Month: October 2026

Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

– Matthew 7:13-14

There is an old saying, good fences make good neighbors. Boundaries just make sense. Physical boundaries like a literal fence provide an evident perimeter separating your property or personal goods from others. This provides not only protection, but also peace of mind.

In a similar way, personal boundaries or fences so to speak also provide the lines in our life that we need to draw to keep us emotionally healthy. These personal boundaries are the invisible limits and rules we set for ourselves. When adhered to, they not only benefit us, but also those around us. 

As important as real fences as well as personal boundaries are, we must make sure to put gates in the appropriate places. Not only do fences without gates keep everyone out, fences without gates become prisons to the person they surround. Therefore, a fence or boundary has to be looked at as much more than a protective barrier. If not, we must ask ourselves if our fences are simply a way to isolate ourselves from others. This is an indicator of a much deeper issue.

So how do we build appropriate fences with the right amount of gates positioned in the correct places?

We can learn a lot from the spiritual facet of fence building. Spiritual fences are a necessity in our faith to keep negative aspects out of our life. The obvious things we need to protect ourselves from are the things of this world that create temptation, fear, pride and so on. These things have the real possibility of leading to sin if not dealt with. And the best way to deal with them is to keep them out.

There are also toxic people that we will encounter, some of which we have to live with. We should always be a good Christlike witness to them, but keeping a barrier and setting boundaries is vital to keeping the Lord in focus. 

In addition, there are other things we need to protect ourselves from. The counterfeit schemes of the enemy that sound just true enough are the most dangerous. Bad theology lulls us into a false sense of holiness and many have been pulled astray. Knowing truth as testified to by the Bible and the Spirit is the best way to guard yourselves against falling into man made religion and false theology.

In Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus is comparing the way of the world and His way as gates, one being wide and one being narrow. This implies that there is also a fence. All will choose the gate they will walk through, however each gate has very different consequences. 

The Bible and the Holy Spirit should also be used in every part of our life where fences and gates are concerned. In some instances, the gate allows us to welcome people in and in other cases, the gate can be closed to keep people out.

In John chapter 10, Jesus describes Himself as the gatekeeper who opens and closes the door. He also warns about those who will try to climb over the fence. If we make Christ the authoritative gatekeeper in our life, we only need to listen to the wisdom and discernment He provides through the Holy Spirit. He is the chief architect, the master builder and the ultimate gatekeeper.

Have you placed your trust in the Lord, not only for the fences, but also for the gates?

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

– 1 Peter 5-8

We all have to eat. We all like to eat. We all like to eat good and tasty food. Many of us enjoy cooking that good and tasty food. Recipes are great. They take the guesswork out of recreating something we crave and want to share with others. They list out all the ingredients, tell us exactly what we need dish and utensil wise, take us through a step by step process of what to add and list out any heating instructions as well as the time to recreate a dish or dessert.

Recipes are also something we share with others. They become a reciprocal way to add to the recipe box we so often rely on. They actually become a common bonding point as they are traded or passed down from generation to generation, creating memories and traditions.

But have you ever noticed that two different people can use the exact same recipe and the dish can turn out very differently? A recipe is nothing more than ingredients and simple directions written down on a piece of paper or from a cooking website. That is similar to the difference between a picture of a person and the actual person.

Another reason recipes can taste or look different is because the way the final product turns out is not just based on the ingredients or steps. The quality of those ingredients matter. Likewise, the end result depends on the care in their preparation and use. Time and effort make the difference between something spectacular and something just ho-hum.

One way we can look at the Bible is in that it is a book of instructions or recipes. However, it is not simply a process to go through where you simply check off the steps. Even more so than cooking, we must invest ourselves into God’s process. We must take care to allow the Holy Spirit to guide us through the process, learning and applying the Lord’s teaching and guidance every step of the way. 

The quality of the product, in this case our faith is much more than going through the motions. It is usually allowing the Master Chef to take more out of us so He can mix more of Himself in. A major mistake many Christians make is that they treat the lessons of the Bible as something they follow on their own. But it is the Holy Spirit that facilitates, teaches and encourages what we read in the Scriptures to actually become appropriate and usable. 

1 Peter 5-8 reads like a recipe. It tells us what we are responsible for and those things we are to be adding or supplementing to our faith. They are all good, quality ingredients, however, if our heart is not surrendered and yielded to the Lord, these ingredients cannot truly take hold and change us. It is only within this change that we become effective and fruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

As the saying goes, the proof is in the pudding, meaning you can only judge the true quality or value of something by trying it or seeing its results. The Father intends us to be Jesus to those around us. How we look and sound is determined by how the recipe is being followed, the quality of the ingredients and by the one who is preparing us. It is easier to portray a Christian life than to actually live the life as a faithful follower of Christ. The world is watching to see if the goods are as wonderful as the recipe sounds. The first step is allowing the Holy Spirit to convict us, change us and equip us to be the salt and light Christ intends us to be. Will you allow yourself to be sifted and stirred?

