The Narrow Gate, April 10, 2008
The Narrow Gate, April 10, 2008 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,
having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself,
that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. Ephesians 1:7-10, www.solascriptura.com Jesus, some recoil from the notion that blood must be shed for the forgiveness of sin. Help us learn what You have taught us, many times. Sin is deserving of death or at the very least, it prevents entry into the presence of our Holy Father. Sacrifices of animals, to cover the sins of a believer, were a very serious way of allowing a substitute to die in the place of a sinner. Jesus, You became the final "substitute" for our sins, because as the Scriptures teach, your blood was shed for the remission, the cleansing, the removal of our sins. No more sacrifices are needed or wanted, by You. Your shed blood has paid the price for our salvation. You have died for our sins, in our place, and now You are at the right hand of the Father, awaiting our arrival, our redemption. You have now implanted the truth upon our hearts; all wisdom and prudence are available to us by the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit. You have revealed the mystery of Your will to us. We who worship You in truth and in Spirit will be gathered unto You. How wonderful these words are Jesus. May they become a reality in all of our lives this day, we pray. Amen. Bruce Caldwell
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The Narrow Gate, March 18
The Narrow Gate, March 18 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.
In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. Ephesians 1:11-14 www.solascriptura.com Jesus, again we hear the word "predestined" to describe what is the reality of a born-again believer, One that You knew in the beginning would turn to You, trusting You, depending upon You in even the smallest things. You teach us here that the presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts is Your seal upon our souls, our guarantee of an inheritance so indescribably perfect that we can not even visualize it. How are we to know that the seal of the Holy Spirit is upon us? Your word answers that question in so many ways but it seems to always come back to this verse: "You shall know them by their fruits." If we say we love You, let our thoughts, choices and actions confirm that truth. Help us, this day, to seek You, to learn from You and to experience Your presence and friendship, all day. We are Your "purchased possession". Is there anyone else we would like to commit our future to besides You? We pray these things in Jesus' name, amen. Bruce Caldwell
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The Narrow Gate, February 16
The Narrow Gate, February 16 "... to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, 'These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God:
"I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot.
"So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Revelation 3:14-22 www.solascriptura.com Jesus, this set of verses may represent the greatest challenge we will ever experience. Your disgust with our being "lukewarm" is graphically clear. We get the point; but, Jesus, help us understand what it is to be "hot". We can see that You would even prefer us cold, to being lukewarm. Why is being lukewarm such an awful condition? Jesus, we speculate, but when we are cold, we are not being hypocritical. We simply are voluntarily moving away from You, not claiming any kind of personal relationship with You. Therefore, our actions are truly representative of our situation. If we are lukewarm, we could be sending mixed signals. We could be viewed as being hypocritical or at least as inconsistent. Yet, being "hot", all the time implies a level of commitment with which we may be uncomfortable. Jesus, we have been taught that a new heart means a new start, where we can say "I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me." If we live every day, looking to You for guidance, comfort, wisdom and renewal, would we not be considered "hot"? We pray that is so. None of us wants to be lukewarm. Lead us today, Jesus, in paths of righteousness, all day, and every day, we pray. Amen. Bruce Caldwell
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The Narrow Gate, January 22
The Narrow Gate, January 22 "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.
"Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
"You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?
"Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
"A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.
"Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
"Therefore by their fruits you will know them." Matthew 7:13-20 www.solascriptura.com Jesus, Matthew repeats the same admonition that Luke stated. The gate to heaven is indeed narrow. In this instance, where You remind us that few will enter the Kingdom of heaven, You tell us that the kind of fruit our lives bear is critical.
We know we are not to judge each other. Jesus, You have told us that judgment is Your province and we know that You tell us not to try and help with that task. Your word tells us that event will happen in the twinkling of an eye. Judgment day will come upon us when we least expect it. We will either run to You or turn away in fear. But here You say we will know a person by their fruits. The identity of those who love You and who do not love You, with all their hearts, mind and soul is made evident; we disclose it all day long. You tell us elsewhere that a brackish well does not yield fresh water and that an olive tree does not bear figs. Help us, today, to yield the kind of fruit that identifies us as Your disciples. That is what we want to be, Jesus; a follower of You who seeks to be to others as You have been to us. Strengthen us, we pray, in Your Holy name, amen. Bruce Caldwell
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The Narrow Gate, January 20
The Narrow Gate, January 20 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
To God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.
...may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.
To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Jude 1:24-25, 1 Peter 5:10-11 www.solascriptura.com Jesus, the gate is narrow, but it is You that pushes it open, it is You that keeps us from stumbling, it is You who joyfully present us faultless to our Father God. It is You Jesus who has taught us, repeatedly, that we can only be "faultless" when Your righteousness envelops us. Peter reminds us that we will suffer for a time, prior to entering into Your permanent peace, perfected and strengthened in You. Jesus, we are bombarded by sin from every side and we have learned, or are learining, to turn away from it but at the same time it keeps coming. We come to You as babes, in terms of our Spiritual condition but help us today, to grow quickly in our knowledge and dedication to You. You lift us up, You teach us, You sustain us. Thank You for that reality. In Your Holy name, we pray, amen. Bruce Caldwell
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The Narrow Gate, December 2
The Narrow Gate, December 2 The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God."
