Your bunch of keys says a lot about who you are - where you live, what your status is, what you drive, if you belong to a club and where you work. It gives you the right of passage and access. If those keys end up in the wrong hands, it can either have detrimental effects or it can mean nothing to the next person.
In Matthew 16:13-20 we get the short account of Peter and some of the disciples receiving the spiritual keys from Jesus to unlock the heavenly kingdom.
"And that's not all. You will have complete and free access to God's kingdom, keys to open any and every door: no more barriers between heaven and earth, earth and heaven. A yes on earth is yes in heaven. An no on earth is no in heaven."
How awesome is that - Jesus gives you the keys to His palace and allows you into His kingdom, everything you ever needed and wondered about, revealed to you by His grace. It is like receiving the key to your own car or turning 21 and unlocking the potential of a new life.
Jesus stands at the door and He knocks. He calls. How will you respond? Will you open the door and let Him into the depths of your heart and your soul, or is He still standing somewhere outside your life? What a marvellous invitation to be invited to sit at the feet of Jesus and share in His wisdom, His secrets and knowledge, and the more we do it, the more we open the door to heaven.
But for one door to open, another need to close. Some things have to die for new growth to sprout. Some things have to be admitted and forgiven for grace to flow. What do you have to lock up in your life to experience the freedom of heaven?
Peter admitted the authority and power of this gospel. Jesus laid down his life to give you new life. The sinner on the cross pleaded forgiveness for heaven's gates to be opened for him. What do you have to lay down, let go?
This full potential of the gospel, of which the power is locked up in every believer, can only be revealed and released in an intimate relationship with Christ, an acceptance of His authority and sovereignty, a proclamation of His Name.
We are used to build walls around us, keep secrets, do things behind closed doors, hide away... we build walls instead of bridges.
But with Christ you are called to an open door relationship, where you live an honest, open, transparent life before God, allowing the Holy Spirit to enter every part of your life, fill every room and transform it with the sweet fragrance of heaven.
Is it at all possible that some of us may have lived our lives trying to be as holy as possible, going to church as often as we can, doing good deeds and reciting Bible verses without ever experiencing the gospel... The keys to the kingdom are not just to open a door, it is to live and dwell in that place. The gospel is no good news outside the walls - it gets life when it is lived.
The more we read our Bibles in an intimate relationship with God,
the more He unlocks the secrets of His words.
The more we pray in an intimate relationship with God,
the more He unlocks the unexpected.
The more we testify of His goodness in an intimate relationship with God,
the more He unlocks the potential with which He created us.
One door leads to another... and another... and another...
May we experience His abundant grace and love, His secret depths, when we lay down our lives, our sins and secrets.
That is key to a gospel-soaked life.
Komentarze