They answered Him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?”

– John 8:33

Everything is intentionally or inadvertently measured against something else. We do this to try to make sense of some things and to evaluate others. We can do this in terms of material things, for statistical analysis or for much more personal reasons. 

To measure against means to judge someone or something using a specific standard, benchmark, or another person as a measuring stick. In order to evaluate or judge something requires it to be compared against something else. Evaluation works because it defines the specific rules, expectations or metrics used before making a judgment. By comparing these things a determined value or decision can be made. The reason evaluation doesn’t always work is because the standard to which something is being compared or measured can be a poor or misrepresented reference.

Often we choose to measure ourselves against ourselves. This causes a perpetual lid upon our growth in any area of our life. For example, if a cup of water is only measured against another cup of water, how can a determination be made as to if that amount is sufficient, lacking or an excess of water? 

At other times we like to measure ourselves against something we already know falls short of where we currently are. It is a faulty standard and therefore gives us a false conclusion. For the Christian, the verbal acknowledgement can sound something like this, at least I’m not like… or at least I don’t do that.

In John 8:33, we find Jesus challenging the religious leaders in how they are choosing to measure themselves. Most often, in their pride they measured themselves against the Israelite people they were appointed over. When confronted by Jesus concerning true freedom, they measured themselves against Abraham. The measurement was a physical one concerning being enslaved to another nation. However, this was even faulty in that the Israelites had in fact  been forced captivities and exiles on different occasions. Jesus was attempting to show them that all are in spiritual bondage and freedom comes through the truth or the true confession that all have sinned and fall short whereby Jesus alone is the answer. The standard of measure the religious leaders needed to apply was Jesus Himself.

It is the same measuring stick every born again believer should be using. When measuring ourselves against Christ, we see ourselves for who we really are. Wretched sinners continually falling short. No matter how hard we try, our works can never and will never be enough. What we really need is freedom, the freedom only Christ brings through His truth.

Understanding than freedom comes from the truth then points us in the direction or measuring ourselves. When we humbly come to the Cross, we come face to face with the truth about us and it’s never a pretty picture. However, the measuring doesn’t end there. Because more importantly, through our evaluation, we begin to discover the truth about Christ. It is only here that we can die to ourselves and accept the life that the Lord is offering through His grace and mercy. 

Mankind’s most tragic decision is to measure himself against himself, others and the fallen world we live in. The Father loves us so much that He sent His Son to complete the Law, not only giving us the ultimate measuring stick, but also the ultimate solution for our sin problem.

As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

– 1 Peter 1:14-16

Reference points are not something we think about very often. Within certain recreation activities, such as hiking and backpacking, reference points can determine the difference between a successful journey or a dangerous situation. The orientation used in the backcountry, either by GPS or map and compass use this valuable and essential navigation tool of incorporating reference points. With the vastness of the wilderness, this makes sense.

But in our everyday life, we inadvertently use reference points much more than we realize. Without them, we quickly lose track of where we are, where we have come from and especially, where we are going. It is easy to relate reference points within a physical understanding. Towns, streets and landmarks help us keep a firm grasp on where we are while traveling. When giving others directions or describing where we are from, we often use physical structures to form a common understanding. 

Our minds also create reference points that help us keep track of events in our life as well as planning for the future and setting goals. Sometimes those reference points are people, places, songs or even smells. Other times they are events we have experienced that have had a lasting impression. If you were alive during 9/11, you can with specificity remember where you were and what you were doing. When we see certain people or visit certain places we may be reminded of something we should be doing or get a reinforcement of why we set a goal in our life. 

Most definitely, the Lord gives us many different reference points. The spiritual importance of these reference points help us gauge the health of our faith, our relationship with Christ and our current perspective.

The Bible in its infinite ability to speak to us causes even the most unlikely accounts to become reminders of where we have been as well as where we need to be going. Likewise, the conviction of the Holy Spirit causes our attention to be turned toward the Lord and He will always be the most important landmark in our life. When we wander in our faith, taking our eyes off the only true reference point, we easily become lost. The issue however is that like those who lose their being in the wilderness, instead of stopping and admitting we have lost our way, too often we just keep plodding in the wrong direction, aimlessly pushing ahead with no clear path.

Psalm 119:105 serves to help us understand the importance of allowing the Lord to lead us in a dark and dangerous world. Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. It is the Word of God that we must rely upon to keep us from becoming lost. Unlike physical reference points or those that jog a memory, the Word is always available to us, no matter where we are, physically, emotionally or spiritually. The symbolism of God’s Word shining like a lamp and illuminating the path He has laid out for us brings comfort and confidence in that when we are determined to rely upon His Word, the Lord has not only gone before us, but has established our steps.  

If you are feeling confused or lost, it’s time to refocus on the only reference point that is eternal. It’s time to apply God’s Word to each and every part of your life.