The Wide or Narrow Gate; Which Will You Choose?

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

Matthew 7:13-14

Dear Family & Friends,

We make hard choices every day! Each choice brings a certain set of results that will affect your future options. This principle is never more important than when choosing the path to eternal life as Jesus taught in His Sermon on the Mount. However, this wide and narrow gate analogy also pertains to matters of wisdom.

A Choice in a Matter of Wisdom

My daughter and I sat in the bedroom discussing the numerous alternatives for post-secondary education. High school years had flown by and her future lay at the end of whatever road she chose next. She had dreams and aspirations, but those dreams were expensive. Each choice would bring a certain set of results. Our conversation centered around the cost – you pay now or you pay later.

“I feel like I am in bondage,” she groaned. “The world is full of universities, but you are asking me to consider only certain options. With multiple student loans, I can go anywhere and do anything I want.”

“That’s your choice,” I said, “but remember temporary ‘bondage’ to circumstances and a school you can afford widens into the freedom of ‘no debt’ later. On the other hand, the broad path made possible by heavy debt will begin to narrow when you graduate. It is not uncommon to spend ten to fifteen years or longer paying off the debt. This will limit your ability to afford the purchase of a home or to move forward in other things you may like to do. What you choose now will affect your freedom later.”

A Choice in the Matter of Eternity

The analogy of a wide and narrow gate can apply to matters of wisdom but also to matters of sin. Jesus used it to explain the path to heaven. The narrow entry is found in Him. Jesus said of Himself, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me”  (John 14:6).

The attitudes and behaviors Jesus described in His Sermon on the Mount make no provision for sin of any kind. All who seek God must be holy as He is holy. This required holiness can only be attained through Jesus. Those who choose to walk along this narrow path find it opens wider and wider into a spacious place of freedom and blessing culminating in eternal life.

The Wide or Narrow Gate

This teaching seems very cramped and confined to most of the world. Sin gives the impression of fun and excitement at the onset. Why would anyone want to miss out on that? But those who follow the crowds through the wide gate and down the broad path will find sin ultimately has its price. Over time the once-pleasurable trail will narrow, life will become oppressive, and the end will lead to eternal destruction. Understanding the final destination should hopefully make the narrower choice more palatable.

A Narrow Path Leads to Future Freedom

Many years have passed since that mother-daughter conversation. The narrow path of education she chose finally opened into a wide field of blessing, and her perceived “bondage” released her for the financial freedom she now enjoys.

You also have choices, but some are more important than others. Will you enter through the narrow gate of Jesus and follow Him along the trail to life? Or will you join the crowds on the broad road headed for destruction? Your future lies at the end of whatever path you choose!

Love,

Mama