They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity; there is none who does good.
God looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God.
Every one of them has turned aside; they have together become corrupt; there is none who does good, no, not one. Psalm 53:1-3 www.solascriptura.com Father, King David felt completely abandoned when he sought to serve You. He felt there was none who does good, not one.
Today, Father, we look around and see those who profess their love for you and are grateful we are not alone. We do not, for the most part, feel the persecution and loneliness that David felt but Christians and Jews are experiencing intense spiritual warfare all over the world.
In these difficult times, help us realize that our commitment to You needs to be bold and consistent. Keep us from wavering as the world's values, in terms of Your expectations, are in a steep decline. Given the profusion of sin, the gate to heaven may indeed be narrow. Help us not be inconsistent in our love for You and our witness to the world. You have stated that it is Your will that all men be saved. That is our hope as well. Bless us we pray in Jesus' name, amen. Bruce Caldwell
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The Narrow Gate, November 12
The Narrow Gate, November 12 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
"He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
"And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
"For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
"But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God." John 3:16-21 www.solascriptura.com Jesus, here we listen to words directly from You. What a privilege it is to be taught by You, our Messiah. Believing in You is the cornerstone of our faith. Thank You for such simplicity. In believing, we are born again, new creatures in You, prepared to live a life of service and to be in eternity with all those that love You. You are the light, Jesus. As we come to You we are directed and taught, as friends. In seeking You and Your Holy word, fervently, we are voluntarily coming to the light that our lives might be clearly seen as a loving witness of Your presence in us. We can see from Your word that everyone who practices evil will not reside in Your light now or in eternity. We pray for those whose souls, by their own choice, reside in darkness. Draw them to the light, redeem their souls, we pray, in Jesus' name, amen. Bruce Caldwell
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Law of God, November 11
Law of God, November 11 Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying,
"Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread."
"Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:
'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.
And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' "
"Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated?
"But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.
"For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.
"These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man." Matt 15:1-2, 7-9, 17-20, www.solascriptura.com Jesus, these verses remind us of the phrase "you strain at a gnat and swallow a camel" wherein we focus on obedience in some small matter, in almost a compulsive way, believing that such obedience earns us points with You. Here You teach us that doing the right thing, such as washing our hands before we eat, does not offset doing the wrong thing; keeping perfunctory rules and failing to understand how these actions mean nothing if we do not declare our love for You. It is sort of like, "no love for You, no credit for our good behavior", at least in the eternal sense. Pride is such a subtle sin! Help us this day to learn "that which proceeds from the mouth" is pivotal in evaluating our relationship to You. We pray that obedience from a faithful heart marks us as Yours. In Your Holy name we pray, amen. Bruce Caldwell
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Peace, November 10
Peace, November 10 A wicked man hardens his face...
If a wise man contends with a foolish man, whether the fool rages or laughs, there is no peace. Proverbs 21:29, 29:9 www.solascriptura.com Father, our countenance sometimes tells everything about us. Help us today to try to be as You Jesus. We pray that our countenance will reflect love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. We know that list embodies the "fruits of the Spirit". If we could but genuinely feel that we are as a tree, a Christian tree, bearing unmistakably good, plentiful fruit. We know it confuses our acquaintances when we bear good fruit one day and bad fruit the next. It is consistency for which we pray. Help us to do the right thing, even when we simply do not feel like it. Keep our feelings from dictating our actions, we pray. We know, Father, that we will begin to feel better when we are doing Your will and that when we fail to do Your will, it makes us feel awful. You also teach us that when we contend with a foolish man there is no peace. Help us today to focus on presenting ourselves as one who is not contending, but as one who is caring. Caring will seldom get us in trouble and we thank You for teaching us how to bear good fruit. Bless us this day, in Jesus' name, amen. Bruce Caldwell
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The Narrow Gate, October 22
The Narrow Gate, October 22 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.
"All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."
Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, "Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see;
"for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it."
Luke 10:21-24 www.solascriptura.com Jesus, being wise and prudent would seem to be a very good thing. How is it that here You say that Your teachings are hidden from the wise and prudent and revealed to babes? We know the answer from Your word. Prudence and wisdom, of which Solomon had abundance, did not necessarily always lead to a closer walk with You. Our eternal future is not linked to our earthly attributes, those gifts that You have given us as resources upon which we can draw. As good as these resources are, they only accrue to our eternal benefit when we use them to glorify and serve You.
