The Door

-- "I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture." John 10:9 NASB Jesus paints Himself in the simplest of things, such familiar things. The Bread of life, the Light of the world, the Lamb of God, and here He calls Himself "the Door." For the longest time I didn't understand how Jesus could, in the same breath, be both the Good Shepherd and the Door for His sheep. Only after studying the shepherds of Jesus' day, did it become clearer for me. For the protection of his flock, a shepherd would lie down, placing his own body across the threshold of the doorway of the fold through the night, saying in essence, "you can't get to my sheep without going through me." He became the door to keep the sheep in and to keep the predators out. In the morning, he would lead his sheep to pastures of his choosing, always going before them. Evening would find him leading his sheep back to the shelter of the sheep pen, where he would hold his staff low across the entrance, allowing only one sheep at a time to go in, stopping to check each one for signs of injury. He knew each sheep by name and cared for not only the needs of the whole flock, but each one individually. Jesus, our Door, wants to be our way in, and our way out. He wants to be the One who keeps us safe and secure. He put His own body, His own life down on the cross, to permanently be our shield and defender. He keeps us as believers in, and no enemy can ever take us out! He is the One who provides us passage into the wide world, He finds us pastures where we can do the work of reaching people for Him. Then at night, when He leads us back to the fold for rest, he bends low in the doorway, inspecting each of us for any signs of injury so He can bind up our wounds and care for our needs until we are well and whole. Last night I limped home from the pasture, sad and discouraged that I simply could not make my self-determined Wednesday deadline for this post. All I could do was to rest in His care, and let Him bind up the bumps and bruises of the day. Jesus is daily my way in and my way out, and I can trust Him in every situation and put my confidence in Him, because He calls me by name, treats me with tender care and I am safe in Him. This morning, I give you this very small offering in the prayer that somehow it can be a blessing and encouragement to you. Please accept my humble apologies for bringing it to you a day late.

How does it help you to know Jesus as both Shepherd and Door?