Reading 5 Matthew 7:13-14 and 7:21 (Part 2 of Matthew 7)
NOTES OF CAUTION
MORE DAYS THAN ONE: There may be some lessons you might feel compelled to spend several days on the key verse rather than just the next twenty-four hours.
PRAYER JOURNALING: I will ask you to do lots of prayer journaling in this reading. Please do ALL of it and not skip anything. In fact, prayer journal every single time you feel led to, on top of what I suggest. The rule of thumb is: “The more you prayer journal, the more you’ll interact with God and His Word, and the more you’ll get out of the reading and studying of the Bible.”
MATTHEW 7
Read Matthew 7 again in another version or translation of the Bible.
Our main verses today are: Matthew 7:13-14; 7:21. Why don’t you read those in a third version of the Bible and prayer journal your thoughts, whatever jumps out at you, questions you might have, gems you want to consider, anything you want to apply to your life, what God says to you, what you say to God, etc.? **~**
Our Key Verse is: Matthew 7:14.
Matthew 7:13-14 / Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. 14 How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.
Matthew 7:21 / Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of My Father in heaven.
Why don’t you read those verses in a third version of the Bible and prayer journal your thoughts, whatever jumps out at you, whatever questions you might have, gems you want to consider, anything you want to apply to your life, what God says to you, what you say to God, etc.? **~**
{Reminder: Whenever you see the previous symbol, that means to prayer journal your response, thoughts, questions, etc. Do everything listed as well. Don’t skip anything. The ‘etc.’ is make sure you write more and get whatever comes to mind down on the page. It doesn’t mean to skip, which we might be tempted to do. ETC. in the case of prayer journaling really means, AND.}
Matthew 7:14 / Expanded Bible (EXB)
14 But the gate is small and the road is ·narrow [or difficult; hard] that leads to true life. ·Only a few people [And there are few who] find that road.
Prayer journal your thoughts, whatever jumps out at you, gems you want to consider, anything you want to apply to your life, what God says to you, what you say to God, questions you might have, etc.? **~**
Read it again.
Prayer journal any other gems that jump out you afresh and those that are reinforced now. **~**
Read it one more time. (I’m not kidding.) Read it one word at a time, as slowly as possible, and allow each word to sink in fully and completely. So, really take your time. Do lots of prayer journaling on this read-through. Do the quadruple amount of prayer journaling this time. (Seriously.) Mine it. Savor the treasure you find. **~**
This verse is probably one of the most important verses we can grasp and need to live by every moment of every day and night. It’s not one to take lightly.
In fact, I would add this to my “Daily Pondering List” to ponder, meditate upon, think about, and contemplate, every single day for at least the rest of the year, if not for the rest of your life.
DAILY PONDERING LIST (DPL)
And, yes, by the way. Start to carry a “Daily Pondering List” of verses I tell you to add, along with the daily verse we learn here in each reading, and by far, even more importantly, anything God tells you to add to the list. Our daily reading verse, we will only reflect upon for the next twenty-four hours, unless God tells us otherwise.
So, on our list so far is at least: Matthew 7:14, which will stay on the DPL for at least the next year.
READ
Read Matthew 7:14 in yet another version of the Bible.
Read it one word at a time, as slowly as possible, and allow each word to sink in fully and completely. So, really take your time. Do lots of prayer journaling on this read-through. Do the quadruple amount of prayer journaling this time. (Seriously.) Mine it. Savor the treasure you find. **~**
CONTEXT
Read Matthew 7:8-25 for the proper context of Matthew 7:14.
Prayer journal your thoughts, whatever jumps out at you, gems you want to consider, anything you want to apply to your life, what God says to you, what you say to God, questions you might have, etc.? **~**
Also, prayer journal about how reading the context helps you to understand Matthew 7:14 more completely. **~**
WE ARE NOT TO DO WHAT EVERYBODY ELSE DOES OR TAKE THE EASY ROAD: SUMMARY #1
Isn’t this the underlining summary of Matthew 7:13-14 and 7:21?
Prayer journal your thoughts, whatever jumps out at you, gems you want to consider, anything you want to apply to your life, what God says to you, what you say to God, questions you might have, etc.? **~**
SUMMARY #2: THE CHRISTIAN LIFE ISN’T AN EASY ONE
Isn’t this the underlining summary of Matthew 7:13-14 and 7:21?
Prayer journal your thoughts, whatever jumps out at you, gems you want to consider, anything you want to apply to your life, what God says to you, what you say to God, questions you might have, etc.? **~**
THE BUILD-UP
This is where I feel like a dog, shaking all over with excitement just before their master takes them for a walk. I get so excited thinking about something new I discovered this morning in my study of Matthew 7:14. I just cannot wait to share it with you, so you can see how big God’s Word is and how meaningful and important. Never mind how deep His Word is and the impact it has when we learn to dig deeper and mine it to find the precious gems. Well, that’s what I did earlier and am bursting at the seams with treasure to share with you (since I didn’t have a bag to put it in, I had to stuff it in my clothes on my back, never mind in my pockets.) Now, I will lie them down on the ground so we can look at each piece, now that I am outside again and can see them in the sunlight, as well as in the Son’s Light. I want to share my discovery and make it our discovery--yours and mine.
