The Narrow Road

Introduce yourself, get to know others, and commune with one another!
Post Reply
kenblogton
Posts: 147
Joined: Tue Sep 10, 2013 1:39 pm
Location: Barrie, Ontario, Canada

The Narrow Road

Post by kenblogton » Thu Jan 16, 2014 10:48 pm

In Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus says ""Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. "
Based on my experience, the narrow road that leads to life has involved:
1. Initiating a relationship with God.
2. Listening to, or for, the Holy Spirit.
3. Learning to love unconditionally.
4. Accepting that, in my own strength and without the inspiration of God, I can do nothing good.
5. Becoming a servant of God.
I'd be interested in your comments/experiences re: the narrow road.
kenblogton

User avatar
Paidion
Posts: 5452
Joined: Mon Aug 18, 2008 10:22 pm
Location: Back Woods of North-Western Ontario

Re: The Narrow Road

Post by Paidion » Fri Jan 17, 2014 3:56 pm

Here is the way I look at it:

A. Getting onto the Narrow Road:

1. Deny the self-serving life, and submit to the authority of Christ in your life.
2. Become a learner of what Christ requires of you, that is, become His disciple. Jesus said that unless a person forsakes all and follows Him, he CANNOT be His disciple.

What Christ requires is clear in "The Instructions on the Mount", (Matt 4,6,7). Jesus ended these instructions with the words:

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” (Matt 7:24-27 ESV)



B. Staying on the Narrow Road:

Having learned what Christ's words of instruction are, DO THEM! To return to the self-serving life is to get off the Narrow Road.
Paidion

Man judges a person by his past deeds, and administers penalties for his wrongdoing. God judges a person by his present character, and disciplines him that he may become righteous.

Avatar shows me at 75 years old. I am now 83.

kenblogton
Posts: 147
Joined: Tue Sep 10, 2013 1:39 pm
Location: Barrie, Ontario, Canada

Re: The Narrow Road

Post by kenblogton » Sat Jan 18, 2014 12:57 pm

Reply to Paidion
Thanks for your comments. I've added my reaction to your comments after them
A. Getting onto the Narrow Road:
1. Deny the self-serving life, and submit to the authority of Christ in your life.

For me, this involves the first 4 stages:
1. Initiating a relationship with God.
2. Listening to, or for, the Holy Spirit.
3. Learning to love unconditionally.
4. Accepting that, in my own strength and without the inspiration of God, I can do nothing good.
2. Become a learner of what Christ requires of you, that is, become His disciple. Jesus said that unless a person forsakes all and follows Him, he CANNOT be His disciple.
For me, this is the last stage:
5. Becoming a servant of God.
B. Staying on the Narrow Road:
Having learned what Christ's words of instruction are, DO THEM! To return to the self-serving life is to get off the Narrow Road.

For me, this covers all 5 stages.
kenblogton

kenblogton
Posts: 147
Joined: Tue Sep 10, 2013 1:39 pm
Location: Barrie, Ontario, Canada

Re: The Narrow Road

Post by kenblogton » Thu Jan 23, 2014 11:32 pm

Clarification of original posting:
1. Initiating a relationship with God.
On the morning of Saturday December 17, 1978, I knelt beside my bed and asked Jesus into my life. The evening of that same day, God miraculously delivered me from alcoholism, and He has been working on me ever since. I believe genuine salvation involves initial and ongoing confession of sin as well as initial and ongoing repentance, resulting in a life which increasingly manifests progressive sanctification – the fruit of the spirit.
2. Listening to, or for, the Holy Spirit.
I learned listening prayer, or how to meditate, in the Virkler's Communion with God seminar in 1989. The basics of the approach involves stilling yourself in the presence of God then listening for and recognizing God’s voice as a spontaneous flow within you. It took me several days to be able to recognize God's voice separate from the jumble of my own thoughts.
3. Learning to love unconditionally.
Through meditating, I learned that God loved me. At the time, I did not love myself - meaning doing what was good for me. Knowing in my heart that God loved me encouraged me to love myself. After learning to love myself, I began to love others unconditionally.
4. Accepting that, in my own strength and without the inspiration of God, I can do nothing good.
I only really embarked on this and the 5th step in 2013, and am consciously seeking ongoing Holy Spirit inspiration. Isaiah 64:6 tells us our natural righteous or goodness is like filthy rags. In Matthew 19:17, Jesus tells us no one is good but God. In John 15:5-6, Jesus tells us that without Him (Godly inspiration), we can do nothing good, and in Matthew 5:16, He tells us that when people see our good deeds, they should praise God, NOT US!
5. Becoming a servant of God.
Mark 9:35 says we should be servants of God. Jesus sets us the example in John 13 where He washes His disciples' feet and in His crucifixion. In Matthew 7:21 and Luke 6:46, we are told we must be obedient to Him (God). Paul speaks of his own servanthood in Galatians 1:10 and Luke 17:7-10 tells us that God's servants deserve no special merit - they are merely doing what is expected of them. My fear in embarking on this path is that God would ask extraordinary things of me - beyond my ability. That has not been the case.
kenblogton

nancyer

Re: The Narrow Road

Post by nancyer » Mon Jul 07, 2014 10:56 pm

Thank you kenblogton, for this post and thank you Paidion for your response. Excellent definitions and explanations. I find I have the most trouble with #2 Listening to & for the Holy Spirit. I pray to hear God's words and to know I am on the right path and doing that which God would have me do but I rarely feel as if I have actually heard God's direction.

That being said, I have recently determined the following; sometimes I get a nudge like feeling inside and then have to decide whether to follow it through or not. For example; I share an apartment with an older woman and sometimes I'll look at the clock and think "I wonder if she's going to skype her daughter tonight", so I think I should ask her but I decide not to. An hour later she'll remember she was suppose to skype her daughter 30 mins. ago. No, this is not revelation or clarity of my purpose but it's little nudges that I usually wind up wishing I'd listened to. I wonder, is this just my brain working and doing and thinking or is it God helping me along each day? (Or trying to, if I would only listen) This morning I thought for sure I'd missed my bus, it was nearly 15 past the time, but I wasn't late getting to the stop. I considered heading back to the apartment and then came the thought "as soon as you do, the bus will come", so I waited and sure enough, 5 more minutes and there it was. Again, was it me or my Helper, Savior, Counselor?

Post Reply

Return to “The Courtyard”