Finding the Narrow Gate

Matthew 7:13-14 (NIV)

13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

The narrow gate must be found.

The narrow road is the person of God. To find Him, we must seek Him. This can be a sticking point for many, whether a follower of Christ or not. The path that leads to life is found when our hearts are intertwined with His to the point that we share in His nature, His way of being in this world. To do this, we must pursue Him to discover His essence beyond our initial judgments, assumptions, and the vague descriptions of others who also do not know Him intimately.

The path must be found like a heart must be pursued. I must pursue God to search His heart to know what moves and motivates Him. I must seek God to understand how He loves and how He lives out His love. I must pursue Him as a lover to know the love He carries for me, the nature of it, and how it plays out in my life. I must pursue Him as the One who loves all that I might know what thrills His heart as well as what offends.

The nature of God is the polar opposite of our natural pathways of thought and reason. We must pursue Him to discover His ways and His thoughts. The more we seek His heart, knowing the depth of His love and the ways of His love, we will be overwhelmed by the love He lavishes upon us at all times. This discovery will move us to love Him as He loves us. We will love Him. We will love those He loves. We will love what He loves. Our love for His ways will direct our lives on the narrow road that moves further into the place of human flourishing.

If we never discover God’s heart, we will never grasp the beauty of His ways so that we are compelled to follow them. It is the heart of God that convinces us to take the narrow path. To know His heart, we must pursue His presence. We must seek His heart, and when we do this wholeheartedly, He will be found, and we will be moved to tread the narrow path with joy.

Lord, impress upon my spirit that there is more to life than what the broad road has to offer. Let my soul hunger for more so that I search for You and find the narrow gate. Amen.