Sunday 14 Apr 2013

Sunday Reading: Matthew 7:13-14

Key Verse: Matthew 7:13
13  Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

Devotion:
It may sound a bit depressing to find out that there are only a few people who will find the narrow gate and hard way that lead to life but when you look at the availability of both destinations then we have to ask ourselves why we don’t get it. God has given us full and honest directions by which every person will be able to find life eternal; and yet so few do choose to go that way.

It really is not that difficult to follow directions when we read them. It is more the desire to follow the path to destruction that is our greatest hurdle. God did not say that His way was going to be easy; that is what the evil one has designed. The path to destruction is nice and easy to find, easy to follow and has no obstacles in the way. The unfortunate part is that we don’t see any problems until we have gone too far and have lost our selves totally.

God, on the other hand, gives us a clear picture of the goal and what we can expect when we get there. Satan is not going to explain what you get until after you have made your decisions because he knows that you will not like what he has to offer; that is why the path is so open and easy. God’s path may well be full of obstacles when we look at it but they are obstacles that we have placed there and not obstacles from God. Satan is also going to litter that path with as many obstacles as he can so that we do find it harder than his path – how else can he hope to lead so many people to destruction rather than life eternal?

Believing on and trusting in Jesus Christ is the only way that we will be able to make it to heaven because there is no other way to Salvation than through Jesus Himself. It is Jesus that personally gave His life for our sins and Him personally that was raised from the dead to defeat death once and for all. Jesus wants us to be encouraged to continue on aiming for a life with Him rather than to give in and settle for a life of sin and a certain death after that. Jesus does not want us to be put off by the hardships that we may face because they do not come from God – but He does allow them to come our way when we need to learn from those times.

Points to Ponder:
What obstacles do you see in your way?

Do you trust God to guide you through your obstacle course?