into a relationship with Christ that will require them to follow after His commands. They want to know that their sin is forgiven, but they don't want to truly submit to the will of God for their lives. Yet Christ calls us to surrender to Him as Savior and Lord (Romans 10:9-10). In that sense, we become His slaves willingly. He doesn't force anyone to live for Him.

He simply tells us that His way brings life, fullness of joy, and pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11). We must choose to honor Him as our Master if we want Him to honor us in the life to come.

So many think that they have freedom because they have chosen not to become slaves of God. Following Christ might be hard. It might cost us family or friends, but it is well worth it in light of eternity. We can enjoy the pleasures of sin for a lifetime in theory, but we would be much better off forfeiting the passing pleasures of sin in exchange for joy and pleasure forever in Christ. We can't even fathom the riches of the life to come.

Let us remember that God's ways are not cruel, unfair, or stealing something from us. James 1:25 says, "But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does."
The fact is that we can't live apart from the eternal law of God and still experience the blessing of God. Freedom is only found within the bounds of sinless living. When we submit to our Lord, we remain free from the grasp of sin. When we disobey our Master, we enslave ourselves. The hope for the believer, however, is that God forgives us immediately when we confess our sins to Him and return to living according to His will and ways.

2 Corinthians 3:17 says, "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." If we want true freedom and the promise of true pleasures that will endure forever, we have but one choice. We must submit to the will of God and allow the Spirit of God to lead us into all truth. When we give up what we think this world could give us in exchange for what only Christ can give, we will find true pleasure and freedom.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Temptation

Temptation is not a sin; however, giving into temptation is sin.

Jesus was tempted by the Devil for 40 days in the desert after he was baptized by John the Baptist. If we remove the invisible chains that are keeping us from giving 100% of ourselves to Christ, temptation eventually becomes easier to defeat. The devil will ultimately realize that we are too closely connected to God and will concede (focusing his efforts elsewhere for the time being). However, we must always keep up our guard.

8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

1 Peter 5:8 (NIV)


The Temptation of Jesus


1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."

4 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written:
" 'He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'"

7 Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"

8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me."

10 Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'"

11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

Matthew 4:1-11 (NIV)

I believe that a lesson can be learned in everything that Jesus did. In the above verses from Matthew, Jesus shows us a couple of things:

First, the devil is desperate for attention due to his extreme pride (which got him kicked out of Heaven in the first place) and will stop at nothing to deceive and poison the hearts and minds of men.

Second, Jesus shows us that even during the toughest times, i.e. hunger, lack of physical comfort, minimal sleep etc. that these are the times that we will be most vulnerable to temptation. During these times we must remain strong in our faith. Remember, Jesus was in the desert and he did not have the luxury of a bed or a roof over his head. The devil attempted to tempt Jesus right after he received the Holy Spirit thorough Baptism. That’s like attempting to stop a train at full speed traveling down a mountain…it’s just not going to happen.

Final thoughts:

If you look close enough, you should be able to find a message that ‘hits home’ for you somewhere in the Bible. I pray that you can find one that inspires you to have a life long relationship with Jesus Christ. You will always go through good times and bad times; but remember, the Lord will never leave your side.

I’ll leave you with this verse from the book of Romans:

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6:23 (NIV)


God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

The Beatitudes

I went to a Catholic grade school when I was younger and I remember learning about the Beatitudes but it never really stuck in my mind what they truly meant. So, I thought it would be appropriate to revisit these again.

A short background to set the stage:

Jesus Christ gave us the eight Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount, recorded for all posterity in the Gospel of Matthew, the first Book of the New Testament of the Bible. Jesus offers us a way of life that promises eternity in the Kingdom of Heaven.

-http://www.jesuschristsavior.net


The Beatitudes

1 Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them, saying:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are those who mourn,

for they will be comforted.

5 Blessed are the meek,

for they will inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they will be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful,

for they will be shown mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart,

for they will see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they will be called sons of God.

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.

12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Matthew 5:1-12


God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Patience and Proverbs

It’s natural for human beings to make uneducated judgments or assumptions based solely upon a person’s outward appearance. For without truly knowing what’s in the heart of another, evaluation and supposition through perception is what we default to.

But this is not the case with the Lord. For our Lord and Savior knows what’s in our hearts and minds.

⁷ But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV)

How many times have you made a quick judgment of someone without giving them the benefit of the doubt? I remember one time back in college I met a guy who was a friend of a friend. He came off as arrogant, obnoxious and sarcastic and it didn’t take very long for me to realize that not only did I not like him, but I wanted to fight him (forgive me, but I’m being honest). Over the course of time, I got to know this person a little better each day. Eventually, he became one of my closest friends at school and to this day we still keep in touch every now and again.

¹¹ A man's wisdom gives him patience;
it is to his glory to overlook an offense.

