Matthew 7:12-14 Two Gates
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: February 12, 2019, Matthew 7:12-14
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
(Understanding the Text) This is still within the context of the Sermon on the Mount, which had the theme of true righteousness. Now all the specifics are being distilled down into one guiding rule for being righteous: do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Jesus says that the theme of the whole Old Testament is this golden rule. This is the basic law of heaven. Treat others the way that you wish that people would treat you. I try to do this, but I do run into one problem with it. Many others do not want the kind of treatment that I want. They try to manipulate and demand more than what I myself want from others.
It’s impossible for me to do this sometimes. For example, I want others to be interested in me and what I say, but I don’t want them to pretend interest. On the other hand, most other people’s interests bore me to tears and the only thing I can do is pretend interest. I frankly don’t care which sports team won; I abhor self-righteous political opinions; I hate to talk about cooking, and I don’t like to be drawn into gossip about others. My interests are boring to other people, so they don’t want to talk with me about the topics that I would find interesting when the other person speaks. Another example is that I want people to give me solitude when I’m sick, so that’s what I want to do with other people, but many times they view that as neglect.
I think, however, that God is okay with me treating others my way instead of trying to conform to their way. After all, that’s what the verse says. Thus, I think this verse is a protection against manipulation and guilt-trips. God is not saying that we have to make others feel good or please them. God says that we need to apply the standard that we would want for ourselves to others.
(Revelation of God) The golden rule must also apply to God. Thus, God treats us as He would want to be treated if our situations were reversed. For this reason, we must read all the confusing passages about God in the Bible through the lens of God treating others as He would want to be treated. This principle puts the final destruction of the wicked in a whole new light.
The reason that the gate is narrow for those who want to find life is because we are fighting against our own natures. It is easier for us, and feels more natural for us, to be selfish. It is difficult to be other-centered and loving when it doesn’t make us feel good. It is easy to seek a temporary pleasure right now rather than to choose to withhold that pleasure from ourselves because it is bad for us in the long run (Dove chocolate with peanut butter!).
(Application / Prayer) My application for myself is that Jesus is my Gate and I have to always keep Him in my sight. If I follow Him and don’t get distracted by all the stuff surrounding me, I will be okay. I pray that You will be in my sight always and that I will enter in to live with You.