Many Paths?

…But small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to life. (Matthew 7:14).

I have long wished that I could say there is more than one way to God.  It would make life so much easier…but then, God never said it would be easy.  In fact He says ‘Wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction’(verse 13).   So there are many paths to destruction and only one to life.

The reason I bring this up is because it’s a very negative concept and I was uncomfortable with it for a long time.  I didn’t have an understanding of it that I was satisfied with (not that I expect to understand everything in this lifetime).   After all, God is a loving God, why would He make it so hard?  And then I realised one very simple thing.  He wouldn’t have sacrificed His son if there was another way.  Jesus gave up EVERYTHING because there was no other way.  And He didn’t have to.  In fact as I read about him hanging there on the cross knowing that at any time he could have called down angels (and let me tell you, if it was me up there on the cross I wouldn’t have hesitated – mankind would have been doomed.  To see the look on the faces of all those people standing there trying everything they could to degrade me).  But he didn’t.  And so instead of having no path at all, no gate, no road.  We have a narrow one.  It’s not meant to make it hard for us to get to God, its meant to make it easy.  It’s a gift not a burden.  We don’t have to do anything cause it’s already been done.

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13 NIV)

What’s next…

I’ve just stuffed myself with chocolate chip cookies, and now I’m sitting in my bedroom listening to the ocean…life is good…but what is next?

After spending almost 2 months travelling home has never smelled so sweet, but both Matt and I believe there is change in the wind.  What that means exactly we aren’t too sure.  We have a bit of direction, but only enough to begin to move forward, not enough to actually change anything, and so we wait. 

When we have more concrete details on what the heck is going on, I’ll probably write about it.  So until then I’ll probably write more God stuff, cause He is who I spend my time thinking about.  I’m reading the book of Acts at the moment and finding it fascinating.  There is so much drama in the early church, and so much excitement.  Christianity is so new, and I wonder if Christians today can get that back.  Where have all the signs and wonders gone?  Anyhow, if anyone has anything interesting to say on Acts please do and I will try to have something interesting to say as well!

Home Sweet Home

I would be disingenuous if I did not say it didn’t feel good to be home.  However, we did have an amazing time full of experiences that I will never have a chance to write down.  Experiences that will shape who we become.  I believe this trip was tailor made by God to move us forward…to move closer to perfect in him (please understand I have no illusion of reaching that perfection in this lifetime, but I’m grateful for the opportunity to become more like Jesus through the incredible experiences that God constructs.) 

I was just reading the book of Acts.  I noticed the apostles rejoiced when they had “… been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name” (Acts 5:41).  Over and over again we read in the bible of a way of thinking that is opposite to the way the world thinks.  No wonder the apostles were not afraid to proclaim the name of Jesus.  Not only had they received boldness from the Holy Spirit (see Acts 4:31) but they looked at the suffering they had to endure as something to celebrate.  Instead of being embarrassed for standing up for Jesus we should be celebrating…now if only I could get my brain to function that way…