The Narrow Way

““You can enter true life only through the narrow gate. The gate to hell is very wide, and there is plenty of room on the road that leads there. Many people go that way. But the gate that opens the way to true life is narrow. And the road that leads there is hard to follow. Only a few people find it.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7:13-14‬ ‭ERV‬‬

I know you have read this many times. But read it slowly today and let the words permeate your mind. This road is not the popular or well chosen road. You will walk the opposite way of the world, definitely not the American road. If everything in your life looks likes the American way, stop and think, “Is there a problem with this?” 

We get so busy in life that we honestly do not have time to search for the narrow way. It will involve a sacrifice of time and maybe sleep and even food(if you want to fast to hear from the Lord). 

Everything I just mentioned is NOT something we want to give up...sleep, food and especially give up our time. We want to be in charge of those areas. But the rewards are incomparable! 

Let us find accountability to seek the narrow way. Let us have a desire to look for the narrow road. Let us have glimpses of the rewards that awaits us when we search for the narrow and not the wide, easy road. 

Jesus, you love us so much, you don’t water down your word and make it more palatable. Jesus, you say to follow you it involves everything we’ve got. But when we practice deferred rewards, we inherit the kingdom.  We don’t get all the promises now, but every single promise will be in our future! 

Humble Yourselves to Receive Wisdom

“Don’t fool yourselves. Whoever thinks they are wise in this world should become a fool. That’s the only way they can be wise.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭3:18‬ ‭ERV‬‬

I was talking to someone this week and I shared that the only times that Mark and I “get it right” is when we admit we are fools. If you are struggling with a situation with relationships, finances, jobs or whatever...the best thing to do is to cry out to God and tell him how foolish you are.

We have cried out to the Lord and told him that we do not know how to be a parent(even now with grown kids). We have cried out to the Lord and confessed that we do not know how to be a good spouse. We have told the Lord that we do not have wisdom to handle our money. We confessed to God that we do not know to lead our community group at church. The list goes on and on.

When we do this, he says, “Finally you realize that. Finally you are ready for me to lead you and give you the wisdom you need to turn things around.”

“For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.”
‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭16:9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

He is waiting and looking for those of us who are running after him and depending on him and not ourselves. When he finds you on your knees, crying out to him, he is standing there ready to give you the wisdom you need. If you think you know it all, he will let you believe that.

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”
‭‭James‬ ‭4:10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

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Goals for this Year

“Always remember what is written in that book of law. Speak about that book and study it day and night. Then you can be sure to obey what is written there. If you do this, you will be wise and successful in everything you do.”
‭‭Joshua‬ ‭1:8‬ ‭ERV‬‬

I would love to be wise and successful in everything that I do in 2017. I know that the only way to do this is to know God's Word. The only way to know God's Word is to read it often. The incredible thing about this is that we all have iPhones and iPads and internet connections at our fingertips. We spend a lot of time looking at our phones and iPads. Spend part of that time reading the Bible. We can read God's Word in the morning, during lunch, at the doctor's office, when we first get off work, etc.

I encourage you to pick an app, like YouVersion, and pick a plan to read. I shudder to think that if I had not chosen this path many years ago, I may have made totally different decisions. Trust me, I made a lot of bad decisions. However, continually keeping God's Word in front of me gave me a better chance at making the best decision.

The other part of this verse says to "speak about this book." Share what you read in God's Word. Analyze what it means during Sunday morning small groups or weekly Bible studies. If you are not attending either one, make that a goal for 2017. Don't keep it to yourself. Talk about it all the time so that others will start thinking that you really love the Word and live by it!

In less than two weeks, the new year will be here. Set goals for 2017 that are radically different from last year. Pray before you begin and ask God to help you set goals. When 2016 began, I had no idea all the things that would happen...some good and others not so good. Can you imagine how thankful I am that I was trusting in the Lord this past year and not leaning to my own understanding?

None of us can fathom what this year will hold. Events that must be bathed in wisdom and prayer. Get ready. The new year begins whether we are ready or not.