Open the Gate
By Doug Bing, Washington Conference president
There I sat in front of a closed gate.
The keypad to enter the code to open the gate was right in front of me. The code was in my head. Confidently, I opened the window of my car and reached out to punch in the code. The gate did not open.
I tried again. Once again, the gate remained firmly closed. Cars were starting to line up behind me, waiting their turn to punch in the code. I tried texting someone to find the right code. I punched the button for the operator. Finally, the proper code was found, and the gates slowly and majestically opened. I was able to enter the gated community.
Occasionally, I have needed to get into gated communities and have had to sit and wait patiently until someone is either leaving or entering and then drive in behind them. I know you are most likely not supposed to do that, but I have been guilty of it once in a while.
Gated communities are nice. They are also considered quite safe. They usually have homeowners’ associations with rules that are supposed to be good for the entire community. They have gate codes in order to let you in or you have to call someone to have them open the gate to keep residents safe.
I love what I read this week in Psalms 118:19-20
Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go through them, and I will praise the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord. Through which the righteous shall enter. I will praise You, for You have answered me, and have become my salvation.
Jesus has a gate into the kingdom of heaven. The code is Jesus.
Those covered with Jesus’ righteousness are the ones that will enter.
Praise God that there is no fumbling for the code. Praise God that it has been made clear that Jesus is the way to the kingdom and the way to see the gates of the kingdom swing open.