Open door

Jesus accused these Pharisees of shutting the door of heaven in people’s faces. That’s a startling allegation. But how did they do it? Some burdened people with stringent rules. Some missed the heart of love embedded in the laws Law of Moses. Others tried to steer people away from Jesus by their teaching.

But let’s try to look at this from the other way around. After all, if you can close and lock a door, it stands to reason that you can also unlatch one and throw it wide! That’s the awesome truth tucked away in today’s Gospel. We can actually open the door of heaven for other people!

According to the Scriptures, this door is a person: Jesus! He is the “gate” and the “way” (John 10:9; 14:6). He is the ladder to heaven (1:51). But how can we, small humans that we are, open such a special door? By opening ourselves up! That way, people can come to see Jesus, who lives in us, and find their own way to a relationship with him.

Just as there are several ways to close a door, there’s more than one way to open it. We can open it through acts of kindness and love. We can try to encourage someone. A forgiving, compassionate heart can do it. Or we can look for opportunities to share about the difference that Jesus has made in our lives. 

Jesus said that these Pharisees went to great lengths—even traversing sea and land—to find other people and train them in their ways (Matthew 23:15). While he frowned on the end result, the way they went the extra mile to win people over was remarkable. It worked! Similarly, if we want to usher people through heaven’s door, we too will have to go out of our way to build relationships with them. Friendly phone conversations, casual lunches, and the like can provide new opportunities to open up. Of course, we can’t pursue everyone. But we can pursue a few. You could even start with a list of three names. With some prayer, some planning, and some reaching out, you may even get the privilege of holding heaven’s door open as a friend walks through!

~Taken from www.wau.org

STRIVE!!!

 "Strive to enter by the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. " [Luke 13:24]

As I listened to this scripture reading in church today, my mind begun to wonder deeply,about what it means to strive. I wondered why Jesus chose those words to teach a lesson. Strive, according to the Marriam-Webster dictionary, is "to devote serious effort or energy" (emphasis mine). Again, John Gill's exposition/commentary said :"To 'strive', is to be diligent in the use of means; to search the Scriptures with care; to attend on the preaching of the word with constancy, neglecting no opportunity; to pray earnestly for spiritual light, knowledge, and grace; to contend with every enemy that opposes the salvation of the soul, as sin, Satan, and the world; to bear all reproaches and persecutions, and press through all difficulties, for the prize of the incorruptible crown: the metaphor seems to be taken from the striving, wrestling, and combat in the Olympic games, for a corruptible crown."  This intransitive verb derives its roots from the Anglo-French word- estriver, meaning to quarrel.

I believe that the Lord is calling us to a personalised fight/contention with our selves to enter into this narrow gate. A fight to discipline ourselves with the focus of having a deeper relationship with the Lord. You might be close to Him, but I believe that there is more ground to cover. The imagery of contention, fight, wrestle etc, is very apt because it shows that:

1. To develop a deeper walk with God, does not come easy: We must learn to deny ourselves of certain pleasures, eschew certain familiar behaviour and sometimes step outside our comfort zones. All these, do not come easy. We have to contend; for knowing God is not just attending church or church activities, but overcoming all odds in order to build a strong relationship with Him.
2. It must involve an effort: A serious wrestling match, is a showcase of energy and effort on the part of the contenders. To be able to walk through that door, we must invest energy, effort and time.

Today, the Lord is calling us into a deeper relationship with Him. However, we also need to play our role: we must STRIVE. Lets pray for grace and strength to carry out this command in order to attain the reward: to be in His presence forever.

A call to LOVE.

God is calling us to be vessels of love to all people we meet. We read about how Naomi and Ruth showcased love to each other (Ruth 1). I believe that Ruth decided to stay with Naomi because she had become convinced of Naomi's love, even to the extent of leaving her life and taking up a new way of living, with Naomi. Ruth sacrificed her family, her faith etc, to follow Naomi. Something about Naomi pulled the attention of Ruth and I believe it was her showcase of love to her.

Ruth also showed Naomi love by not abandoning her in her moment of grief and agony. We learn later on in the story how Ruth and Naomi's lives changed as eventually, Ruth gets married and becomes the great-grand mother of King David and inevitably, she was counted within the ancestral lineage of Jesus!!! She would have missed this opportunity if not for the love she experienced and showed.

