Eye of the Needle

~~~ Judges 6:11-24A ~~~ Psalm 85 ~~~ Matthew 19:23-30 ~~~

“Alas, Lord GOD,

that I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!”

The LORD answered him,

“Be calm, do not fear....

Gideon saw the angel of the Lord, but still he had doubts.

God says more than just not to be afraid...

God tells Gideon to be calm.

To be calm requires you to find your inner peace.

To be calm means your anxieties subside.

To be calm means your mind is free to be at rest.

To be calm means you are no longer ruled
 by your emotional state of fear. 

The Lord speaks of peace to his people.

The Lord does indeed speak peace because he is the source of all peace.

There can be no peace without the presence of the Lord.

It is not his words alone that brings calm 

to your being it is his presence.

When it grew late in the evening the large gates 

of the ancient cities were closed and locked.

Those who wanted to enter into the city after that hours

had to find the small side gate.

This small gate restricted access

 and it may have caused some distress.

The gate was compared to passing through the eye of a needle.

If you have ever tried to thread the eye of a needle

you know how challenging it can be.

A rich person could not pass easily through this gate 

because most of his earthly possessions would not fit 

through the narrow opening.

If what you value the most lies in your possessions

this gate would cause fear to burst forth in your body.

All sorts of scenarios would play themselves out

until eventually you may come to the conclusion

 that it would be better to just remain outside the city yourself.

If you do not leave your stuff and walk through the gate

your entire salvation will be at risk.

When you are standing at the gate

debating with yourself about what to leave behind;

God is there to give you his peace...

to assure you that passing through this gate

 is more important than all of your things.

Jesus speaks his words of peace...

because with his help...his presence...

for with God all things are possible.

This is just as true today as it was in the time of Jesus.

Be Blessed and assured that you can pass through the narrow gate...

because you are not alone...he is with you.

~~~Peace~~~