The Narrow Path

UV 4282/10000 The Narrow Path Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad and easy to travel is the path that leads the way to destruction and eternal loss, and there are many who enter through it. Matthew 7 v 13 Jesus is the narrow gate. He is the entry point into the kingdom of eternal life, the kingdom of God. Faith in Him is the way of righteousness. The narrow gate and the narrow way is the path less travelled, the less popular option of humanity. Yet, it is the way of eternal gain, not eternal loss. It is the path to fulfilment and eternal life. Any other option is the easier one. Most people opt for the easy way out, the path that looks smooth and not difficult, not having many challenges, not risky, not uncomfortable. The narrow wicket gate is not the gate the wicked of this world will take. Jesus declared that He is the door to eternal and abundant life but warns people that it is not an easy path. Following Jesus and obeying His teachings, applying the principles of Jesus to our every step is not the popular option but it is the only thing that leads to eternal life. As the path is narrow and rough, we might fall from time to time. Our progress might be slow and hindered but Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit to encourage us, guide us, lead us, strengthen us. His word is our google map to help us find our way back whenever we appear lost. The alternatives to Jesus are many- the path of man-made religion, philosophies of this world that seem to help one make sense of this world and might even give us some strength and success in getting ahead. But eventually what comes of it is eternal loss and eternal death. The path is broad, the road is smooth but it ends in a steep precipice. The enemy deceives mankind to take this broad road with false signages saying, “Happiness, Prosperity, Peace.. “

Made for Greatness

UV 4281/10000 Made for Greatness Then God said, “ Let Us, ( Father, Son, Holy Spirit) make man in Our image, according to our likeness ( not physical, but a spiritual personality and moral likeness); and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the cattle, and over the entire earth, and over everything that creeps and crawls on the earth.” Genesis 1 v 26 God has made us great. Like Adam, we lost that greatness somewhere in our journey. Now, we have the opportunity in Christ to rediscover our greatness. We are called for leadership and excellence. Our greatness does not lie in our physical attributes, the positions and titles we have, the material wealth we accumulate but in our spiritual nature and our moral likeness to God, Our Creator, Our Redeemer. God made Jesus, the greatest of humans who never lost His greatness, to be like us so that we can be like Him. Let us face it – we are made for greatness and for enjoying complete authority over all the earth, over the rest of creation. We are not to strive for dominion over other humans but for dominion over all of nature. When we are restored to the Christ nature, the original image of God in which we were created by the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, we attain greatness, we fulfil the purpose of God, for which we were formed. Jesus derived His authority over nature from His spiritual and moral power- even the winds and waves obeyed Him. Recall the instance of the fish delivering a golden drachma to Peter, the former fisherman, so that they could pay their tax to Caesar’s representative. The fish would have obeyed no Caesar for they had lost their source of greatness, their moral authority. Today, the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit are involved in restoring us to our rightful greatness and authority. Our words release the power of God on earth. We become the instruments of God on earth to rule it and dominate it. We use power to serve humans and dominate nature- the evil nature sown in us by the enemy as well as the elements of nature. We are to dominate or defeat and rule over the evil manifested by human sin in this world. The Son -Jesus is described as the Word and hence, the word of God we read, the words that we think and speak have the power of God in it for life and eternity when directed by God and the power of death when it is directed by the devil. As children of God, we have the right to spiritual bread. Jesus said, “ Healing and deliverance is the children’s bread” or our right as children of God. The word of God is our spiritual bread. If we do not eat physical bread or food, our body crumbles or weakens. We cannot be healthy or strong without food. Likewise, we cannot be spiritually strong and healthy, we cannot discover or manifest our godlike greatness or exercise kingly authority or leadership without the divine manna, the word of God.