I was really taken back by my pastor’s message this weekend. It was hard hitting and very powerful. I spoke with him after about the message and he told me it was intended for the members of the church who have been there for a while and had been down the road a little farther in their walk with Christ.
When Jesus asked people to follow him, he did not just leave them at the beginning of the following process. As the time past, if you were to be a follower and believer, more was expected from you. As we will never be perfect, it is our responsibility to strive for perfection as we move forward in our lives.
Before I get into the meat of this post, if you haven’t read the post up this point, here are the links so you can catch up:
Part 1 – http://www.lifetosuccess.com/2010/09/19/the-road-trip-of-life-part-1/
Part 2 – http://www.lifetosuccess.com/2010/09/20/the-road-trip-of-life-part-2/
Part 3 – http://www.lifetosuccess.com/2010/09/21/the-road-trip-of-life-part-3/
Part 4 – http://www.lifetosuccess.com/2010/09/22/the-road-trip-of-life-part-4/
Part 5 – http://www.lifetosuccess.com/2010/09/26/the-road-trip-of-life-part-5/
Part 6 – http://www.lifetosuccess.com/2010/09/27/the-road-trip-part-6/
Part 7 – http://www.lifetosuccess.com/2010/09/28/the-road-trip-of-life-part-7-obstacle-part-1s/
Part 8 – http://www.lifetosuccess.com/2010/09/29/the-road-trip-of-life-part-8-obstacles-part-2/
Part 9 – http://www.lifetosuccess.com/2010/09/30/the-road-trip-of-life-part-9-–-obstacles-part-3/
Part 10 – http://www.lifetosuccess.com/2010/10/01/the-road-trip-of-life-part-10-–-reading-the-signs/
Let me start off with these verses from the Bible:
Matthew 7:13-14
Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
These are powerful statements and they hold keys as to why many people live lives of quiet desperation and why others go on to live lives of greatness. And it all has to do with powerful focus.
In the first verse, Jesus talks about a wide gate and a broad way that leads to destruction and not only that how many people pick this gate for their lives. On this path through this gate there is no focus. This is where wishy, washy people venture. People who do not examine where they are in their lives and are constantly being lead by the opinions of others and dictate what they do with their lives based on the fuzzy expectations of others.
There is no focus on becoming a better person.
There is no focus on becoming more valuable.
There is no focus on living by the proper principles.
The focus is on things changing outside of themselves to make them happy.
But in the second verse, “strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” The path to living a successful life requires a lot of work and sacrifice. Sacrifice that many people are not willing to make.
In order to get one thing, you must be willing give up another. We must be willing to PAY THE PRICE.
Let’s think about a laser beam for a second, if the laser beam is without magnification it will merely just create a lot of light spread all over the place but when you magnify that beam and focus its energy, it will cut through steel.
This is the power of focus in the purest form.
But creating focus in our lives requires self examination and the willingness to give up things in our lives in order to get the things we really need.
It means giving up our current menu of food choses in order to be good stewards of our bodies and eat healthy in order to be of more value to those around us.
It means giving up certain things financially in short term to be financially independent in the long term.
It requires giving up of some of your time to move your body so that it doesn’t fall apart on you in the long run.
It requires a lot of patience with your kids in order to help them become productive members of our society.
Are you willing to pay the price to walk on the narrow path?
I hope you find this post useful!
As Always, Here’s to Your LifetoSuccess,
John Clark