THE PRECIOUS VALUE OF SALVATION
MAY 31, 2025
TEXT: Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Matthew 7:13-14
Jesus Christ, in the given text, was simply trying to point out the peculiarities associated with kingdom demands. Jesus painted His illustration by making reference to two gates: the narrow gate and the wide gate. In Jesus’ illustration, the wide gate seems to hold much captivation, attractiveness, and promise. However, everything is mere deception, and the end result is maximum destruction. On the other hand, the narrow gate looks discouraging and unappealing, but it is the door to eternal life.
What Jesus was trying to say here is that something as profitable as the kingdom of God is quite demanding and requires serious hard work on our part. It’s not something that comes easily, and it’s not a pleasant journey. In this journey towards the kingdom, God has not promised us pleasure and fun. Rather, He has given us the assurance that even when trials and tribulations come, He is there for us, thus we should cheer up (John 16:33).
Jesus also meant to say that the road that leads to damnation is quite pleasant, and many are caught daily in the trap and snare of this seemingly captivating but destructive pathway. It is true indeed that the sweetest things often cause the most terrible deaths.
To go in through the narrow gate requires a lot of discipline, perseverance, and dedication on our part as believers. It involves us taking up our cross daily and bearing it after Christ, like a faithful soldier on the battlefield. The wide road, on the other hand, embodies commitment and loyalty to worldly tenets and living in line with the principles of the people of the world.
Jesus emphasized the eventual outcome of going through the wide gate, which includes perdition, destruction, and total separation from God. Going in through the strait and narrow gate, however, is a pathway to eternal life in Christ Jesus.
SEARCH LIGHT: The gate to eternal life is narrow, difficult, and unappealing, but it leads to a life of purpose and fulfillment in Christ.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, help me resist the temptation of the wide gate and stay faithful to You, even when it’s difficult.
BIBLE READING: Job 36-38, 1 Timothy 5
PST. MICHAEL OMOLE
