I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will
be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
John 10:9
Doors come in many shapes and sizes. It can be as simple as a slab of ice that covers the opening to an igloo, or an inlaid ivory and gold masterpiece before the throne room of the king. When all is said and done, a door is just a device that allows easy access to a place that was designed to keep other things out.
Some doors come equipped with locks or even armed guards to determine who can go in and who stays out. A bank would be worthless if everyone could go in and out anytime they wanted. Heaven has a Door. His name is Jesus. In Luke 16, Christ told a story about a very rich man (unlisted name) and a very, very poor man named Lazarus. Lazarus was a believer and the other guy wasn’t. In the end, they both died. After his fancy funeral, the soul of the billionaire was cast into Hades. Lazarus died full of sores on some side street; no one paid much attention. That is, no one except for Jesus.
When his body was cold, the angels of God carried his soul to paradise and he was cradled in Abraham’s bosom. When the rich man saw that, he wanted to go there too – Not Allowed! Then, he wanted that lowly Lazarus to bring him some water – Also not Allowed!
People don’t get to heaven just because they want in, or even because they think they deserve it. The bottom line of the story is explained in the chorus of the African-American spiritual, “Rock my Soul in the Bosom of Abraham.”
So high, you can’t get over it
So wide, you can’t get around it
So low, you can’t get under it
You gotta go through the Door.
January 4
