Jn 10:7, “Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.” All who choose to become sheep will find their way to His open door, Jn 14:6, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” and an eternal life with God the Father, Rev 3:8, “I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.” God sends His servants into this world looking for His lost sheep, even for those who deny His name, Mk 16:15, “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” He is always ready to do whatever it takes to save every last one of us, Matt 18:12, “How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?” Some of us shut the door to our hearts and never know about the open door to salvation. But, God continues to knock at the door of our hearts; wishing we would open it and let Him tell us about salvation, Rev 3:20-21, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.”
Our lives are filled with many doors, some we should go through and some we should not, and everyone one of them changes our lives, forever. God knows the doors we should go through. When we open the door of our hearts and let Him in, He leads us to the doors of a more enjoyable abundant life, Matt 7:7-8, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” We need His guidance to find the correct doors, Prov 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” When we accept Jesus as our savior we will clearly see the doors He has opened for us. Patience and faith are required as we look for these doors, for God’s timing is better than our timing, Ps 27:14, “Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.” and Eccl 3:1, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:” and Is 40:31, “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
Sometimes God allows doors to remain closed for our own good, Prov 16:9, “A man's heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.” If we were to open those doors, they would lead us away from God and His plan Prov 14:12, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” So, He warns us about those closed doors. Of course, He has allowed us free will, so we can still choose to open those doors. But, we will surely suffer the consequences and so will all of those affected by our choice. We need not dwell on the closed door, for God has seen the future and knows what needs to happen for His plan to be completed, Rom 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Our faith allows us to wait on the Lord’s timing and it also sustains us during tribulations, Rom 5:3-5, “And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”
So, the next time we are passed up for a promotion, or a person who attracts us is not attracted to us, we can accept those closed doors and move on knowing God has something better planned for us. Our response should be joyful prayer and service to others in expectation of the exciting things God has planned for us, 1 Pet 4:10, “As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” When we do these things God is faithful to complete a good work in us, Phil 1:6, “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”
There are times we face doors that seem closed because of some adversity but are really part of God’s plan, as did Noah, Joseph, Moses, Mary, and Jesus. Noah did not let the 120 years of criticism and name-calling stop him from building the Ark and preserving the bloodline God had chosen to complete His plan. Joseph did not let his brothers selling him into slavery stop him from rising to the second highest position of authority in Egypt so he could save his family from starvation. Moses did not let the 40 years of his people’s complaining stop him from leading them to the Promised Land. Mary did not let the stigma of an immaculate conception stop her from marrying Joseph and raising Jesus. Jesus did not let the suffering and death He faced stop Him from accepting the cross and offering salvation to all of us. All were parts of God’s plan and those doors were open but the doorways were not easily crossed. The key to knowing whether a door is truly closed is in the Word of God. He never leads us to an open door that requires us to defy His Word.
Our patience and willingness to open the door of our hearts lead us to Him, Jn 10:2-3, “But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.” God has sent many out into this world to speak the mystery of Christ, so that every last one of us has a chance to accept His offer of salvation, Col 4:3, “Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:” Amen!
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