
The verse cited in Matthew tells us how we can live forever. It's as simple as having faith, believing in Jesus Christ as your Savior with that faith and following his guidelines for living. Jesus was a Jew who believed in the Law of the Old Testament (The Torah) but he also brought something new, the opportunity for Salvation from sin and the opportunity to live forever as presented in the New Covenant, the New Testament.
Yes, the concept is a simple one but the execution is extremely difficult and that's why the scripture talks about the narrow gate and the difficulty in finding it. And why is a simple concept so difficult to successfully follow? Well, it's because we are mortal sinners, born into sin and possessing weakness where we need strength. It's hard to do the right thing when there are so many temptations designed to make you stray and the Prince of Darkness is always around looking for your weakness and ready to strike.
That, my friends, is why God gave us Our Savior, Jesus Christ. Sent to earth as both man and God, He lived here in the human flesh and was tempted Himself. Only He was strong enough to withstand all pressures and then He fulfilled His mission, dying on the Cross that we might have the opportunity to live. And even after he was resurrected and then ascended to the Father, He sent the third person of God to earth to enter us and give us the strength to fend off evil in our lives and declare our belief in Jesus through faith. And when we make that commitment we finally find the Way, the Truth and the Life. It's not easy, it takes constant vigilance, but it's ours for the taking if we truly believe.
The choice is one of free will. We can choose to live forever with and through Him or succumb to evil and face darkness. But if we truly want to be with The Father when this life is done, we let the Holy Spirit guide us to Him who is the only way we can truly connect with God.
Which road do you want to follow? The road leading through the narrow gate or the fancy looking superhighway to nowhere? Choose wisely, my friends, because your decision impacts you forever.
Dear Lord: We thank you for sending us Jesus Christ to die for our sins and for His gift to us of the Holy Spirit. Help us to use our free will to make the choice for eternal life, not death, and a future with You as offered by your Son. In Christ's name we pray, Amen.
God bless you all and have a great Lord's Day.