Matthew 7:13-14
Going Through the Small Gate is Hard
13"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Matthew 11:28-30
His Yoke is Easy
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Following Jesus can be difficult at times, but Jesus tells us it is both hard, yet easy...St. Matthew writes that Jesus tells us that the small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to life and only a few find it...It is just easier to do what you want to do in life and not worry about other things that go on and forget about or tuck Jesus away, and not follow what He teaches...We want to control our lives and what we do in it...But then four chapters later St. Matthew write that Jesus said My yoke is easy and My burden is light...Which one is it, it can't be both?...
C. S. Lewis addressed this, and explains that loving and then following Jesus is both hard and easy..Jesus don't necessarily want so much of our time...He has lived with God from the beginning (John 1:2)... And He doesn't so much want our money...Money is not anything He treasures...Jesus has no use for money, and the money we have He wants us to help those in need...Our work that we do, well that takes much of our time and does bring us money, so again we are back to time and money...He wants us to be happy and successful, but that is not what He is after...What He wants is you...When you believe in Him, He wants no half-measures...They just aren't good enough...Doing a thing or job halfway is not what I teach or what I want...Cutting down half a tree in your yard, looks terrible...I don't want to cut off a branch here and a branch there, I want to have the whole tree down....Hand over you whole natural self, all the desires you have, which you think innocent, as well as the ones you think that are wicked—I want the whole outfit....I want all of you...And when you do this and have given your all, you will be reborn...Then I will give you a new self instead...I will give you Myself: My own will shall become yours....And when you do this, you will feel the Holy Spirit, I shall then be able to be and work through you...
It is not easy to give up yourself, and give everything to Him...For some fleshy and earthly reason, we want to cling to things like time (especially our youth), money, and work...But if you continue to try keeping yourself you will be ruined...No one can reach the Truth and their true potential except through Him...And if we give ourselves to Him, we will be saved...Salvation if found in no One else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men, by which we will be saved (Acts 4:12)...