Like A Rock

Matthew 7:13-29

So this morning was a little chilly. OK, it was (as weather.com likes to put it) BITTERLY COLD. This morning was a little like yesterday and because I know some of you don't know what cold means (all you Californians take notes), I took a picture of what I saw this morning:
That's right. Cold here at Purdue isn't 60 degrees "omg i need a sweater" kind of cold. It's more of a -4 degree "omg my ears are about to fall off" kind of cold. The best part of it is that it's going to only get worse. Right now it's -6 degrees, and it may get down as low as -25 by this Friday. I'm secretly hoping it'll get worse so we'll have a blizzard and classes will get cancelled. But then again, that means professors will cram things and give us a headache.

Today was a little better than yesterday in terms of classes though, but I was still fretting over my classes. For one, my easiest class (Chinese) may be the hardest to pull off a good grade in. I never realized so many other students knew how to speak Chinese as well as, if not better than, me. Like I said, it's going to be a long semester. I'm just learning to take it day by day and make sure I'm not missing anything. Hopefully it'll be enough to survive the semester.

The Narrow And Wide Gates

The first topic I read about was about Narrow and Wide Gates. Now when I first read this I didn't know what to think (and I still don't). I did some reading outside on the Internet and everything seemed very simple. Maybe that's what it is, just a simple concept. It's one or the other. Narrow or wide. So there's no other alternatives. You're stuck with one or the other. No detours, no shortcuts. Now then, why is it narrow? Other than the fact that the Bible states that only a few will enter, I had no clue. Maybe it's indicating that it's narrow because there's only one way to go through it, and that is by accepting Jesus Christ as our savior. In other words, there is only one way to enter through that gate and because it's only one way, it's very narrow. The wide gate is wide because there are many ways to enter THAT gate. I'm still uncertain, but that's the most I got out of it. If anyone else has any other ideas, please feel free to comment on it.

A Tree And Its Fruit

The next topic is about false prophets. This is a really self-explanatory passage that explains to us that there will always be people out there to get us. We have to look at their "fruits" to see their real intentions. As Jesus explains about the tree and the fruit that it bears, a person with good intentions will have good things to show for it. We have to be on our guard for this. The latter part of this reading explains how not everyone claiming they know God will enter His kingdom.

While this reading is very simple and clear, I decided to think about how it would deal with me. I'm not talking about my encounters with false prophets, but really a check with myself. Am I a good tree? Do I bear good fruit? This is something that's really difficult to answer. As I lead Bible studies, I need to make sure that I have a strong foundation. So while this passage talked about our need to protect ourselves from false prophets, I also got that we, as Christians, also need to sure we don't become those false prophets. As the Bible states, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 7:21)

The Wise And Foolish Builders

That brings us to this last topic, which is what's really important. It discusses about our foundations. If we put into practice all of Jesus' teachings, we will be able to have a solid foundation. The key is putting them into practice. Because as it states, not practicing will be like building your foundation out of sand. That's the real challenge. Because I've heard all these messages and teachings. I've read a good amount and also prayed a lot. But all this is for nothing if I don't put it into practice.

Summary:

The Narrow And Wide Gates

13-14 Jesus tells us to enter through a narrow gate because the wide gate leads to destruction. A lot will enter through the wide one and only a few will enter the narrow one.

A Tree And Its Fruit

15-20 Jesus explains to watch out for false prophets. We will be able to recognize them by their fruit. If the fruit is good, the tree is good, and vice-versa.

21-23 Jesus explains how not everyone claiming "Lord, Lord" will enter heaven. Your true intentions are always known.

The Wise And Foolish Builders

24-29 Jesus explained to the crowd that if they practiced His teachings, they will be able to build their house on a rock. If they didn't practice them, they will build their houses on sand.