My friend Kim recently invited me to play tennis with her in the gated community where she lives. I arrived at the gate to see a passage for “members” and a passage for “guests.” I pulled toward the passage for guests and was stopped by a lowered bar and a guard.
I told the guard I was there to play tennis. He asked who I was meeting to play with. I mentioned my friend’s name and after a brief wait, the bar was raised and I was allowed in to the lush landscape and manicured greens of a large country club.
Today’s verse reminds me of that exclusive club and gated entry. Heaven, or salvation and eternal life, is barred from all sinners — which means it’s barred from me and you and everyone else. No entrance allowed. That lush landscape is beyond my grasp.
Unless…
Unless I have an invitation from Jesus. His name is the key to entry. No other name will open those doors for me.
But it’s not enough for me just to know Jesus’s name, He also must know me and have invited me.
When I mentioned my friend’s name at the country club gate, the guard called her to verify that she was expecting me. Fortunately she was.
In the same way, just blurting out the name Jesus, like Ali Baba saying “Open sesame,” isn’t sufficient. To be allowed past the gates to eternal life, Jesus must also know me and be expecting me. I have to have His invitation.
Fortunately, getting that invitation from Jesus is really simple. Just ask Him. Sincerely and humbly. He’ll take care of the rest.
Dear God,
Thank you for making it possible for me to enter into your beautiful eternal life simply by accepting your offer of forgiveness made possible by the sacrifice of Jesus. Thank you for this promise of salvation in His name. I look forward to enjoying eternity with you.
CamDevo 