The Lord calls us to love one another. Today, may we not take this command lightly since it has shown to have destiny influencing potential. May we extend love to all we meet today, for you would never know what seed you have sown. 

Lord make us instruments of your love.

The wedding garment

In the parable of the wedding banquet in Matthew 22: 1-14, another revelation therein is that the wedding garment the master, being God expected His guests, being us, to wear, is the garment of righteousness. This garment has been freely given to us by virtue of the death of Jesus on the cross. The Bible refers to us as being the righteousness of God. This righteousness has been given to us as a free gift. All we need to do is to live in, clothe ourselves in and allow ourselves to be transformed by this righteousness in order to be a change agent for Him.

Know your place!!

The Lord is calling us to walk in the confidence of what He says we are:

• we are the apple of His eye
• we are winners
• we are overcomers
• we are not consumed
• we are not condemned
• we are victorious
• we are prosperous
• we have all our needs supplied
• we are tattooed in the palm of His hand.... etc.

The confidence we have in these promises should give us clout and yet should humble us so that we can walk in PURPOSE. Lets study scripture to glean more of these promises.

Come as you are

In responding to Jesus' call to follow Him, its possible that one thing or another might hinder our paths- a bad habit, bad relationships etc. He is however calling us and drawing us to come to Him, despite our issues. The rich man who came to Him despite our issues. The rich man who came to Jesus went away sad because he could not give up his wealth- the hindrance, to follow Jesus. I believe that even if he ( the rich man) expressed his inability to give up his wealth, yet showcased a desire to be with Jesus, the Lord Himself would have helped him out in with struggle.

Today, the Lord is still calling out to us. He wants us to come to Him with our faults and flaws, desiring to follow Him and know Him more. He gives us the strength and help we need to overcome these struggles in our lives.

“Persevere in running the race.” (Hebrews 12:1)

Usain Bolt is a Jamaican sprinter who holds the record as the fastest person ever. Nicknamed the “Lightning Bolt,” he has won many Olympic gold medals and World Championships. Like Bolt, many top athletes in the world dedicate countless hours to working out, training, and eating right to obtain their dreams. They make many sacrifices in their time and activities so that they can stay focused on the prize.

Do you consider yourself a Christian athlete running the greatest race of your life? Well, that’s what you are. Right now, countless angels and saints, along with Jesus and your heavenly Father, are cheering you on. They want to see you win. They have faith and hope that you can do it, too! What’s more, you’re not alone. A huge community of believers is running with you, all reaching for the prize together.

During the race, Jesus wants you to know him not only as the Savior and Messiah but as your best friend and trainer! And to help you run, he wants you to receive his own strength and power, his own encouragement and excitement. He also wants to see you strengthen your spiritual muscles as you lend a helping hand, encourage someone who is downcast, and reach out to share God’s word along the way. He wants to help you be free from the self-righteousness, moodiness, and impatience that can bog you down so that you can soar with eagles’ wings! 

Jus remember one thing: This is a marathon, not a sprint! So pace yourself. Don’t think you’ll attain your goal overnight—or even in the course of one year. Day after day, Jesus has mapped out a certain portion of the course for you to run. That’s all you need to worry about. Just keep your eyes fixed on him, and you’ll find yourself marking mile after mile after joyful mile. Then, at just the right time, he’ll be there at the finish line, waiting to hand you your crown. 

“I am here to win the race Lord! Crown me with your glory!” 

TAKEN FROM: WWW.WAU.ORG

Dont stand and watch

The people in Jesus' community could not surrender to the freedom that Jesus gives, because their minds had been set. They just could not accept that one of their own was so privileged and gifted/anointed. How do we react when we see our classmates, childhood friends, siblings and very close associates, prosper in their endeavors.

As a result of the behavior of the citizens of Jesus' hometown, the Lord did not perform any miracles there. Can you imagine the number of those who could have been liberated, the diseases that could have been healed? But no, they stood and watched Jesus pass by.

Today, the Lord is calling us to search our hearts. What is keeping us from surrendering to Him. Is it fear, stubbornness,... etc? Eschew them!!!come freely and openly to our Lord and He will give you rest.