Keys to the Kingdom By Carolyn Tucker
Growing up as a country girl, I learned that when I opened a gate and walked through, I needed to immediately close the gate. Most farm animals are basically just waiting patiently to make a jailbreak. You might think they’re just minding their own business, chewing their cud, scratching on the side of the barn, or grazing, but they’re actually scoping out the joint. Several years ago, one of us didn’t chain the gate properly and our horses escaped. They didn’t go far, but they went far enough. They moseyed down the lane, looked both ways and crossed the highway, then went calling on the neighbor horses. Gates are extremely important to the owners of sneaky, conniving farm animals. When given half a chance, they’ll bust out of jail every time.
In the New Testament, Jesus speaks candidly about two different gates. “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” (Matthew 7:13-14 NLT). Everyone has been given the right to make their own choices, aka free will. Jesus knows mankind’s tendency and He solemnly declared that few would choose the narrow gate that leads to an abundant life here and eternal life in heaven. When individuals choose the wide gate, they’re forfeiting Jesus’ gift of eternal life and taking Broadway Street to Hell.
In certain situations, I‘ve been known to say, “There’s more than one way to skin a cat.” This colloquialism means there’s multiple ways to accomplish a task or achieve the same end. (For cat lovers, this saying is referring to skinning a catfish.) For example, you can skin a catfish either before or after you fillet it.
Some individuals say, “There’s more than one way to get to heaven.” Nope. Jesus told Thomas, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me“ (John 14:6 NLT). There are two gates to choose from when entering either the Highway to Heaven or the Highway to Hell. The battle between right (Good Gate) and wrong (Evil Gate) has been going on since the Garden of Eden.
While standing at the Narrow and Wide Gates deciding which one to enter, it would be good to sit down and count the cost of choosing poorly. Jesus paid the entry fee for everyone to enter the Narrow Gate. The difficult way of this gate is definitely the road less traveled, but it’s certainly worth it. Jesus spoke encouraging words to His disciples, and the same message is for Christ followers today: “And everything I’ve taught you is so that the peace which is in Me will be in you and will give you great confidence as you rest in Me. For in this unbelieving world you will experience trouble and sorrows, but you must be courageous, for I have conquered the world!” (John 16:33 TPT).
After wisely choosing the narrow gate, life continues to be full of daily choices. We can choose to walk in holiness or selfishness, wisdom or folly, integrity or deceitfulness, love or hatred. The Holy Spirit lives inside believers to help us make right decisions. So we must learn to listen to Him so we won‘t make foolish choices.
The Key: When you come to the end of your journey, you won’t be sorry you chose the narrow