Evildoers are snared by their own sin, but the righteous shout for joy and are glad. The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.

–Parallel verses:
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭13‬-‭14‬
[Jesus speaking]
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.

Have you ever demolished something before? It is pretty fun for a moment to see a building come down. I remember when they raised the Kingdome in Seattle because they had built a new stadium. The explosion to pancake that stadium of concrete was epic! But really, there are so many ways to tear something apart and break it down. Sledge hammers, truck winches, dynamite, bulldozers, tractors, wrecking balls, fire, flood, windstorm, and the list goes on.

But to build a cathedral, a truly epic building which is actually a piece of art that will last centuries — it takes very skilled craftsmen many years to orchestrate and the materials outlay is massive. And like the difficulty of building that cathedral, the determination and drive and skill and creativity, so too is a life committed to following Jesus. Some may start out on the race, but most will not finish in the end, because the path is too difficult.

When Jesus is talking about going through the narrow gate, think of a narrow path up in the mountains, maybe even a game path. Being righteous and following God is very difficult in a fallen world. We are swimming upstream, while most are just riding the current of this world.

However, while the path is very tough and the road is hard, there are some pretty great rewards for following God. These verses in Proverbs 29 call some of these out: 1) The Righteous are so joyful they shout about it, 2) They are glad about the life they live, and 3) They have a heart after their Father, who cares about injustice to the poor. Those who choose to follow this world into sin are instead cursed: a) They are trapped in their own snares, and b) They are selfish, only having love in their hearts that is dark and focused on worldly passions and lusts.

So which group do I choose to join forces with today? It must be the righteous, because I like righteous rewards!

Lord, thank you that you handsomely reward the righteous! May I excel in living life in right standing with you!