Strive

This morning's Gospel reading from Luke was powerful.

Someone asked him,
“Lord, will only a few people be saved?”
He answered them,
“Strive to enter through the narrow gate,
for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter
but will not be strong enough.

That one word jumped out at me.  STRIVE.  Jesus didn't answer the questioners directly.  He didn't say "Yeah, I only chose a few elect, and those are the ones I'll grab by the hand and escort through the narrow gate, so just stand there and wait for me."   He certainly didn't say "The gate's wide open, everyone saunter on in!"  He directly gave a command.  We are called to STRIVE.  So much in that one word.  It is a call to action.  Doing.  Growing.  Trying. It implies strife, difficulty, obstacles.  It demands effort, and lots of it. The going will be tough, so DO SOMETHING.  It's not enough to desire to be saved.  Jesus calls us to ACTION.   He Himself has opened the gate, but He is calling to us, and it's our job to live this life in such a way that we COME TO HIM.  We, for all our trying, will never beat down that narrow gate if it's closed.  But if He opens it for us... we need to be strong.  We need to STRIVE. 

The other thing that struck me about the way the Lord answered the questioners, was that Jesus made it clear that it wasn't HE who was the limiting factor on who got saved. He's not picking favorites.  There's not a definitive number.  The limit is US.  "Many will attempt to enter but not be strong enough". 

I can read a passage a thousand times, and it isn't until the 1001st time that it's full impact becomes clear - just when I need to hear it.

STRIVE.