Daily In His Love / Weekly Devotions for your Mind and Spirit

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock; if any man hears my voice, and open the door, I will come into him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Revelation 3:20

Do you hear Him knocking at your door? Are you safe within the sheepfold of God? Jesus said, ‘I am the door of the sheep,” [see John 10:7]. How can Jesus come and sup with us? If anyone claims to be Christ, we know it is not true, or do we? Jesus told us in verse 8 of chapter ten of John that all that ever came before him were thieves and robbers. Thieves and robbers! These days, it is all about who you trust. The door has a lock, and you have the key to unlocking it. He is knocking at the door every day. Will you open the door? The door is your relationship with God. Your communication with the almighty God. Is it open or closed? Only you yourself can answer that question. But to know God you must open the door. There are two doors that the priest goes through to the mercy seat and between the two cherubim is where God communes with the priest, [see Exodus 25:22]. This is the same place where God spoke to Moses in the tabernacle in Numbers 7:89. God desires a place to commune with His people.

The open door speaks to not only communication, but relationship. One must communicate in order to have a relationship. For many, God is distant because they do not know how to communicate to the Almighty one. Yet, Jesus said, “I will come into him and sup with him.” We must know the importance of the door that Jesus claims to be. What does it mean to hear his voice and have him [sup with us]. We can read about Jesus and the Father’s relationship in the Bible. But we must first go back to the day of atonement where the priest had to make sacrifices not only for himself but for the people as well for all their sins. This sacrifice opens the door for communications with God. But God did not take pleasure in these sacrifices for sin [see Hebrews 10:6]. He made a new covenant where only one sacrifice for sins was made forever, [see Hebrews 10:12]. It is the offering of the body of Jesus Christ who become the final and only sacrifice for sins. In this final sacrifice was God pleased. That is why Jesus is the shepherd because He laid down his own life for the sheep [see John 10:11].

I am the door; by me if any man enters in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”
John 10:9

Jesus is the door to which we can enter into the Holy place where the mercy set is. We can enter in by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, [see Hebrew 10-19-22]. When we enter the door of Jesus, we enter into the mercy seat of God. Jesus is the blood sacrifice for our sins, and therefore, we are able to commune with God. We can come boldly to the throne of grace because of Jesus. That is why we can draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith. Because we have had our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience through faith in Jesus Christ. Let us hold fast our profession of faith. Let us not waver in our faith in Christ Jesus. We enter in by faith and that is believing and receiving what God has revealed to us in the Scriptures. Do we trust in God and in Jesus Christ whom God sent? That is a question that each of us must answer for ourselves. Each person must answer the question if they believe in that “God so loved the world that He gave us His only son in that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life,” [see John 3:16]. One cannot come to the God any other way but through Jesus Christ who is the propitiation for our sins.

I say unto you, He that entered not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbed up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.”
John 10:1

There is that thief and robber again. There is only one way to come to God, and that is through Jesus Christ. Jesus is the door to eternal life. All other methods are considered as a thief or robbers of your soul and life. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” [John 14:6]. We have a heavenly Father who is merciful.

I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.”
Hebrew 8:12

The heavenly Father will be merciful to us, and He will not remember your sins anymore. He will not remember your sins. He sees you through the eyes of Jesus. Jesus and the Father had a personal relationship with each other. Jesus knows the Father and that speaks to an intimate relationship. Jesus said, “as the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep,” [see John 10:15]. Take a look at the very next verse of John chapter ten. In verse 16, Jesus speaks about the other sheep he has, and those other sheep hear his voice. The other sheep are those who are not of the Jewish fold. These are the Gentiles who were aliens from the commonwealth of Israel having no hope and without God in the world, but now are a part of the commonwealth through the blood of Christ, [see Ephesians 2:12-13]. How exciting is that? Jesus is our peace who hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us. We are all one in Christ and the Father receives us because of Christ sacrifice. Our faith and confession are a testimony to God and to others.

