THE BACK DOOR What status do you desire in God’s kingdom? Would you like God to choose you to be one of His representatives? Do you want to do His work? Do you want to be a person who others look up to, a professional of sorts, who feels the need to present yourself as “having it all together”? All of these qualities would lead others to believe that you are successful and have a real “IN” with God. But let’s challenge ourselves today with what the real meaning of success is: Jesus said in Matthew 20:26-28,”Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave — just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” And this brings me to what I want to talk about today – BACK DOORS! The back door of one’s home is usually the entrance where the owner and inhabitants of the house enter. The front door is a more formal entrance, where guests come to announce their arrival by ringing the doorbell, or knocking, and then they await the inhabitants to come and welcome them in. Also, the back door is poised as the more “down-to-earth” and comfortable place to enter, where one truly feels “at home”. The back door is a place where a person’s significance is only in relationships; and that would be with the people whom the inhabitants of the home are very close to. Status in life is left on the stoop by the back door; the only thing that matters here is the warmth of a dear friendship or the welcoming embrace of a close family member. Also, it is the entrance where the most trust dwells, and where any airs of vanity or pomposity can be comfortably left behind. At the back door of a home, there is a more relaxed feeling. The décor of the entrance may not be as elaborate, the flower beds not as fancy, and many times you would enter into an area that would be well-used and maybe not so tidy or clean as the rest of the house. For instance, a mud room or laundry room may be the first room inside a back door entrance. Those are not the first rooms you usually want to welcome a guest into because these rooms, being higher traffic areas, may not always be at their peak as these are the rooms where daily tasks are actively being carried out. You may be wondering how this relates to your place in God’s Kingdom! Well, the fact is that the most important thing to Jesus is that you are in a close, loving relationship with Him and that you want to do His will above all else. And Jesus is looking for those whom He can trust. In order for you to gain His trust He will look for a humble attitude in you and a willing heart to serve, no matter where you are and who you may or may not impress. This kind of character is developed as you spend time with Him and learn how He does things. This kind of character is one that will no longer care about your status in life, or your need to feel important or your desire for God to treat you like a guest, serve you and make you feel good. That kind of like person is the one who is greeted at the front door. Instead, strive to be the kind of person that can use the back door to God’s heart! Learn to be in such a close relationship with Him that you can be yourself in His presence and be willing to roll up your sleeves, ready do what needs to be done. That’s the kind of person God is looking for; one whose heart desires close fellowship with Him and who is willing to work alongside of Him, to do the work of serving like Jesus did. Strive to be a BACK DOOR friend of God today!
Posted on: Tue, 20 Jan 2015 02:39:58 +0000