door

On the other Side the Door

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments

 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. Luke 2:6-7 ESV

The first people to see Jesus were Joseph and Mary. Theirs had been a long a difficult journey. They had faced the rejection, and disapproval of families and neighbors. On that final night their faith was rewarded with the sight of tiny eyes opening as Jesus came into this world. He took His first breath as they watched and He was held by Mary when He cried. Then Joseph wrapped Him in cloths and gently laid Him in the hay for His first nap!

Today, think of the Inn keeper who stood just behind the door he had closed. He missed His chance to see the birth of the Son of God. But shepherds came breathlessly hurrying into the village to see if what the angels had told them was true. While shepherds were shouting praises we have no record of neighbors just down the street joining in the crowd. That night they were next door to Jesus but missed holding his hands or kissing His cheeks.

Do you long to see the face of Jesus Christ th

20170920_104728.jpg

is Christmas? He could be just behind a door we ourselves have shut. Jesus is still waiting and God calls us to come and to see Him. Why not, “Come and behold Him born the King of Angels”?

 

To Truly Live

/ pastorpete51 / Leave a comment

For me to live is Christ and to die is gain Philippians 1:21

Am I completely satisfied with Christ alone?  When we are young we need to please someone. There is always one person’s opinion of our life that we value most. For some of us that is our Mom or Dad. Some idolize an older brother or a friend. But as a Christian really only God’s opinion matters. He is our true life but has that been our reality today? 

Am I willing to surrender anything He asks? Once I was singing “I surrender all” during my nursing home ministry. At the end of the song one lady asked me, “what have you surrendered?” Her question cut right to my heart. What is Christ asking for me to give 100 percent to Him right now? 
Am I ready to go anywhere He asks? Many times we pray for God to open a door. But what we truly have in mind is something that we have wanted on the other side. But if God opens a door and doesn’t tell us much about where it leads are we willing to push it wide open? Will we eagerly press forward just because we trust He knows best? 

One terrible evening our Lord Jesus faced exactly these same three decisions. Did the Father’s opinion matter more than his own? Was he willing to surrender all he had? Would he go anywhere God asked? The open door before our Lord was a stone door ready to be rolled shut once he had entered. Christ prayed till  sweat fell like drops of blood then he decided that for him to truly live was to do the Father’s will and for him to die was truly gain!