Read John 10:7-9, 27-30

Walking dusty paths in Haiti, I was humbled by the dwellings of my new friends. Thorny, desert plants formed make-shift boundaries around what they called ‘home.’ If they were lucky, they had a tarp for a door. Some had a half-starved dog to sound the alarm when strangers landed on their claim.

We are surrounded by sturdy doors. We lock them and set alarms to detect the slightest movement. We feel safe when they’re shut. We have the power to open and close them at will.

We like doors.

Except when we’re locked out. We can think of nothing else when we’ve lost a key or a code. It’s torture to lose access to what we believe to be ours.

Jesus is the door.

He is the access to all we’re looking for. He holds the power to keep us safe. All evil is confronted by His authority when it tries to get near us. All suspicions are dropped when He says, “Hey, she’s with me.”

He is our home. He is our freedom.

He’s the cure for our sick hearts that do what they shouldn’t and don’t do what they should. He carried all of our wrongdoing on His shoulders when He was nailed to a cross. He died and was buried. Three days later, breath filled His lungs and He again walked this earth. He wanted us to know that He holds the power over death. He wanted us to know that we are seen and loved by the one true God. He wanted us to know we could trust Him with our failures and dreams, now and forever.

Jesus is a gate that swings with life and purpose. He doesn’t fence us in with legalism and duty. He fills us with His spirit to lead us into a life of love, service, and purpose for His glory. He is a generous shepherd providing the needs of His sheep, no matter how needy they might be.

Have you found life through ‘the door?’

The crazy thing is, He’s knocking on yours.

 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 that person, and they with me.

(Revelation 3:20)

Jesus is the door.

To intimacy. To companionship.

He is a gentle shepherd who wants to guide you with His voice. He will never leave you. He is near. No one has to live locked out. No one has to live unforgiven and alone. Will you believe and step through ‘the door?”

“By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us-set us right with him, make us fit for him-we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that’s not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand-out in the wide-open spaces of God’s grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.”

(Romans 5:1-2 MSG)

Welcome home!

Shelly Eberly