How Is Jesus Like A Door (John 10:1-10)?

"Jesus opens the door to heaven for believers," says Zachary, 8. "Hell is not a place you want to go."

The President will probably never call Zachary to serve as a diplomat to the United Nations. His bluntness would offend too many people.

I'm reminded of the door in the back of the closet in "Chronicles of Narnia" that took Lucy, Susan, Edmund and Peter into the world of Narnia. Remember how Lucy first stumbled into Narnia when she hid in the closet during a game of hide and seek. She struggled to convince her sister and brothers that Narnia existed.

Christians often feel like Lucy. They have believed in Jesus as their savior and tasted the world to come by his indwelling Holy Spirit, but they struggle to convince others of the world they have seen through their eyes of faith.

"Jesus will open the door to come into your heart, and he will forgive your sins," says Brooke, 9. "He will throw your sins far away into the deep oceans."

Speaking of God's forgiveness to Israel, the prophet Micah wrote, "You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea," (Micah 7:19). When God buries our sins in the deepest part of the ocean, they're never going to float to the surface. That's exactly what God did when he judged Jesus on the cross for all of our sins.

As Zachary said at the beginning of this column, "Hell is not a place you want to go." I know it's not politically correct to talk about Hell, but Jesus spoke more about Hell than Heaven. In a world where everyone gets a trophy, all doors lead to Heaven as long as you're sincere.

In the real world, people choose to go to Hell every day because they refuse God's free gift of forgiveness in Jesus Christ and his gracious offer of eternal life. Instead of trusting in Jesus alone as the only door to heaven, they knock on other doors that promise life but only lead to temporal destruction and eternal damnation (John 3:18).

If you're drowning in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, am I to blame for your death if you refuse to grab the life preserver I throw to you?

Jesus Christ is God's life preserver and life giver. All promises of life apart from Jesus are counterfeit.

"Jesus is like a door because he wants you to come in and come out anytime and be with him," says Ava, 9.

Discontented people usually think that the "grass is always greener on the other side." We know there's something better just beyond our reach. As the Good Shepherd, Jesus knows exactly where the grass is greenest. He wants to lead us there.

Jesus wants to save you from both sin's penalty and sin's power. Because you have experienced deliverance from sin's penalty at the moment you placed your faith in Jesus as your savior doesn't automatically translate into living free from sin's power.

Think about this: Jesus is both the Good Shepherd who laid down his life for everyone and the shepherd who leads his people to greener pastures where they can flourish under his loving protection and provision.

Memorize this truth: "I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture," (John 10:9).

Ask these questions: Is Jesus your door to eternal life? If so, is he your door to the abundant, meaningful life that you deeply desire?

Carey Kinsolving is a syndicated columnist, producer, author, speaker and website developer. To see more material like this, visit http://www.KidsTalkAboutGod.org. The Kids Talk About God website contains free, Bible-based content for children and families. See Carey's Kid TV Interviews. Hear a book talk. Print free lessons from the "Kids Color Me Bible" and make your own book. Let an 11-year-old girl take you on a trip around the world in the Mission Explorers Streaming Video. Print Scripture verses illustrated by child artists. Receive a complimentary, weekly e-mail subscription to our Devotional Bible Lessons.

Bible quotations in this Bible lesson are from the New King James Version, unless otherwise noted.

Copyright 2017 Carey Kinsolving


 By Carey Kinsolving


Article Source: How Is Jesus Like A Door (John 10:1-10)?
Previous Post Next Post
  • Building Confidence Is Easier and More Exciting Than Most People Think

    One of the biggest obstacles in your way of having abundant confidence to go after what you really want in life is not having anything you are moving towards that really means anything to you.We are so often controlled by that gut wrenching fear when we enter a new environment or try a new experienc... Readmore

  • You Can Avoid Most of the Rough Rapids of Life

    Chances are, the habits you want to change have been hanging around for quite some time. The bad eating habits and the procrastination to do the workout that you know you should. Feeling the frustration and guilt build each time you reach for the chocolate or pizza, beating yourself up and feeling s... Readmore

  • A Brief History About Video Games

    It is not long that video games have been invented. But the games are much older than you can imagine. The oldest game is the "Tennis of Two". This game was invented by John Higgingbotham in 1958. The video game of that time consisted of horizontal line on the screen along a perpendicular lie to rep... Readmore

  • Message From the Universe: Figuring Out WHO You Are

    "The greatest predicament of living in the jungles of time and space is learning to be happy while still having unfulfilled dreams.The greatest challenge is not looking to the illusions for meaning, definition, and answers.The greatest mystery is figuring out who you really are.And the greatest rewa... Readmore

  • Unfold the 5 Secrets to Live a Happy Life

    We all strive to lead a happy life. But being happy is not that easy. If you are concerned about money then happiness is definitely far beyond your reach. The actual fact is that "money can't buy happiness". Happiness is all around us in the things, in the people and yet we fail to grasp it. A psych... Readmore

  • Critical Thinking: Can Spirituality Stop Someone From Being Able To Think Critically?

    In today's world, it is not uncommon for people to see themselves as being spiritual, and there are a number of reasons for this. This partly comes down to how much information is available, and this is a largely thanks to the internet.If one wants to find out about something, they will only need to... Readmore

  • The Gift of Presence - Be Apprised That You Are Advised to Enjoy Each Day As If It Were the Last

    Time is not guaranteed! The only thing on earth that is guaranteed to happen is CHANGE. Whether you change your mind or have a change of heart, you are always changing something. How about changing your perspective, a least a little, from time-to-time, it helps keep your mind sharp and your heart rh... Readmore

  • Introducing Ethicalism

    The concept of Ethicalism is to give everyone - either those who have a teacher or religion or those who have lost hope with the teachers and religions of today - a self-directed path to become content while strengthening ones individuality and sense of self.Ethicalism is a code of moral conduct tha... Readmore

  • 7 Ways Gratitude Is Good for Your Health

    Below are 7 ways that gratitude is good for your health:1. It increases your energy levelsIn a 2012 study published in Personality and Individual Differences, grateful people reported that they feel physically healthier, tend to exercise more, take better care of their health, and are more likely to... Readmore

  • The Value of Wealth - How to Feel Truly Wealthy

    Do you have sound health? It is truly the largest asset you can ever have. Because where there is health, there is hope and where there is hope, you have everything. So understand without health, feeling wealthy is hard and vice versa. So how can good health make you wealthy? Read on for insights.Fi... Readmore