Luke 13:23-24

Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved ? And he said unto them,
Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in , and shall not be able .

We hear many people talk about staying on "the narrow" path or staying on the "straight and narrow", and usually it is in reference to the passage in Matthew 7, which parallels this one in content but mentions also the "wide" path that leads to destruction.

But what does that really mean?

Here, it is clear that Jesus was speaking to people who are believers, in the sense that they believed in Christ, and at least the one who was asking the question believed Him to be a teacher with true wisdom. The apostles would have been among the crowd He said these words to. The passage is not written speaking to those we would consider unbelievers or "heathen" to tell them to change their ways and try to enter the strait gate.

And still He says "strive" to enter the strait gate. The people who He was speaking to had not already arrived. They yet had journey in front of them. The NIV says "make every effort to". And the passage goes on to say that many who seek will not be able to enter. So even those actively looking for the way will miss it...not just those stumbling in the dark without a clue of what they need to do. Many people who think they have salvation will find in the end that they do not, because they are depending on something other than the free gift Christ has given to us.

Consider today that we should all be striving to enter at that straight gate. If we are not, then we need to re-examine our hearts. We should be striving every day...there is not a point at which we say, "Well, that is settled," and we start coasting on autopilot, content knowing we're headed for eternal life.

If you are "coasting", look closely at your heart. And, first of all, make sure that you have a relationship with Christ. Note that I didn't say "Make sure someone led you through the 'Sinner's Prayer'" or "Make sure you're going to church" or "Make sure you're a 'good' person." Make sure you have a personal relationship with Christ. Too often, we invite people to church, they answer an altar call, someone explains and prays with them...then we say, "Hallelujah! Now that's settled!" And we in evangelical congregations, especially, make that tick mark in our Bible or print in the bulletin that a certain number of people "got saved" today. However, saying a prayer, in and of itself, is not what saves someone. It is the belief, the faith, and the giving of your life behind that prayer, a person's acceptance, on a personal level, of what Christ has done for them. Make sure you are the person who has believed and personally accepted.
And if you have any question about this in your mind, feel free to email me at this address:
sunday_storyteller@yahoo.com
I will talk with you about it, or if you'd prefer, I'll point you in the direction of a pastor who can talk with you. And believe me when I say it will be confidential, because it is so hard for us who are believers to let anyone else think that maybe we have some lack of faith or are not that "good Christian" we put forward for everyone to see. But all that is SO unimportant when compared to making sure things are right in this department.

For those of us who are certain we have a relationship with Christ, if we are not striving, it's time for a heart check. Because if we truly believe and have accepted salvation. If we trulybelieve that our neighbor beside us is going to spend eternity in torment in Hell if they do not also find that personal relationship with Christ. If we truly believe that we as the church...as individuals in the church...are the hands and feet of Christ. If we truly believe that what good works we do to others we do to Christ...if we believe all these things, then we do not have license to sit idle. We should be striving for that strait gate every day if we trulybelieve. To do otherwise may be indication of a lack of belief.

Challenge for Today: Make your decisions today, from the largest to the smallest, as if each one were a choice to strive for that strait gate...or not.