{"id":250,"date":"2026-03-18T12:02:28","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T12:02:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakesidecofc.com\/?p=250"},"modified":"2026-03-18T12:02:28","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T12:02:28","slug":"agonize","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakesidecofc.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/18\/agonize\/","title":{"rendered":"Agonize!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ponder: Trying hard<\/span><\/p>\n

Scripture: \u201cStrive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able\u201d (Lk. 13:24)<\/span><\/p>\n

It hasn\u2019t been long since we were watching the winter Olympics. Athletes who had trained diligently for years had their opportunity to compete at the most prestigious event in the world of sports. For many it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Did they approach it with a \u201cho hum, who cares\u201d attitude? Of course not! They reached inside and gave it everything they had. That\u2019s the meaning of \u201cstrive\u201d in today\u2019s text. Luke\u2019s word gives us our word \u201cagonize.\u201d It\u2019s what athletes do when their muscles ache, their lungs feel like they\u2019re on fire, and their energy is gone \u2013 they grit their teeth and push still harder to gain the victory!<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s what Jesus said to do when a man had asked Him, \u201cAre there few who are saved?\u201d (Lk. 13:23). Rather than answer yes or no, the Lord exhorted him (and us) to make the supreme effort to be among the saved.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why is the utmost exertion necessary? First, because the way is narrow. Older versions use the word \u201cstrait.\u201d That\u2019s completely different from \u201cstraight.\u201d Strait means difficult. Right now we\u2019re concerned about the \u201cstrait of Hormuz\u201d in the Persian Gulf. Any ship captain knows it\u2019s anything but straight! Under the best of conditions it\u2019s a treacherous place to navigate. The way to eternal life involves difficulty too.<\/span><\/p>\n

Second, striving is necessary because many will be unable to enter despite wanting to do so. Perhaps they resist obedience or wait until it is too late. The reason matters little. Strive! Agonize! If Olympic gold is worth the effort, how much more is eternal life?<\/span><\/p>\n

Hymn: \u201cLiving for Jesus\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Prayer: Father, we thank You for Jesus who agonized to save us. Help us to put forth strenuous effort to serve faithfully in the Messianic kingdom. In His name, Amen.<\/span><\/p>\n

–Joe Slater<\/span><\/p>\n

\r \t
\r \t\t\r \t\t\"\"<\/a>\r \t\t  <\/span>\r \t\tSend article as PDF<\/span>\r \t\t  <\/span>\r \t\t\r \t\t\r \t<\/form>\r <\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ponder: Trying hard Scripture: \u201cStrive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able\u201d (Lk. 13:24) It hasn\u2019t been long since we were watching the winter Olympics. Athletes who had trained diligently for years…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading… Agonize!<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-250","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","wpcat-1-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakesidecofc.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/250","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakesidecofc.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakesidecofc.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakesidecofc.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakesidecofc.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=250"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lakesidecofc.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/250\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":251,"href":"https:\/\/lakesidecofc.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/250\/revisions\/251"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakesidecofc.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=250"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakesidecofc.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=250"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakesidecofc.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=250"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}