Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
December 20, 2024
Matthew 7:7-14
7 “Ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Whoever seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door is opened. 9 Who among you will give your children a stone when they ask for bread? 10 Or give them a snake when they ask for fish? 11 If you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him. 12 Therefore, you should treat people in the same way that you want people to treat you; this is the Law and the Prophets. 13 “Go in through the narrow gate. The gate that leads to destruction is broad and the road wide, so many people enter through it. 14 But the gate that leads to life is narrow and the road difficult, so few people find it.
Good Morning! Knock, and the door will be opened to you!
We have many opportunities in our lives to make choices. We are often told to choose the path of least resistance. That is certainly the easier way, but it is not always the best way.
We often have options when we are traveling. Indeed, when we are headed to work, we would like to follow the quickest, most direct path. However, when traveling to other destinations, we often go the same way out of habit. It’s as if we are on autopilot.
Most of us have had a situation where we were required to take a detour due to construction or an accident. I remember finding some unknown treasures on my backroad travels. Charles Kuralt hosted a show, On the Road, during which he shared his travels and discoveries off the beaten path.
We are called to enter through the narrow gate when we consider our faith journey. The path to the wide gate is more clearly marked, but people on that pathway often follow the crowd instead of thinking for themselves. After all, don’t they probably know best? Sadly, this is how cults are formed, and before you know it, you might be asked to drink the Kool-Aid.
God created us with a brain so that we might discern our way as we serve others. Our path is narrow and sometimes bumpy, but we know to whom we belong and where we are headed.
Don’t follow the crowd and end up falling off the cliff with the goats. Robert Frost phrased it like this, Two roads diverged in a wood, and I – I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.
Loving Lord, We are your children! Thank you for giving us choices. We grow through our challenges and poor decisions. Thank you for waiting for us to find our way back to you. Thank you! In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: Following God’s will is not always easy, but do it anyway.
Choose the narrow gate! Pastor Liz
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