The Many and the Few

(Matthew 7:13-14)

The words of Jesus come to mind,
Those shocking words of old…
He spoke of two gates, and the ways are two—
Two eternal destinies He foretold.

The Lord said the gate is small
That opens to His pathway;
But wide is the gate that opens—
And many will go their own way.

The way is narrow, said the Lord,
A way of holiness, truth, and love;
Only the few choose this narrow path
That leads to our God above.

The wide highway is where most will walk,
Of sin, passion, and pride—
The deceptive path of pleasure here,
Content with the road so wide.

The vast majority of men here walk,
For the broad way brings delight;
Nearly everyone seems to follow this way,
Though it brings darkness and night!

Then Jesus revealed the end of the roads,
The destination where each way leads;
Eternity lies in the balance, our Lord says,
A sure end to which each group proceeds.

The narrow way is the unpopular way,
But eternal life lies at the end;
The broad way is the popular way,
But downward this way will descend.

Two gates lie before each one,
And two ways are open to us;
Two eternal destinies loom before each one—
A way of death, and a way so glorious!

Each of us is called to believe on Christ,
And to turn from self and sin;
For God wants to give us eternal life
And grant us the Spirit within.

 

Richard Hollerman