Jesus' Narrow Gate

Reflections on Matthew 7

I'm loving the study though Matthew Katie and I are attempting. I can feel the person of Christ coming through these scriptures during the times I read this gospel. This morning Jesus was taking me through multi-faceted corrections and encouragement in my walk with him. He starts with an encouragement to interactions with other believers (with implications to interactions with non-believers), a pushing to trust God, moving then to guidelines for living in righteousness, with a line to walk with cautions about the dangers of falling off either side.

Jesus starts off with an awe striking thought on judgement. Don't judge unless you want to be judged. When I do judge people, I will be judged by God with the same rigor I use. Then Jesus clarifies why; we do the same things we so readily judge in others (see Romans 2 as a cross-reference). How can I so harshly judge when I'm also to blame? Just to emphasize correctly, Jesus doesn't forbid judgement but attacks the heart behind it. He seems to ask the question: Do you really want to crush someone who does the same things you do? Then don't crush them. Help them as one beggar to another. Then Christ wisely adds, "Do not give to dogs what is holy..." (Matt. 7:6). I take from this to wait for teachable moments to share observations in someone's life. Two reasons why: 1. I run the risk of pressuring out performance in believers who aren't convinced by God of their actions. 2. Calling into righteousness is the effect of the Holy Spirit not the effect of judgmental corrections. I'm not going to accomplish my agenda on people; the Spirit is going to accomplish His.

The next section is teaching how to trust God. Just keep asking. Just keep coming to God because he is trustworthy. What a great promise for me as I look to God for where I should go! He will answer with GOOD things! He loves me and will keep me. How good is it that the world has no secrets that will just jump out and get me, but that GOD is in control of it all.

After the trusting God section, I found the narrow path. Narrow: doing to others what I would have them do to me. Narrow: hard. Narrow: faith in God. Narrow: walking in mercy. Narrow: asking God for things, not forcing my wants to happen.

False prophets? What the heck does all this stuff have to do with false prophets? I think Jesus has given me the outlines for holy living in the following section. Holy living defined by him. He doesn't want me to live according to a man's design for me. He tells me I will know false teachers by their fruits. What fruits come from false teaching? Bad ones. Galatians 5 expounds this idea:

"Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another (Galatians 5: 19-25)."

I'll leave it up to you to see the connection between false teaching and fruits. Jesus makes it clear; he's smarter than I am. Let those who have ears hear the Lord's word. 

This is the line: Follow Jesus through the narrow gate. Falling off on one side lands me in self-centered sinfulness. Falling off the other lands me in a self-centered pharisaical position. Pharisees are the ones Jesus speaks to in the next section. Depart from me you worker's of lawlessness. Pharisee's through teaching too much law (really their own versions of law) became the thing they were trying to prevent, lawless. 

Do you see the line of thought all the way through the chapter? I thought it was cool. Leave a comment, I want to read it!

-David

Koral X-Trech BJJ Pants

The background
After 3 months of searching and reading forums, my expedition for a new pair of BJJ pants ended like a fairy tale. It all started about 6 months ago back in April-ish, while at class. We were doing some squats to warm up with when all the sudden I heard a rippppppp followed by a cool breeze. Don't get me wrong, I loved my A-5 Fuji gi. I'd worn it for about 3 years, but now the pants had a ginormous crack right next to mine.

The arrival
So, after many visits to the KoralUSA website, I decided to purchase a pair of the "X-Trech" black ripstop pants. A whopping $70.00 later they arrived in all their glory. My first thought when I touched them was how good they were going to feel while I was rolling an omaplata on a poor unsuspecting soul at Jiu-jitsu class.

The fit
As soon as I tried them on I was in love. They were the best fitting BJJ pants I've ever had. I did have a couple of concerns before buying them. One, I know Koral is notorious for having tight fitting pants. They taper the legs so to have less of a grip for would be pants grabbers. This isn't a problem for the "X-Trech" pants. The A5s I have don't have a noticeable taper, if they even have one at all. Two, I'm a big guy. 6'4"-265 lbs. Don't get me wrong I don't have a gut (well not a big one anyway) I'm just a large human. These pants are meant for me. They will fit a taller and rounder person than I am by far.

The material
I was also concerned with the durability of the ripstop fabric. After the first class, I'm not concerned any more. They took everything without budging a bit.

Conclusion
Koral has made an excellent pair of BJJ pants. If they were to match up the "X-Trech" pants with one of their ripstop Gi tops in a package deal then I think they would be the top selling Gi world wide!

Koral "X-Trech" pants are worth every penny and will last me for years. This blog post is a sweet little shout out to them for doing their job well. THANKS!

Satisfied

Discontentment...

Been trying to sell our house; year 2, no offers yet.

Been doing jiu-jitsu for 4 years; no black belt yet. Got another 8 years to go.

I've got a '94 Honda 'Gas port' with 199k. The thing screams, "get another car!"

Contentment
Been teaching for 4 1/2 years. This year was my first rehire.

Got a beautiful wife who loves me. Got a beautiful daughter and a button in a belly (who will come out in 9).

Been a Christ follower for 8 years.

With all this you'd think I'm the most content man on earth, but I'm not all the time.

Rambles:
Contentment must be another name for happiness.

Why do I search for contentment when the things in my grasp don't satisfy contentment's thirst? I look. I grasp. I'm not satisfied.

It's so weird how I keep coming back to the same things as if they will help me. It's like the difference between eating chocolate covered, creme filled donuts or eggs, bacon, toast and OJ for breakfast. They both have the same effect, but the effect of one lasts most of the day. So where's the good meal? I don't think I can live on donuts alone.

Matthew 4:4
"...It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"

I know I will not be satisfied by any good (or bad) thing on this earth for very long. Jesus has got to keep teaching me about how he helped Paul say in 2 Corinthians 2:9-10 "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Jesus, please teach me, "Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me."