Proverbs 19:11 (NIV)

Therefore, my message is this…be patient with one another and remember to not prematurely judge others, least you be judged the same way. God knows what’s in our hearts and minds and He cannot be fooled by outward appearance or deception. The Lord has given us scripture as His commands to follow. We must try to remember that every action we take should be to glorify God. For God is pleased when we are righteous and obey Him. However, sin is a direct insult to God and we will be accountable for all of our transgressions. Therefore, Lord, I pray that we are made wise by the Holy Spirit and remember to remain humble and patient with others. Amen.

I’ll leave you with one final verse from the book of Proverbs.

²³ Guard your heart above all else,
for it determines the course of your life.

Proverbs 4:23 (NLT)

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Are you with Him?

The following is a true story -

After giving a sermon and finishing up all of his duties the preacher was on his way out of church. Before the preacher was able to get out the door a man came up and introduced himself. The man said that he was a secret service agent and asked the preacher if he would be interested in visiting the Oval Office. The preacher agreed and met the agent the very next day. As the preacher walked with the secret service agent they passed through one of the main gates that allowed them to enter the White House grounds. Immediately, they were met by other secret service agents who said, “You with him? Then go on through.” As the preacher followed the agent down the endless hallways of the White House they saw several other agents that looked him over and asked, “You with him? Then go on through.” Finally the preacher and the agent made it to the door directly outside of the Oval Office. A single guard stood there at attention and looked at the preacher. He said, “Sir, you are with him, so you may enter.” So the preacher entered the Oval Office with the secret service agent that he had only met the previous day. The preacher smiled in wonder and amazement at both the beauty and history of the highest office in the land.

Now let’s look at this in a slightly different way…

Let’s say that your time has come and you are standing outside the gates of Heaven. Immediately, you are met by Jesus and He joyfully embraces you. Jesus turns and you feel compelled to follow Him. He passes through the magnificent front gates of Heaven and as you follow Him you see a dozen angels standing guard at the gate. They look you over and say “You with Him? Then go on through.” As you walk through Heaven you come up to a large mansion that is guarded by more angels. Jesus walks through the door and they look you over. “You with Him?” They ask. “Then go on through.” So, you follow Jesus into the mansion and pass many other angels that nod at you since they know you are with Jesus. Finally, you come to a great door of magnificent brightness that resembles no color ever seen on the Earth. Jesus walks through the door and you feel compelled to follow. As you take a step, you see a very large angel looking down upon you. The angel says, “Blessed are you, for you walk with Jesus. You may enter.” So, you walk through the door and into the glorious presence of God.

The previous story of walking with Jesus was provided by the very same preacher that visited the White House. I wish that I knew his name.

God bless you. And this if for His Glory!

Are you Amazed?

This was too powerful of a message for me to pass up. You will be glad that you took 5 quiet minutes to watch this.






God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

God's Will

The Lord’s Prayer-

Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses. As we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation. But deliver us from evil. Amen.

I’d like to reflect upon the “thy will be done” part of this prayer. Many times we ask God for things that we feel as though we need or will need in the future. These things can be anything such as a new car, a better job, passing a test, getting along with your spouse, health, safety, etc. But, what we need to remember is that God’s will always trump our personal priorities. His glorious plan for us has already been outlined and is in motion. The Lord will provide us with the things that we need when He is ready. This means that when He is ready, then we will be ready as well. Many times, we ask for things prematurely or in great haste, not fully considering the consequences or long-term effect. Even worse, we ask for things out of personal gain, i.e. such as material items or even money. The Lord knows all of our needs and desires and He also knows why we sk for everything. The one thing we must continue to reminder ourselves is that everything will happen according to God’s timeline. What he wants to happen will happen, when it’s suppose to happen. Everything that we have at this moment in time is because he has provided it to us as a gift. We might not see all of God’s blessings as gifts, but we need remember that we are not able to understand the glorious mysteries of the Lord. Not even the Angels in Heaven understand the ways of the Lord. His reasons and actions are perfect and are completed with purpose according to His ultimate plan.

I heard a true story once about a woman that had being trying very hard to get her youngest child to go to sleep one night. Just as the infant began to calm down and fall asleep, her older child came running up the stairs and unintentionally woke the infant up. The mother was exhausted and of course, got frustrated. Then by the grace of the Holy Spirit, she realized how blessed she actually was to even have children. And immediately she was at ease and gave thanks to God that she had two healthy children and that she was able to take care of.

God’s blessings are all around us. Everything that we have is a gift and at times, it’s difficult to remember to give Him thanks for all that we have instead of getting frustrated for all that we don’t have. The next time you become frustrated with a situation I hope the Holy Spirit falls upon you (as it did with this young mother) and you give thanks to God for your life and all that you have in it. Remember – it could always be much worse.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!