It’s a Narrow Gate!
(This Covid-19 virus thing is some serious stuff. As a people, we find ourselves having to make a difficult choice. Do we get back to work or continue to be safe by not interacting with others? Either way, lives are in the balance. We need to get our country back to work, but we must do it in a way that saves lives. We must continue to pray.)
Sometimes, even the simplest of chores can become might near impossible. For instance, getting’ a group of calves to go through a gate. Of course, if you didn’t want them to go or if the gate wasn’t open they would tend to find a way to get right through it.
Like some of y’all, I have seen cattle choose to go through a bull tight six wire fence rather than go thru the open gate that was clearly on display before them. And if there has ever, ever, ever been a hot wire in that opening, forget it, they ain’t going that way!
There has even been a ranch rodeo event made out of the situation. It’s called team penning. I’m always amused at how many calves seem to flat out refuse to cooperate when they are on public display out in the arena. Some calves also don’t seem to understand that going through the more solid outside fence is not supposed to be an option. I guess we need to get the calves a copy of the rules. Now, there are different ways of doing ways such an event; I will mention one variation. To give some explanation, the contestants are given a number and they have to take that one and the next two numbered calves out of the herd in order and bring them around and put them in a pen on the other side of the arena. Now understand that the rest of the herd must cooperate with the help of a cowboy or two by staying to the back behind a barrier line.
The pennin’ would seem plum easy if there were no little gate to have to get them to go through. I’ve seen some arenas set up with the pen out in the middle which make this even seem nearly impossible. It’s been my observation that most green wheat pasture calves that originally hail from some place like Florida just won’t cooperate; thus, making it a competition of serious difficulty and great amusement.
I write all that about getting cattle to go thru a gate to lead into the instruction Jesus give over in Matthew 7 about goin’ thru gates: “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14 nasb)
Just like that wide-open arena those calves were lookin’ at, the gate to hell is wide, and it’s sad, but scripture points out that a whole lot of good folks are goin’ that way.
But the gate to life in Christ is small, it’s like a walk-thru gate and the trail that way is narrow and Jesus tells us there are few who find it.
There are just two gates to enter, two trails to travel, two choices in life. There is one way or the other. One is the trail Jesus made possible for us, and the other is…well, it’s like open range. Jesus describes His gate as small. Satan likes us to be on the broad trail.
It has to be a choice that we make. We decide to either open that gate to eternal life, enter in, and follow Christ or just keep on doin’ our own thing out on that wide road to destruction.
Jesus says it well in John 14: … “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” If we miss Jesus’ gate then we miss life! So choose Jesus; give your life to Him! Ride for His brand!
Choose Jesus, choose life! And find a Bible believin’ church where you “fit in” and know, grow, and follow Christ! Tell others! See y’all at church and keep PRAYIN’ for HIS HARVEST!