S153P1 – These we must accept: only few
Mt. 7:13-14
Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
We spend our time praying for many good things out of compassionate hearts, and there is no law against that. The longer we live in this world, and the closer we become to the Lord, the more we see how destructive sin is. We begin to understand that lawlessness and evil are serious things. We recognize that defying God and living against his ways bring real consequences. We know that souls are truly at stake. The reality sets in that some words we intend for comfort might be untrue. When our loved ones lose their loved ones and we say that they have moved on to a better place, that is not always the case. We cannot forget that the narrow gate is narrow for a reason.
Jesus Christ died so that all would have a chance to be saved, but most will not choose him. Some might find this to be an unjust outcome. Others might think this is depressing. If we are to draw a conclusion from this truth, let it be this: the Son chose to obey the Father and suffer unto death even though most would not take advantage of that holy sacrifice. God put this plan into action already knowing that few would choose his Spirit over the spirit of the age. When given the opportunity to be friends and children of the one true God, lowly mankind would throw away that opportunity in droves. Only a perfectly loving God would endure what our Lord endured knowing that this would be so.
We can be angry at God that so many will be lost, or we can appreciate the fact that He would save any. Following him is not easy, as the scripture tells us hear, and that becomes the crux of the issue. Although He was willing to deny himself in order to have that restored relationship with us, too many of us refuse to deny ourselves for him. Pray for the lost, share the gospel message, and remember that many will perish. We cannot help save all, but we can help save some. Let this be a call to urgency for the saints to make those few as many as possible. Father, thank You for wanting to save us, for drawing us near, and for giving hope to those who put their hope in You.