“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14)
When Jesus admonished His hearers with these words in this conclusion of His Sermon on the Mount, He was undoubtedly referring to eternal salvation. There are not many ways to heaven; in fact there is just ONE, as He makes clear in John 14:6, “I am THE way … no one comes to the Father except through Me.” The followers of Jesus who claim that He is the only way to heaven are often accused of being “narrow-minded” — but that is just what Jesus commended here: following the narrow way which leads to eternal life.
Although that is undoubtedly the primary application of that verse, there may be another for us to consider: Continue reading
unexpected, and even better, instead. That may have happened today. I was searching for a theater which might be showing the newly released “Love And Friendship”, a Jane Austen movie, for which the previews and clips have looked very good. “Get used to disappointment ” (“Princess Bride” quote). It is actually playing in literally 5 theaters in NY & CA today, so no dice on that front. But while searching, I came across another movie: “The Man Who Knew Infinity”, that was playing in Asheville & Charlotte today. The plot line sounded interesting: a poor newlywed from India sends his mathematical formulas to Cambridge, and is invited there in 1914 (during the outbreak of World War I) to expound on and prove his theories. Now the field of math (especially when it begins to involve letters!) is not my forte, but it turns out that this movie was well worth the 90 minute drive to Charlotte. 
shawnethomas 