The JND name?

Absolute Surrender. Total dependence upon our LORD Master.

The Journey is just that, the path and choices God places before us.  Our journey starts when we choose to accept the free gift of the one true living GOD of the Universe, and place our faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.  We become His alone and are to worship and serve Him alone. The Gospel of Matthew (4:10) records Jesus’ words to Satan as Satan tried to get Jesus to bow down before him: “Then Jesus said to him, ‘be gone Satan! For it is written, ‘you shall worship the LORD your GOD and Him only shall you serve.’”

We too are to serve only one Master. The choice is ours and the journey is ours. Our journey takes many twists and bends as God leads us, teaches us and prepares our hearts for that step through and beyond the Narrow Door.  For some, the journey to the Narrow Door is quick, for others the journey takes many years, and for some, sadly, they choose to never step through the Narrow Door unto the abundant life God has prepared for them through His Son, Jesus Christ.

The Narrow Door is that point in time where as Christ-followers, we lay ALL at His feet. It is Absolute Surrender. The line drawn in the sand where we step across in faith and trust and we give each circumstance, each thought, each perceived right, each dream, each aspiration, each success, each failure, each loved one, each hard situation, each tragedy, and each joy in our life to Him in Total Surrender of our self and our ability to control our lives.  That point in time where in humble obedience we choose to die to our selfish, self-controlled, self-everything life we live now and relinquish the control of our ‘self-world’ to our LORD Master Jesus Christ as our living sacrifice of worship to Him, His wishes and His control.

Mark gives us Jesus’ command in Mark 8:34:  “And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.’ ” 

Stepping through the Narrow Door is the point in our walk with Jesus Christ, as professing Christ-followers, our choice leaves us with but one option, the only thing we must do daily, moment by moment, from now on is humbly lifting our hands, (as little children do, to the one they trust in for their care, love, nourishment and training) to our Father in Heaven, in total dependence upon Him, through His Son, Jesus Christ by the power of His Spirit.

Matthew 18:3-4 Jesus spoke to us about becoming like children and states: “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

Jesus’ command to us is recorded in three different Gospel accounts, Matthew, Mark and Luke.  In each gospel the command is given to us again; we are to deny our self take up our cross and follow Jesus Christ.

Our LORD Master, Jesus, was clear on His point.  Self-Life and Christ’s Life are not good co-habitation partners. We are not denying our self if we try to keep self in any form. If we do not absolutely surrender our self-life to Christ, we live in a tumultuous lie that keeps our heart divided and our priorities skewed. In this state, we cannot live in the abundant life GOD intends for us or love the LORD Master with our whole heart.  Matthew Gospel in 6:24 states this point.  “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve GOD and money.”

The Narrow Door is the choice we make. We either choose to live for our self-will or we choose to step through the Narrow Door to a life surrendering to the will and wishes of our LORD Master, Jesus Christ. We are to let Him and only Him live His life through us. Galatians 2:20 states this plainly through Paul’s words to us:  “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

The Narrow Door is the point in our Christian journey where we bow humbly before our GOD, the GOD and Creator of the universe, in Absolute Surrender acknowledging to Him that we are but nothing and can do nothing on our own.  We acknowledge that even our absolute surrender is impossible for us to will and do without our precious Savior and King, as Philippians 2:13 tells us “for it is GOD who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”  I praise my LORD Master for His promises to us, for He is always faithful.

As we step through the Narrow Door we need to slam it shut, leaving our self-life on the other side. Never look back. Keep your eyes heavenward, seeking first the Kingdom of our GOD and Father in Heaven, as Matthew 6:33 states: “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness…”  In obedience to Him whom has called us His Child, His Beloved, His Chosen, we are to walk forward on the path He has given us no matter what that path holds for us. Look at GOD’s promise to us if we do:  “You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16:11) 

GOD has purposefully prepared a plan for our life and is willing to show us the path He wants us to journey down with Him.  With Him!  He is the source of our joy. Do we get that from our self-life? No. We only get the fullness of joy when we are in His presence, He is the only source of joy.   Do you know who sits at GOD’s right hand?  Jesus, our LORD Master!  In Him are our pleasures forever and ever.  I love this verse. GOD’s promises are awesome!

In faith and trust, like a little child, we cling to the one we call Abba Father.

Are you ready?

J