Choose Your Path Wisely!

I was in Italy last weekend with Ian and we were in a very long, dark tunnel that felt dangerous as traffic was so fast and mopeds were coming towards us at great speed weaving in and out overtaking in the wrong lane. But I trusted God for the light at the end of the tunnel. It reminded me of the words in the song

Amazing Grace . . .

Amazing grace - Julie Dunning

Through many dangers, toils and snares,

I have already come.

'Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,

And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me,

His Word my hope secures.

He will my shield and portion be,

As long as life endures.

And recently we hear of the tragic death of Liverpool player Diogo Jota and his brother in a car crash in Spain. We pray for his new wife and family and all who knew him and thanking God for all the good He is doing and all He will bring to salvation through this. We are reminded of how fragile life can be, how quickly it can be cut short.

We need to be sure to give our lives and hearts fully to God and trust in Him with all of our hearts, minds and strength.

Jesus said "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.” John 14:6

We pray for our Nation, churches, families, communities and all of those around us, that there would be a new sense of calling, preparation, sanctification, and awakening ready for His return.

We need to follow Him and lead others onto the right path of righteousness.

How can we keep on the right path?

In Matthew 7:13, Jesus uses the metaphor of a narrow gate to represent the path to eternal life, contrasting it with the wide gate that leads to destruction.

He urges his followers to choose the narrow gate, emphasizing that it requires intentionality and a commitment to following God's will, even though it may be more difficult and less popular.

The Narrow Gate:

This represents a life lived in accordance with God's teachings, characterized by righteousness, sacrifice, and obedience. It's a path that may involve challenges and require effort, but ultimately leads to eternal life.

The Wide Gate:

This represents a life of sin and disobedience, following the desires of the world and the flesh. It's a path of least resistance, but it leads to destruction.

The Call to Discernment:

Jesus’s words in Matthew 7:13-14 call for discernment. The wide gate is easily found and appealing, while the narrow gate requires conscious choice and effort.

The Cost of Discipleship:

Choosing the narrow path involves sacrifice and commitment, potentially going against the flow of popular opinion. However, Jesus assures his followers that this path leads to true life.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." The New Testament in Modern English by J.B. Phillips translates it this way, "I am ready for anything through the strength of the one who lives within me." Philippians 4:13

Two Gates

Beginning in Matthew 7:13, Jesus tells us that there are two gates, or two paths that we can follow as we live our lives.

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

Two Trees

The two trees - by Julie Dunning

Jesus' second warning comes through the comparison of two trees.

"Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.

A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits." (Matthew 7:15-20)

Jesus talked about false prophets and wolves that appear as sheep before He talked about the two different types of trees. What He was talking about is deception.

The false prophet is one who appears to be speaking for God, but he is a deceiver. A false prophet doesn't speak for God at all and tries to deceive you and pull you away from God.

Jesus described these false prophets as a wolf dressed in sheep's clothing.

These people who existed in Jesus' time and are present today, even in some of our churches!

They use black highlighters on the verses in the Bible that are contrary to our culture and tell the congregation what they want to hear in keeping with the culture.

Jesus is telling us to beware of those people, even though they may appear religious on the outside. They will deceive you and pull you away from the true Word of God. In the same way, a tree can't deceive for very long. Once the season for bearing fruit arrives, we'll know what kind of tree it is.

Jesus is warning us to beware of people who appear on the outside to be religious, and perhaps even appear to be followers of Christ, but are not and will lead us astray.

We can never really know anyone else's heart and we're not called to judge others. We can observe others, however, if they are trying to sway you into unbiblical beliefs or if there isn't evidence of good fruit and saving faith in their life, you need pray for them and be careful not to be drawn into false beliefs by them.

Two Houses

Jesus' final warning in this passage is communicated through a comparison of two houses, one built on rock and one built on sand. "Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his h o u s e on the rock.

And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and slammed against that house; and it fell and great was its fall." Matthew 7:24-27, NASB.

These parables in Matthew 7 remind us of what an honour and privilege it is to have Jesus Christ as our rock, our foundation, and our Lord and Saviour, giving us the gift of forgiveness and salvation, which we don't deserve and can never earn.

Let your light shine

So, we give thanks for His goodness, grace, mercy and wisdom to follow Him and bring others into His light and perfect will onto the right path. Yes choose your path wisely. Amen.