We pray that the gifts You have given us serve as launching pads, not anchors. To the extent that we cling to them and not to You, to the extent that they bring glory to us but not to You, assets become liabilities. Pride and self-centeredness distance us from You. Give us great blessings and wonderful resources that we might be a conduit of Your love to the world. Amen. Bruce Caldwell
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The Narrow Gate, September 24
The Narrow Gate, September 24 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
"Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'
"And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' Matt 7:21-23 www.solascriptura.com Jesus, The message of the "narrow gate" is repeated many times in the Scriptures. Theologians teach us that repetition equals importance. Something oft repeated is very important. Jesus, how could we attend church, give offerings, sing in the choir, and pray without You "knowing" us? The answer is in Your word. "Works" or the performance of duties, customs and rituals, if they could save us, would make the Act of the Cross, of zero importance.
It is by Your grace Father that it is our faith, not our works that saves us. Jesus, we know that loving You with all of heart, mind and soul will lead to good works and that some might argue that doing good works will lead us to want to love You. That may be true, but the bottom line is that nothing we can do is of merit in Your eyes if it does not spring from faith. Help each of us, this day, to embrace and be comforted by the Holy Spirit, accepting our status as Your friend, Your personal friend who seeks to serve You. We know that if we embrace ritual, and seek forgiveness via merit badges, absent the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, that we err greatly. Lead us today to a deeper faith and a hunger for Your instruction. We pray in Jesus' name, amen. Bruce Caldwell
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The Narrow Gate, September 5
The Narrow Gate, September 5 To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled.
They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.
Titus 1:15-16 www.solascriptura.com Father, we, in our original flesh, prior to Your filling our hearts with the Holy Spirit, were very impure. Our minds and consciences were dulled, but never unaware, of our sins. Father, we have accepted, by faith, the forgiveness and healing of Jesus. Our perspective has changed and we are able to know You Jesus and to know what You expect of us. Your expectations are pure and undefiled. Again we are taught that to "profess" to know You but to have impure thoughts and impure behaviors is not o.k. Help us, today, not to simply profess our faith, but to live our faith in complete obedience to Your word. Help us not to disqualify ourselves by misbehaving or worse yet, professing but not believing. We hear of dysfunctional families but You Father remove our stony hearts, replacing them with a new heart that is able to keep pace with Your perfect will, if we but seek You. Teach us that finishing well is better than starting out well. Help us to grasp the fact that, without a doubt, finishing badly produces a terrible result. Give us perfect fidelity, to You, and to each other, every day We pray in Jesus' name, amen. Bruce Caldwell
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The Narrow Gate, August 17
The Narrow Gate, August 17 ... I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Rom 1:16-21 www.solascriptura.com Father, we too are not ashamed of the Gospel. We gratefully accept Your grace and mercy, by the shed blood of Jesus, the final sacrifice for sin, and we willingly proclaim You before everyone we know. We live by faith in the facts, given to us by Your Holy word. Father, when Jesus went to the cross and then was resurrected, He told us that He was the Deliverer of the New Covenant. We know that one facet of the New Covenant is that the truth about You was written on the heart of every person. No more wondering about Your existence, Your creation, and Your love for us. These truths have been made self-evident to us. Father, we have seen mankind, try turn off the Light within. You do give us a choice and some, as You say here, have hearts that have been darkened. What a sad circumstance, Father, to have a soul reject Your love. To whom can they turn for eternal life? Help each of us to lovingly intervene when possible to tell such persons of Your love. Bless us, this day, as we seek to serve You. Amen. Bruce Caldwell
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The Narrow Gate, July 28
The Narrow Gate, July 28 Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. Romans 1:22-25 www.solascriptura.com Father, Here the Apostle Paul describes how some of mankind changed Your glory into images of man, birds, four-footed animals and creeping things. Since Paul wrote these words, men have invented additional images to worship. Paul says, “You gave them up”; You allowed them to pursue their own form of worship wherein they worshiped and served things that you created, instead of You. Father, help us today to examine ourselves and see if we are lifting up anyone or anything above You. Do we, in a sense, worship success, money, acclaim and the achievements of others, more than You? Help us not to elevate anything or anyone above our relationship with You. We pray in Jesus’ Hoy name, amen. Bruce Caldwell Labels: The Narrow Gate
The Narrow Gate, July 6
The Narrow Gate, July 6 ...(they) worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.
Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;
being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers,
backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful;
who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them. Rom 1:26-32 www.solascriptura.com Father, Paul is not mincing words when he tells us what upsets You, what causes You to give up on those who choose to live their life pursuing things that You say are not fitting, not right. What we notice Father, is that You place pride and disobedience in the same list as sexual immorality and murder and say the same penalty awaits all sinners. Father, we know that sin is sin and that all sin separates us from You. You have told us that You will not permit sin to come into Your presence. How do we get to come into Your presence? It certainly is not as one who has never sinned. Regardless of the sins that we have committed, you tell us that our faith and belief in the redeeming act of Jesus, can, at our election, wipe away every sin, as far as the east is from the west, never to be remembered against us again. That is truly a miracle and none of us is worthy of such grace and mercy. Help us to stop sinning and to claim a victory over sin by the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit in us, we pray. Amen. Bruce Caldwell
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The Narrow Gate, July 4
The Narrow Gate, July 4 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
not of works, lest anyone should boast. ... to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. Ephesians 2:8-9, 4:7 www.solascriptura.com Father, we celebrate Independence Day in the United States as a way of marking our freedom from the control of others. When we accept, by faith in Jesus, Your grace and salvation, we celebrate a different kind of freedom. We believe that freedom from dominance by Satan marks that day as the most important day in our existence. It is on that day Father, that we place our trust in You, forever. We confess that it is not our good works that place us in Your hand, but the redeeming act of Jesus, lest any of us feel we can boast about being in Your care. Our grace from You was made effective by Jesus. Absent our faith, we can not draw near to You. We know that when we draw near to You, it was facilitated by Jesus and that You respond by drawing near to us. It is nearer to You that we want to stand, this day. Independence from the heavy weight of sin is a result of our dependence on You. Bless us this Independence day, we pray in Jesus' name. Bruce Caldwell
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The Narrow Gate, June 13
The Narrow Gate, June 13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. 1 Corinthians 10:13 www.solascriptura.com Father, You have taught us that temptation is a tool of Satan. He uses various approaches to see if we are able to resist. If we do not overcome the temptation, we lose, he wins. Here You assure us that temptations are common to all persons. No one is immune to temptation; no one is shielded from temptation. We wonder, at times, why You allow temptation to come to us; why have You given Satan access to us? Couldn't You have just protected all Your children from temptation? Of course You could have done so but then we would not have had to exercise our faith, we would not have had to make choices. You teach us Father that You permit the "test" but you never present the temptation. You allow it but You did not contrive a circumstance where we are tempted. Here You promise us a marvelous thing. You will, with every temptation, provide a way to escape that allows us to bear it and to come out strengthened. You never permit Satan to win when we turn our hearts to You in the midst of a trial. Jesus, You were tempted in every way, and You showed us how to respond. You experienced the power of temptation and You sympathize with us during our difficult trials. Help us today, to lean upon You and Your understanding and deliver us we pray from falling prey to Satan's attempts to bring us down. We pray this in the power of Your Holy name, amen. Bruce Caldwell
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The Narrow Gate, May 25
The Narrow Gate, May 25 "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. "In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. "And where I go you know, and the way you know." Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:1-6 www.solascriptura.com Jesus, Your promises of "many mansions in heaven" gives us a picture to which we here on earth can relate. We also know that You have told us that "mind has not imagined, nor eye seen what God has prepared for those that love Him." Our vision here of what it will be like to be with You is very dim. We look to heaven as looking through a foggy glass but when we are there, You tell us it will be glorious, beyond what we now know. You have told us that You go to prepare a place for us so that where You are we will be. It was "doubting" Thomas who said, at the time, "we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way." Thank You Jesus for Your response. You are the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through You. We earnestly pray for our fellow travelers from every nation that the truth of that statement can be widely stated and widely understood. Thank You Jesus for showing us the way, this day. Amen. Bruce Caldwell
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The Narrow Gate, May 3
The Narrow Gate, May 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,
having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:3-6 www.solascriptura.com Father, You tell us that You chose us and that You choose to bless us with every spiritual blessing. You have adopted us. We are heirs to Your Kingdom. Here, Paul teaches us that we were predestined to be adopted as Your sons, by Jesus Christ, and that His will to do so gave Him pleasure. His grace to us brings glory to His name and He has made us acceptable in His sight. First, Father, we know that You and Jesus are as one and that our election, our predestination was known by You. You would not be omniscient if You did not know that we would respond to Your love for us, personally. You knew we would accept Your invitation, Your grace and Your mercy. Second, when Jesus came here, His life, His death and His resurrection became a pivotal event in history. Where men had been unable to fulfill the Law of the Old Covenant, You taught us, Jesus, that the New Covenant had replaced the Old. We now stand in the presence of the Father, not based on our obedience, but based upon our faith in You and our acceptance of You as savior. We can now stand in the presence of the Father, cleansed of our sin, as sons; sons that He knew would choose to have faith in You Jesus. Perfect! Amen. Bruce Caldwell
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The Narrow Gate, April 10
The Narrow Gate, April 10 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,
having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself,
that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. Ephesians 1:7-10, www.solascriptura.com Jesus, some recoil from the notion that blood must be shed for the forgiveness of sin. Help us learn what You have taught us, many times. Sin is deserving of death or at the very least, it prevents entry into the presence of our Holy Father. Sacrifices of animals, to cover the sins of a believer, were a very serious way of allowing a substitute to die in the place of a sinner. Jesus, You became the final "substitute" for our sins, because as the Scriptures teach, your blood was shed for the remission, the cleansing, the removal of our sins. No more sacrifices are needed or wanted, by You. Your shed blood has paid the price for our salvation. You have died for our sins, in our place, and now You are at the right hand of the Father, awaiting our arrival, our redemption. You have now implanted the truth upon our hearts; all wisdom and prudence are available to us by the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit. You have revealed the mystery of Your will to us. We who worship You in truth and in Spirit will be gathered unto You. How wonderful these words are Jesus. May they become a reality in all of our lives this day, we pray. Amen. Bruce Caldwell
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The Narrow Gate, March 18
The Narrow Gate, March 18 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.
