#JESUS2019 - Daily DevotionalsSample

“Do not enter.” We have all seen a sign like this at one point or other. On my many trips in recent years, I’ve often seen these signs in various airports, blocking off doors to everyone except staff. Signs are hung on private property to warn off unwanted visitors from trespassing. In the teacher’s lounge, only teachers are allowed. In the boss’s office, only the boss can freely enter. In our society, it’s normal for certain areas to be restricted to certain people.

But with Jesus it’s different. When Jesus says, “I am the door,” he means that he is the door that grants access to God the Father. Through Jesus everyone has the opportunity to enter into a relationship with God. Before Jesus died on the cross and the curtain was torn, only the people of Israel had access to God. The curtain in the temple was like a “Do not enter” sign. Only the high priest was allowed to enter the Most Holy Place, and even then only once a year under the strictest conditions. Once the curtain was torn, there was free access, even for people who didn’t belong to the people of Israel. Jesus is the way to God, the open door for everyone who wants to enter.

There are no conditions, no requirements, no fine print, no correct appearance or the like. Nothing that you can do could give you access to the “do not enter” zone. Only Jesus can do that.

Maybe you prayed the prayer from yesterday’s action step. Maybe you once again cleaned out all the junk in your life, so that you could walk through the door. Then today is the day to receive something new. By going through the curtain that was torn, you are NEW. Every day. Even if you, like me, have already been walking with God for a while, you still always need to remind yourself what it means to live in “the godly fold”. Because being in it, so much is possible. However, in the hustle and bustle of everyday life we often forget this. You are now God’s child. He has prepared an inheritance for you: the Holy Spirit. And by passing through the door, you receive the Holy Spirit. He is the first portion of your eternal inheritance: heaven. Just like it says in Revelation: new things will come. And through the curtain that was torn, through our identity as a child of God, and through the Holy Spirit, all the things written in Revelation are now possible. God lives in you through his Holy Spirit, and he has so much more in store for you. Are you ready for a life of adventure with him?

ACTION STEPS: 

1. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you, guide you, and lead you every day. 

2. Take time today to listen carefully to how the Holy Spirit wants to guide you and for the specific things the Spirit wants to show you. 

3. What might be holding you back from walking with the Holy Spirit? Listen, pray, and surrender it to Jesus. He is the good shepherd. 

René Wagner - ICF Leipzig