Freedom and Rest on the Narrow Way

October 24, 2023

“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 NAS95)

There are only two paths in life.  One leads to destruction, and the other leads to life.  There is no middle path, and we must all decide which path we will follow.  The path that leads to destruction is broad.  It is easy to follow.  It is comfortable.  To travel the wide path, we must do nothing more than follow our own fleshly thoughts and impulses.  The broad path is easy in the short term, but it leads to a certain destruction.

Jesus described the path that leads to life as “narrow.”  It is a more difficult road to follow.  It is narrow in that one’s direction is constrained by the revealed word of God.  It is a path of self-denial and self-control rather than self-indulgence.  It is a path of suffering for what is right when necessary.  It is the path of taking up your cross and following the Master.  While this path can be difficult in the short term, it is the road that will surely lead to life. 

Yes, the narrow path is often difficult, but Jesus also said that on this path we will find rest for our souls. (Matthew 11:28-30) Yes, the path to life puts constraints on our behavior, but Jesus also said that in walking with Him, we will know the truth, and the truth will make us free. (John 8:31-32)

So, which is it?  Is the path to life difficult or restful?  Is it constraining or freeing?  It seems paradoxical, but it is all these things.  The truth is that only by continuing on the difficult path will we find true rest.  Only by submitting ourselves to the moral restraints of God’s word, will we find true freedom.  On the other hand, those who cast off the constraints of moral behavior and embark on the broad path in an attempt to “be free” will always find that they have enslaved themselves.  Abandoning God’s narrow way to find freedom has been the motto of false prophets since the beginning, and it is the constant refrain of our culture today. “Cast off God’s restraints and be free!”  We must be very careful not to fall for this deception.  As Peter wrote, false teachers “[Promise] freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption:  for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved.” (2 Peter 2:19 NAS95)

Let us walk the narrow path with Jesus and find true freedom and rest for our souls!

—Scott Colvin

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Grace and Prayer

October 17, 2023

Does God really hear our prayers?  Sometimes we wonder about this. Perhaps we wonder if He hears because the very thought of it is so grand and so wonderful.  Would the Almighty listen to me?  Does the creator of the universe care for me and my struggles?  It seems too wonderful to be true, and yet, make no mistake, it is true!  What a kind and loving God we serve.

Perhaps another reason we wonder if God truly hears us is because we don’t understand His grace.  If we don’t understand His grace, we will feel completely unable to come before Him, and unwelcome when we do.  Martin Luther once said that in the monastery, he was never taught to ask in prayer.  But when he discovered in the scriptures the doctrine of justification by grace, it taught him to approach God freely. The biblical teaching of justification by grace assures us that we are in a right standing with God, not because of our goodness, not because of our ability to live up to God’s holy standard, but because of the death of Jesus on our behalf.  We are “justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus…” (Romans 3:24 NAS95).

How does this knowledge of justification by grace help us to pray?  If we have been justified, we have been made right with God.  We have been declared not guilty through Jesus Christ.  If this is the case, and if we are walking faithfully with Christ, what reason is there to think that God is angry at us, or disappointed in us, and that He will not hear us?  God gave His Son so that we could be in a relationship with Him.  Why then would we think that He isn’t concerned about us, or doesn’t want to be “bothered” by our problems?  Here is the amazing truth of the matter:  “Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith…” (Hebrews 10:19-22a NAS95)  Let us draw near to God!  Draw near to Him with confidence!  Come to Him in full assurance of faith! It’s all been made possible by the cleansing blood of Jesus!  There is nothing that stands between you and God in Christ.  May God help us to trust in His grace and believe that He hears our prayers.

—Scott Colvin

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Do Not Judge?

October 11, 2023

Besides perhaps John 3:16, one of the best-known Bible verses by those outside of Christ is Matthew 7:1 which says, “Do not judge so that you will not be judged.” (Matthew 7:1 NAS95) These words have become a battle cry for many in the world.  When a Christian points out sin in this world, here comes the reply, “Don’t judge!”  When some behavior is decried as evil, you may hear the refrain, “Jesus said don’t judge!” What did Jesus mean by these words?  Did He mean that Christians should not make determinations or statements about what is right and wrong, what is good and evil?

Of course, Jesus did not mean any such thing.  Christians must be able to distinguish between good and evil.  We must “abhor what is evil and cling to what is good.” (Romans 12:9 NAS95) This requires that we must distinguish, according to the word of God, what is good and evil.  A judgement must be made!  We are to “have our senses trained to discern good and evil.” (Hebrews 5:14b NAS95).  To have this discernment is a mark of Christian maturity.  In 1 Corinthians chapter 5, the apostle Paul instructs the church at Corinth to judge those who are within the church and to “remove the wicked man from among yourselves.” (1 Corinthians 5:13 NAS95) In this case of flagrant sexual immorality, the church needed to make a judgement about what was right and what was wrong and act accordingly.

What then did Jesus mean when He said, “Do not judge”?  The context indicates that Jesus is speaking of hypocritical judgment where we would criticize and condemn another when we ourselves are practicing the same, or worse.  We should not try to remove the speck in our brother’s eye when we have a wooden beam in our own.  We must be careful to not harshly condemn one another, because by our standard of measure, it will be measured back to us.

But we must never let the world talk us into blurring the lines between right and wrong.  We must never let them cow us into believing that there are no standards of morality.  Christians must judge what is right and what is wrong according to the word of God and we must stand upon the truth.   

—Scott Colvin

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Faith is the Answer

October 3, 2023

Four times in the gospel of Matthew Jesus says these words: “You of little faith!”  A lack of faith is the root cause of many of our problems in this life.  What help, what joy we could find if we would learn to trust our Heavenly Father and rest in His promises.

Faith is the answer to worry and anxiety.  Jesus tells us that we can stop worrying about our lives—even the necessities of life—because our Father will take care of us.  Listen to these words of Jesus: “But if God so clothes the grass of the field… will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!” (Matthew 6:30 NAS95) We all struggle with worry at times.  What is the cause? Jesus goes right to the heart of the problem.  It is a matter of faith.  When we let worry overcome us it is because we do not believe that God knows about our needs, or that God does not care, or that God is unable to help.  If we would turn to Him in faith, knowing that He does know, He does care, and He is able, it would help us to overcome our worries.

Faith is the answer to fear.  When a great storm arose on the sea so that the boat the disciples were in was about to sink, they came to Jesus and said, “‘Save us, Lord; we are perishing!’ He said to them, ‘Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?’” (Matthew 8:25-26 NAS95) We see a similar scenario when Peter asked Jesus to command him to walk to Him on the water.  Peter saw the wind, became frightened, and began to sink.  “Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:31 NAS95) All of us have been overcome with fear at times.  It can hit us hard.  Jesus again pinpoints the root cause.  It is because we have little faith.  We fail to remember that Jesus is not only the Master of the sea, but of all things.  And He has promised that He will never leave us or forsake us.  Why do we fear?  Why do we doubt?  Do we trust Him? 

Faith is the answer to spiritual forgetfulness.  Sometimes we forget how God has worked in our lives in the past, and this clouds our view of the future.  Jesus said to His disciples, who had witnessed His great power, “You men of little faith, why do you discuss among yourselves that you have no bread?  Do you not yet understand or remember the five loaves of the five thousand… or the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many large baskets full you picked up?” (Matthew 16:8-10 NAS95)

We all struggle with these things from time to time.  That is why we need to be growing in our faith.  May God help us to listen carefully to His voice and take His promises to heart.  Let us trust in our loving Father.

—Scott Colvin

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