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bigmike

Matthew 7:13-14 (NKJV) 13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
As followers of Christ, our lives will be different than the lives of those around us.
We are not what the world would consider normal. We have chosen the “narrow gate”.
We do not live by flesh or things of the natural. We do not “live by bread alone”, as stated in Deuteronomy 8:3.
We live by the words that come from the mouth of God.
Because of this, our lives are set apart from those who live by the flesh, chasing after satisfaction in temporal things; momentary gratification.
Will our lives be better because of our choice to walk it with God?
By the world’s standards? No, they won’t.
This road is narrow and less populated. It can be lonely at times. It may cause us to question ourselves and our choices if we allow the enemy to get in our heads.
But pay no attention to those voices. They are the voices of the enemy and his demons.
They may even be the voices of your friends or family telling you to give it up; have “fun” and do what feels good because we only live once!
But those are the voices of the lost, and often the miserable, looking for company.
Yes, we may feel lonely from time to time. We may suffer because of the choice we made to follow Christ and walk the narrow path. This is true.
But we do have joy!
Our joy is not found in the things of the world. It is found in knowing that we are walking with God; the One who created us and breathed life into our lungs.
It is found in the things of God, as He transforms us.
And it is found in knowing that we are walking toward a kingdom that will last forever, where God will reside with us, and we will live in His presence forever.
So, let us remember that we were never promised that our life here would be easy or trouble-free. We were promised that if we trust Him, and we endure to the end, we will reap life eternal.
James 1:12 (LSB) 12 Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
And this, my brothers and sisters, is what life in Christ is all about; salvation eternal.

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