Dear Believer,

   I was watching a program on television about fighter pilots in our military.  One of the pilots being interviewed mentioned that early in their training, they learn a valuable lesson through a very simple exercise.  I would like you to try something.  Stand up, close your eyes and lift one foot off the ground.  What happened?  You quickly started to waiver; fought to keep your balance and would shortly fall without putting down your foot and opening your eyes for regained stability.  This was the lesson for these pilots.  If you take away God-given points of reference, such as sight and balance, you rapidly get disoriented and fall into ruin and destruction.  This of course would lead to loss of life and equipment.  This exercise the pilots took part in caused me to think of the consequences to people when they close their eyes to the Word of God and attempt to stand, half-heartedly, on one leg on God’s Word and Will.  The illustration is simple and the consequences are clear, that those who choose to live on this path of living will end up with loss of stability, wavering and their own ultimate destruction.

  As I watched this program, I thought of:

Matthew 7:13,14
¹³ 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:
¹⁴ Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

  The word strait refers to “accurate or precise”.  Jesus knew that the adversary would come after God’s people with various methods of destruction, attempting to get God’s people to waiver, to lose their stability, to disorient them and cause them to fall.  Jesus instructs them to keep their focus on the strait gate, the narrow way, which leads unto life.  I am sure you have heard of the phrase, “walking the straight and narrow”, it’s a phrase that has its origin here in Matthew 7.  Walking the straight and narrow is aligning our lives, our focus, our speech and our actions upon the precepts of God’s Word.  Verse 13 of Matthew 7 declares that “broad is the way that leadeth to destruction” and many choose that way, why? I will tell you why, because it’s easy.  It’s easy to be lazy, slothful, unfocused, it’s easy to follow the crowd; it’s easy to take the path more traveled; like sheep to the slaughter.  Verse 13 of Matthew 7 tells us that few find the strait and narrow gate.  Why? I will tell you why, because it demands work, effort, thought, planning, and focus, attention and time.  It’s not always the easiest way but it’s the best way and God tells us via his Word that the strait and narrow is worth the effort because it leads to life. 

  In II Timothy 2:15 we are exhorted to rightly divide the Word of truth.

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

  We are to rightly divide, straightly cut and precisely cut this Word of God.  It reminds me of Matthew 7, the “strait and narrow”.  A diamond cutter does not hack away at a diamond with a chain saw.  Rather with great skill, care, focus, effort, work and planning, he makes straight and narrow cuts.  He cannot close his eyes, lose his focus, disorient and then attempt to cut.  We as believers cannot close our eyes, lose our focus, disorient and attempt to rightly divide God’s Word either.  Remember, it’s the strait and narrow of God’s Word that leads to life.

  In II Peter 1:20 we are instructed that God’s Word is not of any private (idios, one’s own) interpretation.
                 
  Knowing this first that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

  Logically, if God’s word is not of one’s own interpretation then there can only be one interpretation, which is God’s.  Its “strait and narrow”, God has the final say, we cannot introduce private interpretation because it closes our eyes to the “strait gate and narrow way” that leads to life, and it disorients people’s thinking and leads to destruction.  It’s easy to privately interpret God’s Word.  It allows people to validate their lifestyles that are not on the “strait and narrow”.  These people have a form of godliness, but do not the truth.

  As believers let’s be strong in the Lord and the power of His might.  (Ephesians 6:20) let’s enter through that strait and narrow gate that leads unto to life.  Let’s not get disoriented, lose our focus, which leads to destruction.  When a pilot loses his reference points, he can switch to instruments in the cockpit that provide him with information, information that allows him to fly the “strait and narrow”, we cannot flick a switch to correct our thinking.  We must stay our minds, work at it and focus on that “strait gate”, that precise and accurate way made available via our Lord Jesus Christ.

  Jesus Christ is “the way”.  Let’s follow his instruction and be one of the few that find and enter the gate that leadeth to life.

Bless,

Bob Faller
Park Ridge, New Jersey