In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. Ephesians 1:11-14 www.solascriptura.com Jesus, again we hear the word "predestined" to describe what is the reality of a born-again believer, One that You knew in the beginning would turn to You, trusting You, depending upon You in even the smallest things. You teach us here that the presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts is Your seal upon our souls, our guarantee of an inheritance so indescribably perfect that we can not even visualize it. How are we to know that the seal of the Holy Spirit is upon us? Your word answers that question in so many ways but it seems to always come back to this verse: "You shall know them by their fruits." If we say we love You, let our thoughts, choices and actions confirm that truth. Help us, this day, to seek You, to learn from You and to experience Your presence and friendship, all day. We are Your "purchased possession". Is there anyone else we would like to commit our future to besides You? We pray these things in Jesus' name, amen. Bruce Caldwell
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The Narrow Gate, February 16
The Narrow Gate, February 16 "... to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, 'These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God:
"I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot.
"So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Revelation 3:14-22 www.solascriptura.com Jesus, this set of verses may represent the greatest challenge we will ever experience. Your disgust with our being "lukewarm" is graphically clear. We get the point; but, Jesus, help us understand what it is to be "hot". We can see that You would even prefer us cold, to being lukewarm. Why is being lukewarm such an awful condition? Jesus, we speculate, but when we are cold, we are not being hypocritical. We simply are voluntarily moving away from You, not claiming any kind of personal relationship with You. Therefore, our actions are truly representative of our situation. If we are lukewarm, we could be sending mixed signals. We could be viewed as being hypocritical or at least as inconsistent. Yet, being "hot", all the time implies a level of commitment with which we may be uncomfortable. Jesus, we have been taught that a new heart means a new start, where we can say "I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me." If we live every day, looking to You for guidance, comfort, wisdom and renewal, would we not be considered "hot"? We pray that is so. None of us wants to be lukewarm. Lead us today, Jesus, in paths of righteousness, all day, and every day, we pray. Amen. Bruce Caldwell
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The Narrow Gate, January 22, 2009
The Narrow Gate, January 22, 2009 "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.
"Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
"You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?
"Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
"A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.
"Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
"Therefore by their fruits you will know them." Matthew 7:13-20 www.solascriptura.com Jesus, Matthew repeats the same admonition that Luke stated. The gate to heaven is indeed narrow. In this instance, where You remind us that few will enter the Kingdom of heaven, You tell us that the kind of fruit our lives bear is critical.
We know we are not to judge each other. Jesus, You have told us that is Your province and we know that You tell us not to try and help with that task. Your word tells us that event will happen in the twinkling of an eye. Judgment day will come upon us when we least expect it. We will either run to You or turn away in fear. But here You say we will know a person by their fruits. The identity of those who love You and who do not love You, with all their hearts, mind and soul is made evident; we disclose it all day long. You tell us elsewhere that a brackish well does not yield fresh water and that an olive tree does not bear figs. Help us, today, to yield the kind of fruit that identifies us as Your disciples. That is what we want to be, Jesus; a follower of You who seeks to be to others as You have been to us. Strengthen us, we pray, in Your Holy name, amen. Bruce Caldwell
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The Narrow Gate, January 20, 2009
The Narrow Gate, January 20, 2009 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
To God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.
...may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.
To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Jude 1:24-25, 1 Peter 5:10-11 www.solascriptura.com Jesus, the gate is narrow, but it is You that pushes it open, it is You that keeps us from stumbling, it is You who joyfully present us faultless to our Father God. It is You Jesus who has taught us, repeatedly, that we can only be "faultless" when Your righteousness envelops us. Peter reminds us that we will suffer for a time, prior to entering into Your permanent peace, perfected and strengthened in You. Jesus, we are bombarded by sin from every side and we have learned, or are learining, to turn away from it but at the same time it keeps coming. We come to You as babes, in terms of our Spiritual condition but help us today, to grow quickly in our knowledge and dedication to You. You lift us up, You teach us, You sustain us. Thank You for that reality. In Your Holy name, we pray, amen. Bruce Caldwell
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The Narrow Gate, December 2, 2008
The Narrow Gate, December 2, 2008 The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God."
They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity; there is none who does good.
God looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God.
Every one of them has turned aside; they have together become corrupt; there is none who does good, no, not one. Psalm 53:1-3 www.solascriptura.com Father, King David felt completely abandoned when he sought to serve You. He felt there was none who does good, not one.
