Many Are Called Few are Chosen/Getting that Ultimate Dream Vacation (Paradise):

What exactly does this scripture below mean many are called few are chosen?  I believe it means that God is tugging on our hearts, but only a few accept the call.   It’s like when you are on your cell phone, you have a chance to accept the call, or you can let the call roll over to voice mail.  You ignore the call thinking you will get back with that person later because you are too busy to talk to the person.

"For many are invited (called), but few are chosen."  Matthew 22:14

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it." Matthew 7:13

We can see an example of that in the Bible where Felix told Paul although he was trembling and convicted that he did not want to accept this message at the time, he put it off.

"Several days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was a Jewess. He sent for Paul and listened to him as he spoke about faith in Christ Jesus. As Paul discoursed on righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, "That's enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you." Acts 24:24-25

Concerning Jesus death on the cross he said, “But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." John 12:32.  And yet when he died on the cross, only to one thief did he say, “Today you will be with me in paradise.”  The other thief continued to mock him, even in death. The two thieves crucified with Jesus either did (Mark 15:32) or did not (Luke 23:43) mock Jesus?

Both thieves mocked Jesus at first, however, after Jesus said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do,” one of the thieves had a change of heart and defended Jesus.  Mark did not record that one thief defended Jesus, but he never said it didn’t happen, and we know from Luke that it did.

The thief asked Jesus to remember him.  He humbled himself to realize that he needed a savior in his life.  I believe the tug on many people’s heart is there, but what many people end up doing is like when I talk to widows who said they put off that dream vacation until retirement, and the dream vacation never came.  They lost their spouse before the dream vacation.

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:20

Notice it says “hears my voice.” I find at times I am a little dull of hearing when it comes to God’s voice and sometimes more often than others.

I had this night dream when I first became a Christian that I was walking on this evil road.  It was very dark and I became frighten.  Then I heard this voice say, “Mary” and an overwhelming sense of safety came over me.  Walking down that evil road was not so bad even though it was dark and there was danger all around because Jesus was walking down that road with me, but I did not know it.  I was not aware of his presence at the time.  It’s sort of like how Jesus disciples did not have trust/faith that Jesus was in the boat with them when the storms of life came against them.  I believe the evil road is this life.  David called is the “shadow of death.”   Sometimes we are afraid of our own shadow!

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4

Getting myself in tune with my master’s voice and hearing God’s voice is the most important and I find that God is always speaking, I’m the one that fails to hear him most of the time.

There is much more we would like to say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don't seem to listen. Hebrews 5:11

For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.' Matthew 13:15

What I pray on a regular basis is like what Samuel prayed, “Speak Lord your servant is listening. 1 Samuel 3:10”  Next, “God help me to hear your voice and know your voice, tune out the other voices inside my head.”

The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is majestic. Psalm 29:4

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. John 10:27

I had a dream the night before I left for vacation in Michigan last Thursday that I should not take my SUV that it had a mechanical problem and to not take my boat.  I should take my smaller SUV and bring the jet skis.  When I woke up I prayed and bound Satan from my trip and asked for God’s hand on my car.  I just paid a lot of money (3K) in fixing the SUV for various things and a full transmission service.  About an hour from the destination of where I was supposed to be, a man on a motorcycle pulled up beside my daughter and I on the interstate, and told me my car was smoking underneath.  I pulled over, concerned that I had an exhaust leak since I just had new catalytic converters installed and at the gas station saw transmission fluid pouring out of the bottom of my SUV.  There happened to be a full service repair and towing station at that exit and they checked it out and said the transmission blew a seal.  It was about one hour from my destination so I had some friends pick up my daughter and I and the boat so we could still use it, and I’m getting my car back on Friday.

I’ve had a couple of warning dreams in the past like this.  Much like Joseph was warned to flee into Egypt with Jesus because of Herod.  My daughter pulled out this quote in her Bible yesterday about how “Life has its ups and downs, its wins and losses, but God loves us and He is our helper and with us.” I thought it was a good quote after a road trip with my transmission going out, also I consider that my husband’s heart (his transmission in his body went out too).  If you understand the way my husband was he would do these crazy things like go skiing for three days in Colorado with his chronic asthma and then overwork his heart (put it in overdrive) because of the thin air.  I believe that he put his heart in overdrive one too many times which including fasting for a colonoscopy and going boating right before he had a heart attack.  I find that when you dehydrate your body, it puts you over in the danger zone physically just like the extreme heat was hard on people’s cars.

In these negative circumstances in our lives, it's sort of like learning to ride a bike.  Even though you fall down and you have cuts and bruises in life trying to ride your bike (a bruised heart), you pick yourself back up and you get back on your bike and ride it again.  My sister got thrown from a horse and although she loved riding horses since childhood, because she broke her hip, she never road horses again.  My brother played tight-end football and the last game he got the wind knocked out of him.  He never played football in college, because that was the last game of high school.  Some people determine that when they get the wind knocked out of them in life, they are not getting back in the saddle.  Same way with a car accident, it's get to get behind the wheel of a car and learn to overcome fear.