April 20, 2021 | Door
Jesus says in John 10:9, “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” Have you ever taken the time to visualize that or, if its your first time hearing it, can you imagine what it means?
For those who know Jesus, it can mean many things, the door to heaven, the entryway to salvation, even the threshold of peace. All of these are absolutely true, but, in describing Himself this way, I believe Jesus is saying so much more.
There is a small metal door painted white in the side of a tiny mission church in Johannesburg South Africa. This door is changing lives. On it are painted the words “door of hope.” That is exactly what it is for various babies within the city. On average some forty to fifty babies were being abandoned on the streets to die of exposure or starvation a month. That was before the mission installed their door to a baby bin allowing mothers to anonymously deposit their unwanted babies and have someone love them and care for them. Now the mission is saving over 100 babies a year. What an incredible door.
I know of another incredible door that takes in the unwanted, saves lives and brings hope. That door is Jesus. His arms open to those who are left to die on our streets. His embrace awaits those who come to Him in their despair. All who enter through Him find their security and in the pleasure of His company they find His grace and forgiveness.
Jesus said, “I AM the Way, and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). And this Way, this Truth and the everlasting Life it offers is given freely to all who listen for His voice and come. Even today He is calling out for the one who is lost, never giving up the search but calling all His people to join with Him to find those who are missing from the flock. He says to all, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20). This is an everlasting promise that only the Savior can make.
Jesus says, “I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my Word and have not denied my name” (Revelation 3:7-8). He knows our limitation and our weaknesses, yet by His grace he holds the door to heaven open to us who call in Him in repentance and rely on His Word to guide us. No one can shut that door because it is blocked by the almighty power of the chief shepherd.
Many of us think that what we have done in the past will cover the path to the door, but through Christ’s death and resurrection the path remains clear and the door remains open. The devil will try and convince you that you cannot enter because you haven’t done enough to deserve the key, but the only key you need is to believe in the one who holds the door open wide.
Earlier in John 10 Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them” (John 10:7-8). There will be people in your life who want to snatch your freedom in Christ away. They want to enslave you in bitterness and strife, some even calling themselves leaders in the church. They want to cause division through careless words and deceitful actions. They crawl over the gate because they know that what they are doing must be done in dishonesty to gain their own ends. Going through Christ seems hopeless, so they find another way to steal the sheep.
But, for all of those who listen only for their Shepherd’s voice, no one will be able to lead them astray for long, because their Shepherd will never stop looking for them. He will never stop calling out to them. The door remains open and the way remains clear. Enter the door. Please pray with me:
Heavenly Father, thank you for serving as our entryway to salvation and promise. Thank you for the hope that You have won for us and the grace by which you make Your name. Forgive us when we close our ears to your calling and help us to live with ears of yearning wide open to hear Your call. Amen.
