the narrow path.// of seeds, and olive trees, and the Son of Man who paved the way.

these days. this journey.

“what is this life we live?”

“short”.
a friend responded.


[[temporary]].
brief, and but for a moment.

yet full of opportunity to bear fruit,, and fruit that REMAINS. [[for eternity]].


[you are walking the narrow path. keep your eyes on Me].

hard. and rugged. often untraveled by most. Winding and twisting, through unknown terrain. Footing often unsure. Usually just enough light for the next step you must take. Fully exposed to the elements of life.
rain. and wind. and heat. Storms and valleys.
distractions and discouragement pressing in.
with the mocking of those trotting down the path, wide and easy,
and yet leading somewhere they don’t even realize. [there is a way that seems right unto man, but its end is death].

and so we choose to lose this life now, for His sake, so that we may find it.
life and life abundant. that which He came to give.
the way of the narrow path.
not the easy one.
but the one we can walk, with the Lord set always before us.
not the popular, common, socially acceptable and politically correct one.
but the one where we can lay eyes on the face of the Son of Man.
because there is no where else we'd rather look.
and no other face we'd rather be set on.
knowing fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore.
even as we walk the way pioneered before us,
by the Man who was despised and rejected.
a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
seeing true beauty,
following the Man who had no beauty that we should desire Him.
experiencing full freedom,
walking in the steps of the Man who was oppressed and afflicted,
the One who suffered for us, leaving us an example that we should follow in His steps.

in the steps of the One who grew up like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground…
 a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch from his roots that bears fruit.


and we are born again, not of perishable seed,
but of imperishable                                 (1 Peter 1:23)

[[the seed of Christ.]]


“seed [the chief means of plants reproducing themselves].
the fruit that is produced by the plant contains the same seed that the plant originally was started by.
this is what guarantees the same identity within the species.

[no seed can produce a lesser plant than the plant it came from. As is the seed, so is the plant and so is the fruit.]”
                                                                                        (such a great salvation, Mike Petzer)

and we know our identity is in Him.
Christ in us, the hope of glory.


the only hope of walking this narrow path.
the only hope of keeping our eyes fixed on Him.
the only hope of glory, both now and then.


because with fear we know,
that for the man who walks the wide, easy way,
 “who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his riches and sought refuge in his own destruction”,,
God will snatch and tear and uproot him.
                                                                  {psalm 52:5-7}

but with David our hearts sing,

“But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God.”
                                                                                  {psalm 52:8}

and just as He came up like a root out of dry ground,
and just as the olive tree is known for it's durability and constancy, despite conditions,
we will grow and thrive in any circumstance.
no matter the storms or the heat,
we will continue to bear fruit.
no matter how dry the ground,
we live from the streams of living water within.

and just as the olive tree is a symbol of faithfulness and steadfastness,
we will walk this narrow way of life,
faithful.
steadfast to the end.
useful and set apart.
a source of substance, light and healing to those around us.

bearing fruit,  
and planting seeds in the wide, and easy path.
to see life spring up.
and man’s true identity restored.


because Jesus knew,
that “unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone…”

and He knew what He had to do,
 “…but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” (john 12:24)


and He set His face to Jerusalem,,
for the joy set before Him.

in order to reproduce Himself within us.


and so we die to ourselves.
we lose our lives, for His sake.
for what we sow, we shall reap.
and we sow the Seed within us.
to reap a harvest for His glory.

because He is the Seed that fell into the ground
and died.
and He is the Plant that sprang up and produced much fruit—us.




  what is this life we live?

-short-.

but the life laid down,,
and born again.

and the fruit bore,,
on the narrow path.

remains.
imperishable.