As I have mentioned in my article before, how disturbing it is that there is a possibility that God will not recognize us?   The parable that Jesus offers leads me to believe that there is the real possibility that God may not recognize me.  How could that possibly happen?  How is it that the God that created me and gave me life can somehow forget who I am?  That does not sound like the loving and forgiving God we believe in.

I think a hint of how this happens can be found in Jesus’ statement, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.”

What does entering through the narrow gate mean and how strong do I need to be to enter?  Obviously, the narrow gate is symbolic of going along the narrow way, which means something similar to the road less traveled.  The road less traveled is the road that Christian and morally upright people take.  Leading a Christian life is difficult and few people truly are interested in traveling the road.  Many claim to be Christian, but many are unwilling to live the life and theoretically unwilling to enter the narrow gate and enter God’s grace and mercy.

A Christian needs to be strong to ward off the temptations that may lead them off the path.  Often people are duped into believing themselves to be good Christians without really living the life or choosing the right path.  How many examples are there in the world of those calling themselves Christians while making some very unchristian choices and believing some unchristian things.

Even for ourselves, how authentic is our Christian lifestyle so that we can be recognized as Christians?  Perhaps this is how God may eventually not recognize us by not recognizing the Christianity in us.  I suppose there is the very real risk that after God created us in his image and later as we mature, because of our actions and attitudes, he may not recognize the person we’ve become from the person he created.

How well will God recognize the way he created us compared to the person we are and have become?  The good news is we can do something about it.  We can examine our life, our attitudes, our choices and our willingness and strength to enter the narrow gate, by living a life that God recognizes and loves.

How shocking would it be if we were to reach the end of our life and have God slam the door on us because he does not recognize us at the gates of heaven.

Run2Win4Him

Rev.James Kirby