Our confession of faith is very important because it speaks to where we stand. We are either in the fold of the shepherd or we stand outside of the gate/door. Jesus tells us to fear not because we are more valuable than the all the sparrows. If we confess Christ before men, then Christ will confess us before the Father who is in heaven, [see Matthew 10:32]. But look at verse 33 of Mathew chapter ten, for it states that if we deny Christ, He will deny us before the Father in heaven. We must remember that He is always faithful, but mere man stumbles in his own belief. We must repent in order to revive our soul and have the door open to the pastures again whereby we may communicate. At the end of this age the church who is in revival are those who hear his voice and God knows of their works, for he has set before them an open door and no man can shut the door that He opens. God opens the door unto those who have kept His word and who have not denied His name [see Revelation 3:8]. Those who are His know that of themselves they are nothing, but with God they have become strong. They know their position in Christ and all things become possible because of their faith.

You must know the father and the son. Jesus said, “I and the Father are one.” Are you one with Christ? If you are one with Christ, then you are His followers and listen to His voice. This means you get acquainted with him and his ways. You read his will and testament to become familiar with his way. The Holy Spirit will teach us and guide us into its meaning [see John 14:26]. This means whatever you do, you do as unto the Lord and not unto yourselves. This means that we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works and not evil, [see Ephesians 2:10]. Jesus himself said he could do nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father do, He does. He had an intimate relationship with the Father and the Father revealed to Jesus what he should do. Let him teach you what you should do. Read his word daily and pray for understanding. Jesus exclaims that if you know him, you know the Father. This is such an amazing statement, and we many just gloss over it without giving it careful thought.

When you are reading any book, do you not look at the “characters” of the book? To know the characters is to know something about them. Thus, the Bible explains the character of God in who he is and what he has done. If you believe in God, you must also believe in Jesus Christ. If you do not, then how can He prepare a place for you in heaven. Remember that Jesus is the door, the way, the truth, and the life.

130 total views

I am the door; by me if any man enters in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
John 10:9

There are some that would enter the fold of the body of Christ another way, however; Jesus said that He is the only door for man to enter and be saved. The question is, have you entered into the fold through Jesus? Is Jesus your good Shepherd? Is he guiding you in and out of the green pastures? The green pasture is a place of rest where the sheep can eat in peace. The sheep do not need to worry about the thieves and robbers at this point for the Shepherd looks out for their every need. We sometimes forget that we have a great Shepherd who is desirous to care and see to our every need. All we have to do is ask. Sometimes just asking God for help is the problem that we have. It could be that we do not think that He really cares for us. Maybe we feel that He is too far away to hear us. Yet, the Shepherd is never too far away to hear his own flock of sheep. Can we say that the Lord is our Shepherd like David did in Psalms 23? What did David say about the shepherd?

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul; he leadeth me in the paths of righteouness for his name’s sake.
Psalms 23:1-3

In Psalms 23, King David tells us that the Lord is his shepherd who makes him to lie down in green pastures and leads him to the still waters. David also tells us that his soul is restored as the Lord leads him in the path of righteousness. This is like going on a picnic where one finds green grass to sit on near a stream to eat and relax. The atmosphere is total serenity that one can even fall asleep on a beautiful sunny day. So peaceful this is when lying down on the soft green grass under the shade of a tree and listening to the water run down the stream. Have you experience this? If you have, then you will know how peaceful it can be. This is exactly the place for the sheep to be, yet we cannot always conceive this image in our own minds. We are ready to faint from the excursion of just trying to get to the place of rest and peace. Our soul needs restoring from all the things it has touched in the world we live in. We definitely need to be guided into the paths of His righteousness and not our own righteousness. Our own righteousness means nothing when compared to the great Shepherd who knows us intimately. Some may even find that as an impossibility that the Shepherd already knows us.

