The Narrow Gate That Leads to Life

I was reflecting on this post and it made me think about how I came to Christ. I was probably one of the most unlikely people to come to faith, having been brought up in the cult of the Jehovah’s Witnesses and thoroughly brainwashed with all their false theology. But what is impossible with man is possible with God! As I look back on my life, I see the Lord creating circumstances and life events that were like a gradually smaller and smaller passageway, until I came to the narrow gate, which is Christ. It was a lot like how sheep farmers have gathering pens, crowding pens, and sheep chutes, which they use to gather, force into, and guide animals down a set of parallel panels just wide enough so that the sheep can only move forward without turning around. They use these to provide humane medical care to an otherwise uncooperative animal that is fearful or stubborn when they need veterinary care. And boy, was I stubborn at first, and fearful of any type of religion after my bad experiences in the cult! Yet, the Lord guided me until I could reach our Healer and Savior, who only is able to mend our souls.

How did you come to Jesus? Think back over your life and remember how His goodness and Divine Providence saved you! Now, on to our SOAP devotional for the day.

Scripture: “…whom they pressed into service to bear His cross.”

Observation: I have always glossed over this verse in the past, but the thought occurred to me to dig a little deeper. It turns out that Cyrene was a Roman province in North Africa (now eastern Libya) and the regional capital there. It was actually quite a well-known intellectual city that rivaled Alexandria with it’s schools, philosopher’s, and scholars, and it had a rather large Jewish population. I have always imagined it to be some remote small town on the fringe of Jewish influence! But not so. Jews from Cyrene travelled to Jerusalem regularly for the Passover and were present at Pentecost.

The best thing I learned was that this man the Roman soldiers found and pressed into service became a believer, as did his wife–who was noted by Paul to be like a mother to him—and his two sons, Rufus and Alexander. Rufus was a prominent member in the Church at Rome, and the family seemed to be well known to the early church in general. This got me thinking about how the Lord can lead people to Jesus in so many ways, and how those events ripple out to affect generations afterward.

Can you imagine being ordered to carry Jesus’ cross? What was going through Simon’s mind? He must have been present at Jesus’ trial, for the scripture states that after Jesus was flogged, “as they were coming out,” the Roman soldiers found Simon there. The fact that he seemed unwilling to comply, but had to be compelled, makes me think Simon may have been caught up in the religious fervor against Jesus that was prompted by the Jewish leaders. Perhaps he was in the crowd, chanting, “Crucify Him!”

We do not know for sure, but one thing we can be sure of: our blessed Abba will use every and any means to introduce us to His Son, for the scripture says, “No one comes to the Son unless the Father draws him.” We can rest assured that even those who seem unwilling to place their faith in Jesus at first many times will become beloved believers under the power of the Holy Spirit and our Father’s Divine Providence. The Lord can even use governmental authority and unpleasant duties to compel the unsaved into a narrow channel that leads only to genuine faith in Christ!

Application: Seeing the Lord’s divine Providence at work in Simon’s life should encourage us when we share the gospel with people who have a heart of stone. We shouldn’t feel like our efforts are failing–after all, we don’t save anyone, we only share the gospel and speak the truth in love. We leave the hard work of salvation for the Master of the Harvest. We can also be encouraged by this account in the ripple effect faith has on future generations.

I remember seeing a video in church one day where a woman was telling a simple story about how a Christian woman long ago had new neighbors move in, and thinking to be a blessing, baked them a pie. When she presented it, she chit-chatted and invited the couple to her church. Well, they showed up, and eventually became believers, as did their many children and grandchildren after them, including the sister who was sitting there relating this whole story. It has always stuck with me that we are not evangelizing just one person, but many times whole families and their acquaintances, too, now and into the distant future. So, let us not lose heart when we face difficult people. Let us remain faithful to the call to make disciples of all the nations, knowing the power of God to fulfill that mission. Indeed, we have approximately 2.4 billion people who profess the Christian faith today. It started with only twelve!

Prayer: Dearest Abba, thank you for speaking to my heart this morning and reminding me to do my part–I do the cleaning on this little earth home by speaking Your word, but it is You who invite and hold the banquet. Let me not tire of trying to reach those who seem so resistant to the gospel, but patiently pray and wait for You to produce the fruit. Forgive me for getting discouraged when I don’t see immediate fruit, when I think a person will never believe, for I am forgetting that “with God, all things are possible,” and that “Your word will not return to You void, but certainly accomplish that for which You have purposed it.” Please remind us all to be aware of Satan’s tactics to deter our efforts and faithfulness. Let us “humble ourselves under Your mighty hand, resist the devil, and he will flee.” Let us “not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Please glorify Yourself through Your children this day and evermore. In Jesus our Faithful Savior’s name, Amen.