the narrow gate

13 Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. Matthew 7:13-14

Sheep need restoration because they have a tendency to stray and wander. They can be very stubborn and strong-willed. They can wander off the trail that the shepherd has blazed for them. And when that happens, the shepherd must restore them to the right path.

Isaiah 53:6 declares, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way.” When we decide to go our own way instead of following Jesus our Shepherd, life immediately gets more complicated and difficult. We find ourselves in trouble, and the problems are of our own making.

The Christian life is a trail. Or to put it another way, it's like a gate leading to a trail. Jesus described the two gates and where they lead: “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:13-14).

Before we receive Jesus as Savior, we're on the wrong trail. But when he draws us to himself, we find ourselves on the trail that leads from the narrow gate.

Even believers in Jesus, however, are tempted to wander off the right trail. The enemy will do all he can to divert us from the road of righteousness. It's true, as the old hymn says, we are prone to wander. And when we do, we quickly find ourselves in difficulty.

When a sheep wanders from the right path, it is in tremendous danger. But sheep don't realize how much danger is out there. A wild beast can suddenly turn a sheep into a meal. If it takes the wrong path, in no time at all a sheep may find itself on a precarious rocky ledge.

Is it possible that you've wandered from the narrow way? Run back to the trail of righteousness. It's the safest place in the whole world. —Steve Farrar stevefarrar.com

seeking: Father, what have you helped me to see about the trail I'm on? What are you asking me to do to follow you better?

responding: Is there a specific area in my spiritual walk that the Spirit of God is convicting me of? • What things tend to lead me astray from the narrow way? How can I gain victory over them?

Father, thank you for the trail of righteousness that you have placed before me. I know that it isn't the easy way. Because of that, I ask that you lead me as I strive to follow you in obedience.

following: Taking the right trail makes all the difference.

our journey