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

These are the wonderful words of the Lord Jesus Christ. The cross of Christ has cast a beautiful shadow over the entire world since that violent, but victorious day on Calvary when Jesus uttered these three words, “It is finished.” The price was paid and the way was made for mankind to be able to have forgiveness of sin and to have the relationship with God restored. The shadow of the cross has its origin in the shed blood of Jesus Christ. From the moment of that great day until this very second, the cross has loomed over mankind like an oasis in the desert offering living water for the dead souls who will come.

Jesus says, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved”. I want you to think about the lives of many. They get up and go to work. One day leads to another and another. Life seemingly moves on and as they go about their day and their life and they walk right past the door. Think of the many who have been led to the door by hearing a message preached at a church, on the radio, the internet, or maybe by a neighbor or friend. Perhaps a family member has shared God’s Word with them, and as God has drawn them and the Holy Spirit has convicted them of their sin, they stand right at the door and turn away.

Let’s pray for those who we know have turned from and walked past Jesus Christ. Let’s continue to plant the seed of God’s Word. The way is still the same and the truth has not changed. Jesus Christ still waits for the lost to come by Him.

Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long.  For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off. Proverbs 23:17-18

Have you ever taken a look around and thought to yourself that those who aren’t saved seemed to have smooth sailing and that they live without a care in the world; that all seems to be well with them more times than not?  Doubt sneaks in and our mind begins to wander and envy moves into our hearts.  Don’t be deceived, I have learned things aren’t always as they look.  One of Satan’s oldest tricks is deception and until the Lord calls us home or the trump sounds, we will deal with him and his deceptions. Don’t be lured in by the prince of deception, run everything through the grid system of God’s Word.

The Bible says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” (Proverbs 1:7a)  Our scripture tells us to be in the fear of the Lord all the day long.  When one lives their life in the fear of the Lord, they will not entertain the thought of envying the sinners.  When we have a holy reverence for the Lord, our lives will not be filled with stumbling blocks, but our feet will be firm in each step we take.  I want you to meditate on these verses that pertain to fearing the Lord. 

·    1. The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy. Psalm 147:11

·    2. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death. Proverbs 14:27

·     3. Like as a father that pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. Psalm 103:13

·     4. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. Psalm.103:11

Knowing the final destination of those who reject Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and you being saved knowing your assurance of heaven, I pray that your heart will be filled with a burden for the lost and not envy.

  In Psalm 73:2-3 Asaph wrote, “But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped. For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.” One will travel a slippery slope when they travel the path of envying the boastful.  I suggest that you take time to read Psalm seventy-three, it is wise counsel indeed.  It will always be better to learn from the experiences of others than to fall full face in our own foolishness.

"He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.”1 John5:12

 “O victory in Jesus, My Saviour, forever, He sought me and  bought me with His redeeming blood; He loved  me ere I knew him and all my love is due Him, He plunged me to victory, Beneath the cleansing flood.”
Victory in Jesus

When I was saved at the age of thirty-six I was not familiar with the hymns.  To me a hymn was what my mom did to my pants when I was growing up so my pant legs would not drag on the ground.  But that all changed a short while after I was saved.  I remember sitting in the pew at Lifeway Baptist Church on a Sunday morning and the man who was leading the music called out page #341- Victory in Jesus, and as the piano took off and five hundred plus voices began to sing I nearly jumped out of my seat and came unglued! I didn’t know the melody and was not familiar with the words. Those words began to tell my story; the story of my sins and my glorious Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ!!  I felt like grabbing that Christian flag and taking off running around that place.  My friend it was so fresh in my heart; in my soul and in my mind of who I was when I called on the Lord Jesus to save me.  I was not that far removed from being that ungodly and wretched man who was dead in his trespasses and sins.   

I never ever want that fire to be extinguished. I want it to burn white hot for as long as my Lord has me upon this earth.  The saving of my soul is just as real and powerful to me today than it ever has been.  How about you? Has your zeal for the Saviour and the saving of your soul faded?  Take the time to look back and remember who you were and where it was you were headed before you were gloriously, victoriously and eternally saved.  Victory… Sweet Victory!