"Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able."
Luke 13:24
I had an interesting experience this morning that God used to speak to me. He speaks in so many ways if we'll just listen we can learn a lot from His voice. If the bible records that Jesus spoke in parables it's important for us to realize the various ways and methods that God uses to speak. Sometimes God uses analogies, examples, people, places, experiences, and other times He straight up speaks to you. But if I only look for the way that God spoke to me last week or yesterday, I'll miss what He has to say to me today. This morning He used some various events left a significant impact on my heart and left some thoughts on my mind.
I woke up this Saturday morning eager to get into my bible, drink some coffee, and enjoy some fried eggs and egg whites. I grabbed the key to the kitchen area from one of my squad mates tent, and headed off to the kitchen. As I went to unlock the door I noticed a small but extremely significant problem. The key would not work. In Africa they use this medieval looking mundane keys, and regardless of how I turned or angled the key it wouldn't work. Feeling discouraged I realized there were a few other possibilities. As a man I am extremely determined when I set my mind to something and at 5:30am I wasn't going to be defeated by a simply locked door.
Crawling through an broken window(I've done this a few mornings) into the dinning area, I decided to try the back door of our little kitchen area. Locked, and the keys I was given still didn't work. Not to worry, I can and will get into this room. I'll make something work. I'll get in through a window, I'll break in through the door some how with a credit card or butter knife. Nothing worked. I was pretty much flustered to say the least, not to worry though, the Lord has a way.
Mr. Rhoda runs the hostel here. He is 80 years old, and like old people do he thankfully is up around the same time I am. Just as I was trying to figure out how to breach the door mechanism, or make entry through the window somehow, Mr. Rhoda strolls onto the scene. I tell him the situation and about the key I was given and he quickly realizes that its not the correct key. "You need key M41B" he says, "I'll be right back." I stood there and waited for a few minutes hoping he would have a spare, and to my surprise he returned a few minutes later. Using the correct key Mr. Rhoda quickly unlocked the key and smiled "the only way in is to have the right key!" And then God spoke.
It's interesting to me how people work, how we rationalize things in our mind and trying to make sense of something that is extremely simple in itself. God made no distinction, and left no ambiguity when it comes to salvation yet we try to rationalize and justify it all hoping we don't offend anyone. What I mean by this is that Jesus says "I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me."(John 14:6) If we truly believe this then why do we so often dance around truth in order to justify unbelief? If I truly believe what I say I believe, then I can't in good conscience tell someone that there is any other way. I can love them if they have different views and beliefs, but there is no way that I can nor should I back down from the truth to avoid offending someone just to appeal to their ears. Here's the problem though, we feel that its our responsibility to level the playing ground, to bridge the gap, or to create some sort of universalistic approach to salvation. It's not your responsibility just as one day people won't stand before you in judgement, they'll stand before Him. Here's what I've learned, everyone wants the truth and everyone wants to get to heaven, but there is only One way and the door isn't opened to you without the right key.
It didn't matter what I did this morning, I could not get into the kitchen, no matter how determined I was, no matter how creative I was, nor how much I desired to get in. Without the right key none of that mattered. None. It didn't matter what good I'd done yesterday, this week or this year, without the right key I didn't have access to the room. Sometimes we as Christians encourage people just to be good and live a good life and include God once and a while and you'll make it…..NO, thats a lie! He is the Way! Jesus, thats it, He's the Way! If I love someone I'll tell them the truth and correct them, but if I simply worry about how I can please them and not hurt their feelings then I'll continue to let them live in deception. I'm not saying to stand on the corner with a sign that says "Turn or burn" because thats not love and it doesn't work. What I'm saying is that I'm not God, I didn't create this nor am I the judge in the end. I'm simply a carrier of truth and Jesus says that I should live in the same manner He lived and then I should disciple others to live the same way. I didn't create the system, I didn't create the path, nor did I create the key. But I can give people the wrong key and make it harder for them to get in if I add to the confusion of this word and dance around the truth trying to say nice things that tickle their ears. My job is to simply say and do as Jesus did, and He said there is no other way to the Father except through Him…..
" I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
John 14:6
"I am at rest in God alone;
my salvation comes from Him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my stronghold; I will never be shaken."
Psalms 62:1-2
