A Thrill Ride

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”  (Matthew 7:13-14)

The last time I was on a thrill ride was at a county fair with my daughter. Because she loves thrill rides, she asked me to go with her on one of those rides. It was like a Ferris wheel, but it wasn't just a simple go up and go down. It would go up, go down, and spin.

As she yelled in excitement, I yelled in fear because I could hear the rust inside the pipes holding this contraption running up and down inside. I was thinking, it's going to come off. My daughter screamed with joy as I was praying, “Oh Lord, let this be over quickly.” I must tell you that it was thrilling. I was never that happy being so afraid!

The reason God gives you a fresh glimpse into Himself is not to give you a thrill. Yes, it is thrilling when God speaks to you. The Christian life is thrilling, but it is not a thrill ride. Christianity is not a thrill ride.

It concerns me when I see what is happening all across our country with different churches. People move from one church to another, looking for the next thrill, instead of understanding that we are to count for the Kingdom of God. It means understanding that being a Christian isn’t always easy, fun, or exciting.

It is tough to follow Jesus. It is difficult being different from other people, and living life according to your biblical convictions rather than simply going along with the crowds. Just because something is difficult doesn’t mean it’s not worth doing.

When we choose to walk the narrow, tough path, we are choosing to align ourselves with God’s plan and God’s will. Only when we do that will we experience true joy, comfort, peace, and hope.

I pray that God would give you a fresh glimpse of Himself and show you how you are to align with His purposes and His plan right now. Thereby, you can experience all that He has for you, even in the midst of life’s tough circumstances.
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2 Comments


Betty Jane Laughlin - January 17th, 2023 at 8:26am

Following Jesus hasn't been easy for me. I have been called a Jesus freak in the past. I do a lot of praying just to make it through each day. One day I told a neighbor that he needs Jesus and later that day he wore a shirt that said, not today Satan. Another lady asked him if he would like to join our Bible study and he said he used to do that stuff but he doesn't believe that way any more. That is just one of the challenges I face. I will keep praying to be following Jesus each day and direction from Him

James W. Howell - January 17th, 2023 at 10:51am

It's sometimes difficult for me to keep my thoughts where they should be. I get sidetracked with worries that I can't do anything about. Thank God, he gets me. Thank You Father. PRAISE JESUS for being My LORD. Amen

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