To believe in Christ's words and deeds is easy, for it only involves believing in our hearts and confessing with our tongues. But the test of the truth of our faith is by our deeds and behavior. After faith comes the "narrow gate" and the hard way, which everyone who has believed in Christ must go through. The narrow gate is the critical point at which one crosses from the wide way, which leads to destruction, to the hard way, which leads to life. It is where the heart and conscience are examined in the light of the cross.The worst enemies hidden within a believer are hatred, feuding, anger, judgment—including judging others without judging oneself—defaming others, and trying to remove the speck out of their eyes while ignoring the log fixed in the pupil of one's own eye (cf. Matthew 7:3).
Unfortunately, there are those who find these sins insignificant and are oblivious to them. They are unaware that these sins have become part of their nature. They practice them shamelessly as if Scripture and the Day of Judgment did not exist—as if there were no narrow gate in front of them.
Faith to them will be of no use, because those who behave in such a way have trampled on love, despising and abusing it.
Love is God. It is the testimony to the true Faith and its effectiveness. Christ's teachings will always remain on a higher plane than that which the human race will ever attain to, even by its utmost efforts, in order that humanity may ever remain penitent before God and Christ, and therefore, hold fast to Divine Grace.
Love is God. It is the testimony to the true Faith and its effectiveness. Christ's teachings will always remain on a higher plane than that which the human race will ever attain to, even by its utmost efforts, in order that humanity may ever remain penitent before God and Christ, and therefore, hold fast to Divine Grace.
“Remember who your teachers were…”
2 Timothy 3:14
2 Timothy 3:14
4 comments:
At the moment I'm afraid I've walked past the narrow gate and am walking not on the Path. But also confused as to how to figure it out. Pray for me please.
The Lord is merciful, brother, and He loves us more than we love ourselves, and He fears more for our safety and salvation than we do, and He is only trying very hard to not let us slip out of His tender hands, which hold us loosely enough for us to experience freedom and taste danger, yet tightly enough to keep us from falling, unless we really want to fall.
Praise be to Jesus Christ, who does not listen to those who accuse His lovers, even when it is the lovers themselves who, by fear or doubt, accuse themselves. For He comes not to judge the world, but to give His life for it, for us, for you, brother, and for me. And the narrow way to which He leads us will always lie ahead on our path, not at our choosing, not when we want it, but when we expect it least, are in fact unable to see it for what it is until we have, carried in His arms, passed through it.
The way I take today seems so wide I can see the walls of the chasm only as distant purple mountains on the horizons north and south, but I know that the wide river of my life was a trickle at its source and, near its end, passing through those gates of fire, will again be a trickle, but to the sea it flows, into that calm though restless sea of the Lord of all, who shall take me by the hand, look at me, and say 'beloved' as together we walk on that endless shore. And you, dear brother, with Him, with me, are one.
I feel you are right, brother. Though I'm confused and can't trust my judgement. But I do know and believe He's good and loving, and I certainly don't "really want to fall". Thank you for the kind words and encouragement!
If you want, Sasha, let's talk sometime. If you don't have my cell number, it's in my FB profile. Go with God!
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