I have thought of the path to God as a narrow winding ledge that has been cut into the side of a rock cliff, with the top of the cliff 1,000 feet above, and the bottom of the chasm a 1,000 feet below filled with bubbling hot magma.
Oh, and it’s windy, and there’s a snowstorm, so I can only see a few feet ahead, the ledge is slippery, and the wind wants to pick me up and throw me down. And did I mention it’s dark?
So I shuffle my way along the path looking for hand holds and slowly sliding one foot ahead and then the other.
Now as I’ve been shuffling along like this, trying to stay on the narrow ledge, I’ve recently learned that there are levels of relationship with Jesus, and what level I’m on will change how I walk that path:
- If I treat Him as a stranger, then He will respect my independence, and He will only be my judge.
- If I make the effort to get to know Him more and start to listen to His teaching, and trust Him, He will be my Saviour.
- If I get to know Him even more and I give my life to Him completely, He will come into my heart and take over my whole life.
So back to me shuffling along the narrow ledge to eternal life: If I treat Jesus as a stranger, giving Him no thought, and just relying on myself to get through life, as I have done for a large part of my life I might add, Jesus will respect that, leave me alone, and I will be free to shuffle along as best I can. When I reach the gate at the end of the ledge He will only be my judge. Certainly He will hope that I successfully navigate the ledge, but He won’t interfere in my struggle because I have not invited Him to.
If, though, I learn about Jesus, listen to Him, and trust Him, He will respond. He will take my hand and guide me along the ledge. He will listen to my fears and doubts and He will provide words of comfort. He will advise me on how to handle some parts, He will carry me over the parts where the ledge has mostly worn away, He will heat up the ledge so when the snow falls on it there is no ice, and in the end He will get me to, and through, the narrow gate. He will be my Saviour.
And if I learn to love Jesus so much that I love Him with all of my being, doing everything He tells me with loving purity of heart, I won’t care anymore about the ledge and the snowstorm and the ice and the cold. I will only care that His love for me is my entire being, and I will live in His embrace. He will pick me up and take me where He wants me to go. And no matter where He takes me it will always lead to, and through, the narrow gate.
Which level are you trying for?
Peace be with you.
Steve.
Peace Be With You 