In Psalms 139 in verse 16, David states, “thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unformed; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.” David exclaims, “how precious are your thoughts towards me, O God!” Yes, how precious are the Lord’s thoughts towards each of us that our members were written down in His book. The good shepherd knows his sheep and the sheep only listens to his voice to follow him. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep and does not allow any man to be plucked out of His hand. Only believers are in the fold of the Shepherd. No one is ever left out unless he willfully makes that choice. Each person has the choice to believe in the good Shepherd. It is individuals disbelieve that keeps him or her outside the fold of the good Shepherd. But look at verse 16 of John chapter 10. Jesus said that He will bring the other sheep into the fold. Jesus said He will bring them in. Jesus said, “there shall be one-fold, and one shepherd.” Anyone can enter into the fold when coming through Christ by believing in Christ’s atonement.

One-fold, one shepherd, one body, one spirit, and one Lord of all. Is he your Lord? Do you know what it means to be truly lost? Have you ever been lost on a trail while hiking? How about being lost in a city you are not familiar with? I had run away from home as a teen in the city of Perth in Western Australia. There was no peace at home, and I just wanted to get away to find some peace. However, there are dangers out in the world that one can’t see ahead of time. I was physically assaulted in a park, and I cried out to God to save me. Save me he did, I stumbled around the city of Perth not knowing where I was going, and I heard his voice telling me I had to go back home. Nothing like arguing with God about the situation at home, let alone being assaulted. But that is exactly what I did. I argued with God. Plus, I told him I was lost and did not know the way back home. This was not a problem for God, as my eyes were closed and tears running down my face, He translated be back one block away to where home was. I did not see it happened, but when I opened my eyes, I knew I was in a different place from where I originally was. I just had to accept it for what it was. His voice gave me the assurance as He spoke that He would be with me and help me to bear the verbal abuse that I would receive. No one can tell me that He [God] is not interested in bringing in other sheep into the fold, for I am one of those sheep.

There is something else to take into consideration. Jesus mentions the thief in verse 10 of chapter 10 of the Gospel of John. The thief’s purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy. Who is this thief that would enter into the fold or pluck one of the sheep out of the hand of the good Shepherd? Anyone who is not a believer, and anyone who lives a life of disobedience from God. Those who follow their own will or the will of another man. Those who are under the influence of the devil. Have you ever considered what the word “devil” literally means? The word “devil” means a “slanderer.” A slanderer is one who makes false and damaging statements about someone. It is a person who slanders both God and man. The devil is the fallen angel who desired others to worship him. Just look at what he told Jesus in Matthew 4:8-9. The devil told Jesus that he would give him the kingdoms in the world if Jesus would only bow down and worship him. In verse 10 Jesus said, “Begone! Satan: for it is written, “Thou shalt worship the Lord, thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” Be careful to whom you follow or worship. The devil left Jesus and the angels came and ministered unto him [see verse 11 of Matthew chapter 4].

Each of us is to remember the words spoken in the Bible and pray for understanding as to its meaning. Jesus knew the father. To know is to have knowledge and recognition about something, or a person. It is more than just to know about a person. It is believing in that person for who they are as an individual. Building trust with that person is the key to fellowship. Can we have that kind of trust with God? King David had that kind of trust in God in that he believed in God’s goodness and mercy. He knew that each person has their appointed time here on earth. He knew that God would see him through troubled times. David also knew when he was at fault. That is why we pray that we would not to be led into temptation, but out of temptation, and from the evil one [see Luke 11:3].

We must remember that we are kept by the power of God through faith. And faith is believing in who Jesus is. Salvation and healing are in the atonement through Christ Jesus. Therefore, the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if [they] have committed any sins, they shall be forgiven [see James 5:15]. We draw near to the Shepherd of Love in humble obedience knowing He will see to our needs. All things are within the Shepherd’s capable hands. It is the meek who shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace [see Psalms 37:11]. Our path is in the Lord’s hand, and He is our Shepherd. Nothing is withheld that the Lord is not generous if we but ask Him for help. He helps us and instructs us through the word [the Bible]. Put your trust in his word and draw near to the Shepherd that you may declare His works. Trust Him to guide you in and out of green pastures so that your soul may be restored to living in love and peace. Ask the Lord for help and declare the work He has done in your life. Allow His spirit to restore your soul today in Jesus’ name and be healed, forgiven, and saved. Always pray without ceasing, rebuke the devil, and stay in the fold of the good Shepherd.