Monday 13 May 2013

Weekly Challenge

In every choice we make we choose whether to follow Christ or to follow the world. Keep a journal this week of the choices you make and whether you are walking on the narrow road or the wide road in that area. Pray that God would help you to make choices for Him.

 

Read: Matthew 7:13-14, John 10:1-18

Imagine that you go on a bushwalk to an amazing lookout you have heard about. About halfway along the walk, the track you are on runs out and turns into thick scrub. Not knowing which way to go you consult the map you picked up at the information kiosk on the way in. You find your location on the map and notice something curious. You can see the lookout just up ahead but that map doesn't show the trail to get there. Instead it is inscribed with the enigmatic words, "Find the narrow gate."

 

Imagine what you would do in this situation. You have no point of reference, no idea where this narrow gate is or what it would look like. You are left with no way to get to the lookout. Thankfully God does not leave us in that position in our lives. Instead, God has clearly identified the path that we should take to Him. Reread today's reading from Matthew 7. Jesus' words in this passage seem just as enigmatic and vague as the note on our imaginary hiking map! How do we follow the road and go through the gate which leads to life if we don't know what Jesus is referring to? Thankfully Jesus doesn't just leave it up to us to figure out what he means. In John 10 He clearly shows us that He is our gate.

 

See how the words of Jesus in John 10:7 so closely reflect our reading from Matthew? "I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved." Jesus explains in verses 14 and 15 how this is possible: "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me - just as the father knows me and I know the father - and I lay down my life for the sheep."

 

Jesus doesn't promise that life with Him will be easy. The narrow road is filled with potholes, trouble and trial. But Jesus does promise that we will arrive at the destination safely and that He will travel with us the whole way. Jesus truly is the narrow gate and the only way.

 

Prayer:

Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.

Adoration:

 

Confession:

 

Thanks:

 

Supplication:

Praise God that through Jesus Christ He has made a way for us to be in relationship with Him. Praise Him that He provides a narrow road for us to choose that we might be right with Him. Pray this week that the congregation would be passionate to share Jesus with those who don't know Him and that many would choose the narrow road.

¥ Pray for the Presbyterian Church in North Toowoomba. Pray that the minister of the church would recover quickly and be able to transition back to work after a long time of sick leave. Pray that visiting preachers would be faithful in their preaching of the Word and that the congregation would seek to apply that Word to their lives.

 

 

Discussion Questions For Families and Groups

1. Imagine that you are talking with an unbelieving friend of yours about Jesus. When they look at you blankly you realise their only knowledge of Jesus has come from popular media. What do you think are the important things that they need to know about who Jesus is? Make a list together as a group.

2. Time to practice. Practice telling each other these important points as if you had never heard them before.