Today, Father, we look around and see those who profess their love for you and are grateful we are not alone. We do not, for the most part, feel the persecution and loneliness that David felt but Christians and Jews are experiencing intense spiritual warfare all over the world.
In these difficult times, help us realize that our commitment to You needs to be bold and consistent. Keep us from wavering as the world's values, in terms of Your expectations, are in a steep decline. Given the profusion of sin, the gate to heaven may indeed be narrow. Help us not to be inconsistent in our love for You and our witness to the world. You have stated that it is Your will that all men be saved. That is our hope as well. Bless us we pray in Jesus' name, amen. Bruce Caldwell
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The Narrow Gate, November 12, 2008
The Narrow Gate, November 12, 2008 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
"He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
"And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
"For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
"But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God." John 3:16-21 www.solascriptura.com Jesus, here we listen to words directly from You. What a privilege it is to be taught by You, our Messiah. Believing in You is the cornerstone of our faith. Thank You for such simplicity. In believing, we are born again, new creatures in You, prepared to live a life of service and to be in eternity with all those that love You. You are the light, Jesus. As we come to You we are directed and taught, as friends. In seeking You and Your Holy word, fervently, we are voluntarily coming to the light that our lives might be clearly seen as a loving witness of Your presence in us. We can see from Your word that everyone who practices evil will not reside in Your light now or in eternity. We pray for those whose souls, by their own choice, reside in darkness. Draw them to the light, redeem their souls, we pray, in Jesus' name, amen. Bruce Caldwell
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The Narrow Gate, October 22, 2008
The Narrow Gate, October 22, 2008 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.
"All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."
Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, "Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see;
"for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it."
Luke 10:21-24 www.solascriptura.com Jesus, being wise and prudent would seem to be a very good thing. How is it that here You say that Your teachings are hidden from the wise and prudent and revealed to babes? We know the answer from Your word. Prudence and wisdom, of which Solomon had abundance, did not necessarily lead to a closer walk with You. Our eternal future is not linked to our earthly attributes, those gifts that You have given us as resources upon which we can draw. As good as these resources are, they only accrue to our eternal benefit when we use them to glorify and serve You.
We pray that the gifts You have given us serve as launching pads, not anchors. To the extent that we cling to them and not to You, to the extent that they bring glory to us but not to You, assets become liabilities. Pride and self-centeredness distance us from You. Give us great blessings and wonderful resources that we might be a conduit of Your love to the world. Amen. Bruce Caldwell
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The Narrow Gate, September 24, 2008
The Narrow Gate, September 24, 2008 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
"Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'
"And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' Matt 7:21-23 www.solascriptura.com Jesus, The message of the "narrow gate" is repeated many times in the Scriptures. Theologians teach us that repetition equals importance. Something oft repeated is very important. Jesus, how could we attend church, give offerings, sing in the choir, and pray without You "knowing" us? The answer is in Your word. "Works" or the performance of duties, customs and rituals, if they could save us, would make the Act of the Cross, of zero importance.
It is by Your grace Father that it is our faith, not our works that saves us. Jesus, we know that loving You with all of heart, mind and soul will lead to good works and that some might argue that doing good works will lead us to want to love You. That may be true, but the bottom line is that nothing we can do is of merit in Your eyes if it does not spring from faith. Help each of us, this day, to embrace and be comforted by the Holy Spirit, accepting our status as Your friend, Your personal friend who seeks to serve You. We know that if we embrace ritual, absent the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, that we err greatly. Lead us today to a deeper faith and a hunger for Your instruction. We pray in Jesus' name, amen. Bruce Caldwell
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The Narrow Gate, September 5, 2008
To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled. They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work. Titus 1:15-16 www.solascriptura.comFather, we, in our original flesh, prior to Your filling our hearts with the Holy Spirit, were very impure. Our minds and consciences were dulled, but never unaware, of our sins. Father, we have accepted, by faith, the forgiveness and healing of Jesus. Our perspective has changed and we are able to know You Jesus and to know what You expect of us. Your expectations are pure and undefiled. Again we are taught that to "profess" to know You but to have impure thoughts and impure behaviors is not o.k. Help us, today, not to simply profess our faith, but to live our faith in complete obedience to Your word. Help us not to disqualify ourselves by misbehaving. Teach us that finishing well is better than starting out well. Help us to grasp the fact that, without a doubt, finishing badly produces a terrible result. Give us perfect fidelity, to You, and to each other, every day We pray in Jesus' name, amen. Bruce Caldwell
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The Narrow Gate, August 17, 2008
