The narrow gateway to life – abundant life – is elusive. It is a road less traveled. Jesus calls it difficult. Its view of the world is less take and more give. The legacy of a life lived through this narrow gateway overflows into the lives of others, leaving things better off.
“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
Peter’s phrase (1Peter 1:18) about the empty way of life passed down to us always sticks with me when I read scriptures like this one. The highway to hell is contrasted with the narrow gateway to life. Jesus wanted us to have abundant life (John 10:10) and we are often content with emptiness.
My standard read on this text would also take me to the afterlife. This is about heaven and hell. But today I am thinking about life now in 2023. I can choose a life now that is a life of sin. It is the highway to hell. Not much explaining is needed. AC DC has been kind enough to paint the picture for us. That highway is wide. The options are endless. The reward and satisfaction is now. Have it your way. Party like it’s 1999…
The narrow gateway to life – abundant life – is more elusive. It is a road less traveled. Jesus calls it difficult. Its view of the world is less take and more give. The outcome and legacy of a life lived through this narrow gateway overflows into the lives of others. It leaves things better than it found them.
This later life is a life of redemption. Everything and everyone around us can be the object of restoration and redemption. We all need restoration to a better place… To a better purpose… To a higher call and meaning.
I want to always be searching for the narrow gate. You might say I have found it. Yes, but there seems to be little turnoffs and side paths everywhere which call for us to explore. They lead back to the highway. And so I try to keep focused on the gateway of my hope and life…
Amen.
Marc Kinna
marckinna 