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And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. (Matthew 24:12-13 NKJV)
When Jesus said, “the love of many will grow cold,” who do you think He was talking about? The key to answering this question is found in the word “many.” Let’s take a closer look.
Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. (Matthew 7:13-14 NKJV)
Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ (Matthew 7:21-23 NKJV)
No doubt, when Jesus said, “the love of many will grow cold,” He wasn’t merely referring to people who make no claim of faith in God, but primarily to those who do make a profession of faith in Him, but do not do the will of the Father. You see, at one point they had a genuine love for God, but the cares of the world lured them into spiritual darkness. Thus, they abandoned the faith for a lie, and are now walking the broad way, which leads to destruction.
This should be a wake-up call to many, but sadly, only a few will listen, because, for the most part, people are so used to walking in darkness, they flee from any glimmer of light. They oppose the truth because it hurts too much to accept it, and thus they despise those who tell them they need to get their lives right with Jesus. They don’t feel they need to change their sinful ways, because they find comfort in their worldly pleasures. Indeed, they can’t see that they have left their first love, that they have rejected Jesus. Paul spoke of these people in his writings:
But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! (2 Timothy 3:1-5 NKJV)
If many are on the wrong path while few are on the right path, then that means the majority of people professing to be Christians are not telling the truth. In other words, they don’t know Jesus. What a sobering thought!
How seriously do you take your relationship with Christ? Does He mean everything to you, or are you compromising the integrity of the faith for worldly pleasure? Don’t take this message lightly. There are many who claim to be speaking for God, but don’t have the courage to tell people to repent. Instead, they give people what they want to hear, thus proving that they aren’t sent by God. They are false teachers. They do not speak to the glory of the Father, but to the indulgence of themselves. They want a following, but they don’t follow Jesus. They are blind guides leading the blind to a destructive end.
Examine the life of Christ closely. Are you following His example? If not, what are you holding on to that’s worth taking His place in your life? Nothing should come between you and Jesus. Is a moment of pleasure worth an eternity of being separated from God? If you don’t have Jesus then you don’t have much of a future. It’s time to get serious about God. It’s time to get off the broad path that leads to destruction and take the narrow way that leads to life. Which will you choose?
Post by Chris Esty
+Chris Esty is an Inspirational Writer, Photographer, and the Founder of The Bible Post ministry. Listen to his testimony Here