Be Perfect?
Doing
Gen 18:16-19:38, Matt 6:25-7:14, Psalm 8:1-9, Prov 2:6-15
Today’s reading of narrow gates is why I like reading the Bible. I have read this passage many times and tonight am drawn to the line, “ For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life…” Think about this in the full context of where the story is heading? Following Jesus is not easy because he takes us to some pretty hard places within ourselves so that we can therefore reach outside of ourselves. We become less so that God becomes more in our life. Consider that this is located right next to the Golden Rule. By becoming less, by following Jesus, by loving our neighbor, and ultimately loving God, we find the road that leads to life. It is on this path that we find that fullness of being alive. It is not saying for some future life of paradise, but a road that leads to life–now.
Let’s keep walking.
(And a side note, did you read Genesis today? What’s up with that? To begin, did you read Genesis today? More going on here than Days of our Lives. Angels visiting, the whole town closing in wanting them, Lot offering his daughters instead out of hospitality for his visitors, all the men going blind, Lot losing his sons-in-law because everything else was not strange enough for them to believe, Lot also losing his wife who becomes a pillar of salt, and then his daughters (who’s husbands just died) get their father drunk so they can sleep with him to bear his children. Whatever our narrow teaching has been on Sodom and Gomorrah, I would suggest reading this whole thing again and consider that the whole story is pretty messy. More questions than answers, but this is also a fun part of the journey of reading our story.)
Shalom,
Pastor Rob