Bible Nuggets 5 - Exactly HOW narrow is the way?

Luke 13:24 - "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able."

Jesus was talking about HEAVEN, and the MANY who will STRIVE to enter, but will fail miserably.  They're going to fail, because they DID NOT READ what God said.

If you read the companion verses in Matthew:

Matthew 7:13-14 - "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. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."

The gate that leads to destruction (the road to HELL) is BROAD AND WIDE (easy to get to).  So easy, Jesus says that MANY go in by it (or in the case of this teaching, MOST).

I believe that the primary reason that "few find it", is because THEY DO NOT READ THEIR BIBLE.  In my forthcoming book "But is it Biblical?", one of the things I point out, is "How to Pray".  Now I know that may sound a little crazy to you, but if you actually READ your bible, ALL OF IT, not just the parts that make you feel happy, you'll quickly realize that you're not praying right.  And if you're not praying right, guess what?  God SAYS He WILL NOT HEAR YOU.

James 4:3 - You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.

Now I say "primary reason" above, because of course, I'm certain that God makes a way for the blind or the deaf or the retarded to enter through the narrow gate as well.  Why wouldn't He?  If God withheld someone from having their sight, certainly He wouldn't have added insult to injury and prevented them from finding His face in the dark?

So if you're not reading your bible like you should be, PLEASE begin TODAY!  I recommend the NKJV Bible that is published by Thomas Nelson.  As a matter of fact, if you have an extra $40, I would recommend that you go out and buy their Study Bible.  Other bibles you can read that are also OK would be the NASB & the ESV.  I don't "recommend" either of them, but they are significantly more useful than something like the NIV or "The Message" bible are.  And yes, for those of you who TRULY UNDERSTAND that the KJV has errors in it AND you can REALLY understand how to read 17th Century English, then I say go for it.  (Partial list of KJV errors)  Regardless, you can pickup a cheap NKJV just about anywhere for cheap!  And if you are actually blind, you can head on over to audible.com, because they've got the ENTIRE NKJV bible available for FREE.  You can LISTEN TO YOUR HEARTS CONTENT!  Just for completeness, I don't earn a penny for recommending these things to you, I'm just giving you links to help you find the things I write about.  Just like I give you scripture.  It's not that you can't open up your bible and read it, it's just to speed you along.  You of course can take your time and read everything at your own pace, it's just that I try to offer a helping hand when I can.

And that reminds me, I just wrote a HUGE blog post about what happens to a Christian when they die.  If you've ever wondered, now's your chance to have the facts presented to you in a way that you'll understand clearly.  Don't believe everything you've heard, there's a LOT missing!  It's a great read, I highly recommend you read it.  As a matter of fact, I also recommend you read the article I wrote about HOW to understand the bible BEFORE you read the one about what happens when a Christian dies.  I'll link them both below for your convenience.

What happens when a Christian dies?
Sola Scriptura

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I love each of you and wish you every Blessing of God for today and the days ahead!