PRAYER FOR UNDERSTANDING REGARDING THE GEMS FOUND IN MATTHEW 7:14
It’s funny, now that I sit here at my computer and want to share this treasure with you, I keep putting my fingers on the proper keys and then wait for the words to come. My mind races and I cannot contain one thought to put on the page and share with you. This is so big, I’m finding it difficult to put it in words. I think I will do a great disservice to the text and the lessons we can learn here. I don’t want to foul this up and minimize it in any way.
So, would you, please, pray with me?
First, take a look at Ephesians 1:7-12, please. Prayer journal your thoughts, whatever jumps out at you, gems you want to consider, anything you want to apply to your life, what God says to you, what you say to God, questions you might have, etc.? **~**
Then, see 2 Timothy 2:7. Prayer journal your thoughts, whatever jumps out at you, gems you want to consider, anything you want to apply to your life, what God says to you, what you say to God, questions you might have, etc.? **~**
Then, see 1 John 5:19-21. Prayer journal your thoughts, whatever jumps out at you, gems you want to consider, anything you want to apply to your life, what God says to you, what you say to God, questions you might have, etc.? **~**
Psalm 119:18 / Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
18 Open my eyes so that I may contemplate
wonderful things from Your instruction.
Replace the word, ‘instruction’ with ‘the Word of God,’ or ‘the Bible.’
Prayer journal your thoughts, whatever jumps out at you, gems you want to consider, anything you want to apply to your life, what God says to you, what you say to God, questions you might have, etc.? **~**
PRAYER:
Lord, help us have full understanding (according to the mind and heart we have today, knowing they will transform today to tomorrow) of everything we read and study in the Bible. However, right now, we ask this in particular regarding Matthew 7:14. help us mine its treasure and find the gems You want us to grab hold of and take into our possession. To You be the glory, honor, and praise.
Matthew 7:14 / GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)
14 But the narrow gate and the road that lead to life are full of trouble. Only a few people find the narrow gate.
Matthew 7:14 / New American Standard Bible (NASB)
14 For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
Matthew 7:14 / Expanded Bible (EXB)
14 But the gate is small and the road is ·narrow [or difficult; hard] that leads to true life. ·Only a few people [And there are few who] find that road.
LEXICON (A FANCY NAME FOR A WORD STUDY)
Prayer journal your thoughts, whatever jumps out at you, gems you want to consider, anything you want to apply to your life, what God says to you, what you say to God, questions you might have, etc.? **~**
Prayer journal your thoughts, whatever jumps out at you, gems you want to consider, anything you want to apply to your life, what God says to you, what you say to God, questions you might have, etc.? **~**
The second link we just read is the world’s largest diamond, ruby, emerald, topaz, sapphire, etc--all combined in one. It’s big--and, boy, is it a gem.
God is the One who presses, narrows, compresses, contracts, and afflicts us and our way--in the best way possible. He is the One doing the action. It’s a verb and it is also a passive, present, perfect participle--meaning He is always actively doing this in our lives. He is making us a diamond in a rough, my friends.
Prayer journal your thoughts, whatever jumps out at you, gems you want to consider, anything you want to apply to your life, what God says to you, what you say to God, questions you might have, etc.? **~**
When we go through challenges, remember this. This is our narrow gate life as a Christian. If we are not being pressed, we are most likely on the wrong path!
Prayer journal your thoughts, whatever jumps out at you, gems you want to consider, anything you want to apply to your life, what God says to you, what you say to God, questions you might have, etc.? **~**
We are to constantly be growing in God and in His Word. He is the One who transforms us from the inside. Are we allowing Him? Are we fighting it or are we cooperating?
Prayer journal your thoughts, whatever jumps out at you, gems you want to consider, anything you want to apply to your life, what God says to you, what you say to God, questions you might have, etc.? **~**
Please. Make sure you fully grasp the full Truth of this verse. Understand it. Grasp all of it--every gem, every facet, every nook and cranny. Do not read anything else until you ponder this and chew on it for a MINIMUM of twenty-four hours. Over the next day, please make sure to prayer journal as much as possible about this verse and: Prayer journal your thoughts, whatever jumps out at you, gems you want to consider, anything you want to apply to your life, what God says to you, what you say to God, questions you might have, etc.? **~**
This verse is a life-changer, but only when you grasp what God is doing. He loves you enough, and has so many grand purposes, to bring Him the glory, He cannot, will not leave you the way you are, or where you are. He will transform you into a special gem. You are His treasure. But, this process is hardly easy. It will be hard. But, it’s worth every bit of it. He will turn you into His treasure and will give you treasure of the truth of His Word.
Prayer journal your thoughts, whatever jumps out at you, gems you want to consider, anything you want to apply to your life, what God says to you, what you say to God, questions you might have, etc.? **~**
Just remember, you are to travel a different path than most. If you look around in your life (and you should right now) and are surrounded by a lot of people you say are close to you, re-evaluate. Seriously.
Prayer journal your thoughts, whatever jumps out at you, gems you want to consider, anything you want to apply to your life, what God says to you, what you say to God, questions you might have, etc.? **~**
The road is narrow. Few travel it. Few. Will this be you? Or, will you find those you choose to travel with more valuable than God and His Word and Way? The many or the few? God or others? God or possessions? God or any other idol in your life? His way of the narrow gate or the way of the masses?
Prayer journal your thoughts, whatever jumps out at you, gems you want to consider, anything you want to apply to your life, what God says to you, what you say to God, questions you might have, etc.? **~**
(Top image credit: Stacy Duplease 2009-2014.)