The Narrow Gate, August 17, 2008 ... I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Rom 1:16-21 www.solascriptura.com Father, we too are not ashamed of the Gospel. We gratefully accept Your grace and mercy, by the shed blood of Jesus, the final sacrifice for sin, and we willingly proclaim You before everyone we know. We live by faith in the facts, given to us by Your Holy word. Father, when Jesus went to the cross and then was resurrected, He told us that He was the Deliverer of the New Covenant. We know that one facet of the New Covenant is that the truth about You was written on the heart of every person. No more wondering about Your existence, Your creation, and Your love for us. These truths have been made self-evident to us. Father, we have seen mankind, try turn off the Light within. You do give us a choice and some, as You say here, have hearts that have been darkened. What a sad circumstance, Father, to have a soul reject Your love. To whom can they turn for eternal life? Help each of us to lovingly intervene when possible to tell such persons of Your love. Bless us, this day, as we seek to serve You. Amen. Bruce Caldwell
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The Narrow Gate, July 28, 2008
The Narrow Gate, July 28, 2008 Professing to be wise, they became fools,
and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,
who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
Romans 1:22-25 www.solascriptura.com Father, Here the Apostle Paul describes how some of mankind changed Your glory into images of man, birds, four-footed animals and creeping things. Since Paul wrote these words, men have invented additional images to worship. Paul says, "You gave them up"; You allowed them to pursue their own form of worship wherein they worshiped and served things that you created, instead of You. Father, help us today to examine ourselves and see if we are lifting up anyone or anything above You. Do we, in a sense, worship success, money, acclaim and the achievements of others, more than You? Help us not to elevate anything or anyone above our relationship with You. We pray in Jesus' Hoy name, amen. Bruce Caldwell
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The Narrow Gate, July 6, 2008
The Narrow Gate, July 6, 2008 ...(they) worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.
Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;
being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers,
backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful;
who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them. Rom 1:26-32 www.solascriptura.com Father, Paul is not mincing words when he tells us what upsets You, what causes You to give up on those who choose to live their life pursuing things that You say are not fitting, not right. What we notice Father, is that You place pride and disobedience in the same list as sexual immorality and murder and say the same penalty awaits all sinners. Father, we know that sin is sin and that all sin separates us from You. You have told us that You will not permit sin to come into Your presence. How do we get to come into Your presence? It certainly is not as one who has never sinned. Regardless of the sins that we have committed, you tell us that our faith and belief in the redeeming act of Jesus, can, at our election, wipe away every sin, as far as the east is from the west, never to be remembered against us again. That is truly a miracle and none of us is worthy of such grace and mercy. Help us to stop sinning and to claim a victory over sin by the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit in us, we pray. Amen. Bruce Caldwell
This message was sent by: Bruce Caldwell, 1 Sola Scriptura, Carlsbad, CA 92011 To be removed click here:
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The Narrow Gate, July 4, 2008
The Narrow Gate, July 4, 2008 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
not of works, lest anyone should boast. ... to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. Ephesians 2:8-9, 4:7 www.solascriptura.com Father, we celebrate Independence Day in the United States as a way of marking our freedom from the control of others. When we accept, by faith in Jesus, Your grace and salvation, we celebrate a different kind of freedom. We believe that freedom from dominance by Satan marks that day as the most important day in our existence. It is on that day Father, that we place our trust in You, forever. We confess that it is not our good works that place us in Your hand, but the redeeming act of Jesus, lest any of us feel we can boast about being in Your care. Our grace from You was made effective by Jesus. Absent our faith, we can not draw near to You. We know that when we draw near to You, it was facilitated by Jesus and that You respond by drawing near to us. It is nearer to You that we want to stand, this day. Independence from the heavy weight of sin is a result of our dependence on You. Bless us this day, we pray in Jesus' name. Bruce Caldwell
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The Narrow Gate, June 13, 2008
The Narrow Gate, June 13, 2008 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. 1 Corinthians 10:13 www.solascriptura.com Father, You have taught us that temptation is a tool of Satan. He uses various approaches to see if we are able to resist. If we do not overcome the temptation, we lose, he wins. Here You assure us that temptations are common to all persons. No one is immune to temptation; no one is shielded from temptation. We wonder, at times, why You allow temptation to come to us; why have You given Satan access to us? Couldn't You have just protected all Your children from temptation? Of course You could have done so but then we would not have had to exercise our faith, we would not have had to make choices. You teach us Father that You permit the "test" but you never present the temptation. You allow it but You did not contrive a circumstance where we are tempted. Here You promise us a marvelous thing. You will, with every temptation, provide a way to escape that allows us to bear it and to come out strengthened. You never permit Satan to win when we turn our hearts to You in the midst of a trial. Jesus, You were tempted in every way, and You showed us how to respond. You experienced the power of temptation and You sympathize with us during our difficult trials. Help us today, to lean upon You and Your understanding and deliver us we pray from falling prey to Satan's attempts to bring us down. We pray this in the power of Your Holy name, amen. Bruce Caldwell
This message was sent by: Bruce Caldwell, 1 Sola Scriptura, Carlsbad, CA 92011 To be removed click here:
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The Narrow Gate, May 25, 2008
