LIve for Christ

Matthew 7:13-14 (NIV)

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior, tells us metaphorically that there are two gates in life; a wide gate and a narrow gate. The wide gate leads to self-indulgent ways that lead to destruction. The narrow gate is focused on the life of Christ and living the life Jesus would desire for us to have.

Haddon Robinson, from his sermon "Love Keeps Going" writes: Several years ago, I helped lead a tour in Turkey of the churches mentioned in the Book of Revelation. On the last night, we were in the city of Izmir and were having dinner at one of its nicer hotels. Our guide had been in the United States at least ten years and spoke English flawlessly. As we were eating, he began to ask us questions, serious questions about the Christian faith. I said to him, "If you're a follower of Islam, and if you died tonight, would you be sure you could stand in the presence of Allah?" "No," he replied. "There are five things that Muslims should do. I've done two out of five."

Then we began to talk about the gospel. We talked about it long into the night, and before we left I said to him, "Look, you're serious about our conversation, I know. It would not be faithful of me not to ask you if right now you'd like to put your trust and confidence in Jesus Christ." He said to me, "You don't know what you're asking me. Do you know what would happen if I did that? If I announced it to anybody, my wife would leave me. My family would disown me. My boss would fire me. I may want to leave to go back to the United States, and the government would not give me an exit visa. I'd give up everything. You go back home tomorrow. I would not expect you would support me, and I would starve to death in my own culture." As far as I know, he did not trust Christ that night. But there are people who have made that decision and suffered all of that loss and endured those hardships because they are Christ followers.

There are people in this world who are afraid to follow Christ because they may be persecuted, abandoned, and even shunned by their family.

Jesus tells us in John 15:20-22, “Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.”

The Lord speaking to Ananias after Paul’s conversion said, “I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” The Lord doesn’t promise us an easy life, but He does promise a rewarding one. We are also promised an eternal life with Christ in heaven where there are no more tears. Live for Christ, He died that we would live.