Several years ago, a camera crew found the remains of a woman who went missing two years earlier while hiking the Appalachian Trail. The cause of death was determined to be starvation. Her remains were found less than a half mile from the hiking trail. They discovered among her remains a journal she had written chronicling her journey up to the day before she died, and from it they discovered that she had left the trail to relieve herself and could not find her way back. Searching everyday without success, she grew weaker and weaker. Unbeknownst to her was how close she was to the trail. Failure after failure contributed to her loss of heart and strength and finally her life. A very sad story indeed. So close to safety yet unable to find it.
Jesus told a young scribe in Mark 12:34, 'You are not far from the Kingdom of God.' The scribe had made an astute observation of the two greatest commandments, 'love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.'
There is no mention that he ever entered the Kingdom, only that he was very close. Like the woman in the aforementioned story, there are many who come close to God's Kingdom but never enter. The Kingdom is within reach, but they never reach it.
Jesus taught us that He is the entrance and we must come through Him. Being a kind and loving person is a good thing, but it doesn’t save you. Jesus is our salvation, and there is no other name by which we are saved.
There are a myriad of beliefs about how one is made right with God. Many of these have an appearance of good, but their end is destruction.
Like the woman who got off the trail, these teachings miss the mark and lead to death. Jesus is the Way, He is the Truth, and He is Life. Don’t settle for just being near; close is not enough. But instead, enter the Kingdom by the way Jesus made for us through His blood. He is our trailblazer, and He’s able to present us faultless and complete at our journeys end. It would be a shame to die just outside Heaven’s door. Jesus brought His kingdom to earth so that we might have entrance. Let’s go in!!!