Reprint Compliments of Men At The Cross By Joe White

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Matthew 7:13-14: The Narrow and Wide Gates

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.

"It's the real thing." (Is there such an entity on this planet?)

Imagine what we'd all look like if we were completely transparent as we walked around planet earth and all you could see was what was inside a person's heart

Your motives.

The real you.

Your intentions.

Your true self.

No baloney; no excuses; no hoop-la; just truth. What would people see?

Better still, what would Jesus see?

I believe that a truly, sincerely dedicated Christian is always God's child. I don't believe He disowns those who are truly His.

I do believe, however, that many of us run around churches and Christian homes calling ourselves "Christians" when we've never really, completely, sincerely given our heart to Him ... thus, today's scripture.

Jesus sees the heart. He sees the core of the apple, the eye of the hurricane, the conductor's tiny wand of the giant symphony orchestra.

The chronicler puts it this way, "For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His." (2 Chr 16:9 NASB)

When He looks at yours and mine and sees true commitment, then perfect love is ours and as I John 4:18 says, "Perfect love casts out fear." Once you're truly His, you're always truly His.

But if He sees a lawless, rebellious, or untrue heart, then we have the right to wonder if we ever were His in the first place.

Paul urges us to test ourselves so that we won't fail the final exam. "Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves!

Or do you not recognize this about yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you -- unless indeed you fail the test? But I trust that you will realize that we ourselves do not fail the test." (2 Cor 13:5-6 NASB)

The best test I know is to ask your conscience and your family if there's anything in your life that you put before God. If there is, give it up; ask forgiveness and give it all so that you can be one about whom people say, "It's the real thing."

QUESTIONS:

1. What does Matthew 7:21 mean to you?

Matthew 7:21: True and False Disciples: 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

2. How do we know that once we're truly His, we're always His?
3. God is our daddy when Jesus lives in our heart. Why are dads so faithful?

LIFELINE:
Help each other see how God can be #1 in everything, forever.