Struggle to Get in Through the Narrow Door

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Struggle to Get in  Through the Narrow Door

We sometimes wonder  who will be saved.      Who will make it to heaven  and who will end up in hell?      Do we care?      Do we care  about the souls of others  —  or even our own souls?      Some imagine  that all religious leaders  will surely get to heaven.      That’s a delusional idea.      Others claim that all “good” people  of any faith  will be in heaven.      That’s another misled perception.

Says who?      Says Jesus  in Luke 13:22-30,

Then  Jesus went and taught  in one town and village after another  on His way to Jerusalem.      Someone asked Him, “Lord,  are only a few people saved?”

“Struggle to get in  through the narrow door,” He told them.      “I tell you,  many will try  to get in  and not succeed.      After the Owner of the house gets up  and closes the door,  you’ll be standing outside  and knocking at the door.      ‘Lord, open up for us!’  you’ll say.      But  He’ll answer you , ‘I don’t know where you’re from.’      Then you’ll say,  ‘We ate and drank with You,  and You taught in our streets.’      But  He’ll tell you,  ‘I don’t know where you’re from.      Get away from Me,  all you who do wrong.’      Then you will cry  and grind your teeth  when you see Abraham,  Isaac,  Jacob,  and all the prophets  in God’s kingdom  but yourselves thrown out.      People will come from the east and the west,  the north and the south,  and will eat in God’s kingdom.      You see,  some who are last will be first,  and some who are first will be last.”

Jesus says everyone must  “Struggle to get in through the narrow door.”      As we learn from many different passages  throughout the Bible,  the narrow door  is by faith alone , through the grace of God  in Jesus Christ alone.      In other words,  there is only one narrow way in to heaven,  but many don’t want to get to heaven  through faith alone.

They would rather get into heaven  with good works,  church attendance,  tithing,  preaching their own thing instead of God’s word,  or any other way they can dream of.      But faith?      You’ve got to be kidding!!      Truth be said,  they don’t want to get to heaven through faith  because it means  admitting all our sins  and humbly asking Jesus to forgive us  for our wretched helplessness  in ever being worthy of heaven.

They would much rather proudly march  right into heaven  and show everyone  their whole life time  of “good works”.      Many people struggle their whole life  to be good enough  for heaven.      But,  they will be denied  —  shut out forever,  because they refused to humble themselves  in repentance  and learn to depend on Jesus alone.      They have been repeatedly told  in God’s word  that faith  is the only way into heaven,  but they want to imagine  that going through the motions  of being a Christian  will be good enough  to fool God  and everyone else.

To them,  it will be maddening  to see all sorts of  “sinners”  and  “poor people”  in heaven,  but themselves locked out.      Their whole life time  of good works  will be down the drain.      What a waste!      They know that those  “sinners”  turned to God in repentance  some time later on in life  —  and yet,  they easily are taken into heaven forever.

Faith and repentance are precious in God’s eyes  —  but , prideful,  good works are rejected  because  they are a rejection  of God’s grace  in Jesus Christ.

So, what is going on  in our lives?      Will we  “struggle to get in through the narrow door”  of repentance and faith?      Will we realize  that we can never be good enough  for heaven  through our own strivings  and efforts?      Or,  will we just grit our teeth  and proudly determine  more than ever  to be better  than we’ve ever been before.      God has already told us  that is a total waste of time  and effort.      He is the One who created us  and redeemed us.      Will we trust Him  to forgive us  when we confess our sins?      God has proven  that He faithfully tells the truth.      How can we dare  to call Him a liar?

Let us give up our prideful strivings  —-  confess our sins,  and just rest  in the peace and love  of being forgiven.      Then,  we can finally say  a wondrous,  “Hallelujah!      Lord,  repentance is such a miraculous relief.      Thank You  for graciously opening  the wonders of Your love  in Jesus Christ.”

Love,
Margaret

 

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A Christian devotional to glorify the LORD of lords and God of gods

 

Pray for our country.

 

This is the day which the LORD has made;
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24

 

The word of the LORD is tried;
He is a shield  to all  who take refuge  in Him.
Psalm 18:30

 

Sing for joy in the LORD,  O you righteous ones;
Praise is becoming  to the upright.
Psalm 33:1

 

How blessed are those  who dwell in Thy house!
They are ever praising Thee.
Psalm 84:4

 

Just as a father has compassion  on his children,
So the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.
Psalm 103:13

 

Oh give thanks to the LORD,  for He is good;
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
Psalm 107:1

 

Glory in His holy name;
Let the heart of those who seek the LORD be glad.
Psalm 105:3

 

Not that I have already obtained it, or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that
I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:12

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