The Narrow Gate, May 25, 2008 "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. "In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. "And where I go you know, and the way you know." Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:1-6 www.solascriptura.com Jesus, Your promises of "many mansions in heaven" gives us a picture to which we here on earth can relate. We also know that You have told us that "mind has not imagined, nor eye seen what God has prepared for those that love Him." Our vision here of what it will be like to be with You is very dim. We look to heaven as looking through a foggy glass but when we are there, You tell us it will be glorious, beyond what we now know. You have told us that You go to prepare a place for us so that where You are we will be. It was "doubting" Thomas who said, at the time, "we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way.' Thank You Jesus for Your response. You are the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through You. We earnestly pray for our fellow travelers from every nation that the truth of that statement can be widely stated and widely understood. Thank You Jesus for showing us the way, this day. Amen. Bruce Caldwell
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The Narrow Gate, May 3, 2008
The Narrow Gate, May 3, 2008 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,
having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:3-6 www.solascriptura.com Father, You tell us that You chose us and that You choose to bless us with every spiritual blessing. You have adopted us. We are heirs to Your Kingdom. Here, Paul teaches us that we were predestined to be adopted as Your sons, by Jesus Christ, and that His will to do so gave Him pleasure. His grace to us brings glory to His name and He has made us acceptable in His sight. First, Father, we know that You and Jesus are as one and that our election, our predestination was known by You. You would not be omniscient if You did not know that we would respond to Your love for us, personally. You knew we would accept Your invitation, Your grace and mercy. Second, when Jesus came here, His life, His death and His resurrection became a pivotal event in history. Where men had been unable to fulfill the Law of the Old Covenant, You taught us, Jesus, that the New Covenant had replaced the Old. We now stand in the presence of the Father, not based on our obedience, but based upon our acceptance of You as savior. We can now stand in the presence of the Father, cleansed of our sin, as sons; sons that He knew would choose to have faith in You Jesus. Perfect! Amen. Bruce Caldwell
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The Narrow Gate, April 10, 2008
The Narrow Gate, April 10, 2008 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,
having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself,
that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. Ephesians 1:7-10, www.solascriptura.com Jesus, some recoil from the notion that blood must be shed for the forgiveness of sin. Help us to learn what You have taught us, many times. Sin is deserving of death or at the very least, it prevents entry into the presence of our Holy Father. Sacrifices of animals, to cover the sins of a believer, were a very serious way of allowing a substitute to die in the place of a sinner. Jesus, You became the final "substitute" for our sins, because as the Scriptures teach, your blood was shed for the remission, the cleansing, the removal of our sins. No more sacrifices are needed or wanted, by You. Your shed blood has paid the price for our salvation. You have died for our sins, in our place, and now You are at the right hand of the Father, awaiting our arrival, our redemption. You have now implanted the truth upon our hearts; all wisdom and prudence are available to us by the power of the Holy Spirit. You have revealed the mystery of Your will to us. We who worship You in truth and in Spirit will be gathered unto You. How wonderful these words are Jesus. May they become a reality in all of our lives this day, we pray. Amen. Bruce Caldwell
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The Narrow Gate, March 18, 2008
The Narrow Gate, March 18, 2008 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.
In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,
who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. Ephesians 1:11-14 www.solascriptura.com Jesus, again we hear the word "predestined" to describe what is the reality of a born-again believer, One that You knew in the beginning would turn to You, trusting You, depending upon You in even the smallest things. You teach us here that the presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts is Your seal upon our souls, our guarantee of an inheritance so indescribably perfect that we can not even visualize it. How are we to know that the seal of the Holy Spirit is upon us? Your word answers that question in so many ways but it seems to always come back to this verse: "You shall know them by their fruits." If we say we love You, let our thoughts, choices and actions confirm that truth. Help us, this day, to seek You, to learn from You and to experience Your presence and friendship, all day. We are Your "purchased possession". We pray these things in Jesus' name, amen. Bruce Caldwell
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The Narrow Gate #17
“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. ”Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. ”Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. ”You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? ”Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ”A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. ”Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ”Therefore by their fruits you will know them.” Matthew 7:13-20 www.solascriptura.comJesus, Matthew repeats the same admonition that Luke stated. The gate to heaven is indeed narrow. In this instance, where You remind us that few will enter the Kingdom of heaven, You tell us that the kind of fruit our lives bear is critical. We know we are not to judge each other, Jesus that is Your job and Your word tells us that will happen, when in the twinkling of an eye, judgment day comes upon us. But here You say we will know a person by their fruits. The identity of those who love You and who do not love You, with all their hearts, mind and soul is made evident. You tell us elsewhere that a brackish well does not yield fresh water and that an olive tree does not bear figs. Help us, today, to yield the kind of fruit that identifies us as Your disciples. That is what we want to be, Jesus; a follower of You who seeks to be to others as You have been to us. Strengthen us, we pray, in Your Holy name, amen.Bruce Caldwell Labels: The Narrow Gate
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