“Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.”
Luke 13:24
Most everyone knows this passage (Luke 13:22-30) in which Jesus uses the metaphor of the narrow door to describe entry into His Kingdom which is not of this world. Once the owner closes the door, no one else is admitted, no matter how much they thought they were worthy of admittance.
The clear message is that we need to do something to be admitted, and you can see this in verse 30:
“Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.”
If we live our lives with an attitude of selfishly holding on to our life, our own interests and our own advancement in this world, we might well be first in this life, but where will we fall when we come tor that door? Will we even be admitted?
Self is the great enemy of spiritual growth; spiritual growth is the building of our relationship with our Lord. If we are stuck on self, we will not be able to grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ, for the two are opposites. When He says that we should “make every effort” that tells us that we have choices to make. Of course that is not to say that salvation comes by works, but rather that we must put effort into our relationships with Christ just as we must put effort into our relationship with our spouses and families.
I wonder, are we willing to be last, so that we might become the first?
Life Project Blog 
Reblogged this on The Bible Stop.
Reblogged this on Elaine's Random Thoughts and commented:
something to think about for sure! We need to ask ourselves, how willing are we to put ourselves last?
amen – God bless you for sharing his good word!
Thank you
Reblogged this on The Crusty Old Sailor Speaks and commented:
I and Me are two of the most dangerous words when it comes to spiritual growth…
The question is not, I believe, are we willing to put ourselves last in order to be first but instead, “Are we willing to love and serve God no matter where we are in line?” I would rather be a doorkeeper in God’s house than be a king in service of the wicked one.
Amen
Hi Don,
I am so glad to be here today.
Thanks for sharing this inspiring post.
I am here today via Elaine’s Random Thoughts pages.
Keep sharing
May you have a blessed time ahead
Best Regards
~Philip Ariel @PVAriel
Thank you for stopping by!