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narrow
Apr 12, 2023
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I’ve been thinking about the parting of the Red Sea and the people walking through on dry ground to a new life of freedom. So, I’m wondering, how wide was that path between the walls of water?
Some biblical archaeologists think it may have been up to ¼ mile wide, but it may have been more narrow. It does cause me to think about how Jesus talked about the path to life being more on the narrow side. In Matthew 7:13 He said, "You can enter God's Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.”
Why a narrow gate with a narrow path?
When I was working on my doctorate at Asbury Seminary in Kentucky, a big ice storm struck around Easter time. I was on break from classes, so I grabbed my chainsaw and offered my help on a tree removal service to help clean up the mess.
One day the work took us to a horse farm that had a very narrow entrance. We had to be really careful and go very slowly, inching our way through with the big truck. All I could think of was, “Why so narrow a gate? It’s a horse farm.” I thought about several things that day.
A narrow gate is a departure from the broad road, the big road of the world full of people making the most popular choices of social norms and political correctness.
You don’t enter a narrow gate quickly or flippantly. We count the cost. We make sure we have the right address and the truth about our journey. We choose to enter.
A narrow gate limits the cargo you can take in with you. There are things that must be left behind. In Kentucky we unloaded some stuff hanging on the sides of the truck.
The only reason we went to that farm that day was because we were called. Jesus is calling.
It turns out the narrow entrance was to some beautiful private homes. There was also a broader entrance to the public area of barns and show places. God’s invitation is into His personal space of beauty.
So, I’m thankful that the path through the Red Sea was just right, the stone rolled away from the tomb was just the right size, and the gate Jesus calls us through might be narrow but it’s big enough for anyone who will choose to hear Jesus calling and enter in.
I hope you are walking the path of new life today, thankful for the work He gives you to do, serving the One who said, “I Am the Gate for the Sheep!” (John 10)
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