Luke 13:24-27(NLT)
24“Work hard to enter the narrow door to God’s Kingdom, for many will try to enter but will fail. 25 When the master of the house has locked the door, it will be too late. You will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Lord, open the door for us!’ But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ 26 Then you will say, ‘But we ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 And he will reply, ‘I tell you, I don’t know you or where you come from. Get away from me, all you who do evil.’”
The passage in Luke 13:24-27 doesn’t beat around the bush. It’s the kind of instruction and warning many Christians find very challenging, because it tells us that the door to the Kingdom is narrow, and we always like to think of it as being very wide. If it was wide, we could excuse away a lot of our behaviors, and give ourselves a pass. We could take the liberty of thinking, “I know it’s not right in God’s eyes, but I’ll put it in the “not too bad” column and keep it moving.” This is not a workable strategy. Even with some of the best Christian teachers and the most knowledgeable biblical scholars, most believers still have a hard time grasping that God’s grace isn’t permission to continue sinful behavior, and it will not cancel out the price sin demands to be paid.
Romans 6:23(NLT) tells us, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Sinful actions and behaviors have a cost, and it is exceedingly high. We must be clear about this. There used to be a time when we’d do something against the Will and Word of God, and the consequences would not be immediate. However, we are in an unprecedented season of spiritual acceleration. The activity in the spiritual realm of God is off the charts, and the battle is fierce. No more is there a delay in consequences. When we put a negative action out there, the consequences are quickly hurled back at us in the form of a painful dart.
It is important that we understand the link between our actions and the consequences we must face. In Old Testament times, when God’s people refused to turn from their wrongdoing and idolatry, Isaiah, God’s prophet, said of them in Isaiah 3:9(NLT), “The very look on their faces gives them away. They display their sin like the people of Sodom and don’t even try to hide it. They are doomed! They have brought destruction upon themselves.” God desires that we turn from sin. He wants us to put on the nature of Christ, so that He can cover us in His blessings.
There is much complaining about the rigors of being single longer than a person would like, but we must allow for the possibility that sometimes the wait is due to our refusal to submit to God and live the way He desires us to live. We continue to pray and ask Heavenly Father to present us with a spouse, but presentations are rewards. Rewards come after we’ve shown ourselves willing to hear what Father God has to say to us, and then we are diligent to change according to His directions. So, we have to ask ourselves if we really want to hear what God says or if we want Him to just go along with our refusal to change. The latter simply won’t happen. God commands us to renew our minds to His Word.
The “narrow door to God’s Kingdom” that Jesus Christ talked about in Luke 13:24 is a door that will require us to leave our negative baggage behind, because that negative baggage will not fit through the narrow door—it’s too heavy and too wide. Glory to God that the Master’s house is still open, and there’s still time for us to get ready to enter God’s Kingdom. The world teaches that we can be broad in our approach to living, and we don’t have to practice Godly discipline, but this isn’t true. God has given us His Holy Spirit to help us live a Godly life. John 16:13(NLT) “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth.” We must submit ourselves to the Holy Spirit and be guided by him so we can please God, grow in Christ, and learn to be fit for the narrow door to God’s Kingdom. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“The Master’s House is Still Open”, written by Kim Times, edited by Reverend Fran Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2020. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.