Monthly Archives: November 2017
Is It a Door or a Gate? Does It Matter?
In writing this blog post, I was going to just put up a picture of a door and put up the verse from John 10:9 where Jesus says,
When I went to Biblegateway.com to make sure I had the quote correct, I looked at several versions of the Bible and was surprised to see: “I am the GATE.” Doing some research, I found that the word in the Greek – Thura – means DOOR or GATE. The definition and usage can be:
- a door or gate where sheep go in and out of the sheepfold
- the open door is also used as – the opportunity of doing something
It doesn’t really matter whether it is door or gate, however, looking at the passage in John and coming from a farming area, I guess I like to think of the gate outside the farmer’s pasture where the sheep are kept safe. I visited sheep on a friend’s farm once and kept thinking about how they follow the leader. They listened to the shepherd/farmer. As soon as he opened the gate and called, they came running. They knew it was time for food (which my granddaughter, Micayla helped to feed to them).
Years ago I studied a book by Chuck Swindoll where he talked about the sheep and the shepherd.
- Sheep are totally dependent upon their shepherd. We are like the sheep – we need a leader: The Good Shepherd (Jesus Christ).
- The flock was kept in a sheep pen in the country. This was a rock circle with a small opening. The shepherd slept across the opening, acting as the gate to keep the sheep in and the predators out.
- When the flock was kept in the city, they would be mixed with several other flocks in a large sheepfold. The doorkeeper would guard the door during the night. The shepherd would return in the morning and call their sheep; each sheep knew their shepherd’s voice. The shepherd would lead them out to pasture.
Jesus is telling us that He is The Shepherd of His sheep (us), and The Door/Gate for the sheep. Salvation is possible only when we go through The Door/Gate believing in Jesus Christ as our Savior through believing in The Shepherd. In John 10:10, Jesus says, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
What a glorious promise – we have abundant life with Christ when we enter The Gate. There is safety, grace, spiritual nourishment and life everlasting on the other side.
Praying you go in and out and find abundant nourishment, safety, peace and everlasting life in Christ’s pasture ~ Faye
Give Thanks!
How do you give thanks in all things? Look at all the disasters the past couple of months, how do we give thanks in them? We can only do this through Jesus Christ changing our perspective – allowing us to see things through His eyes.
There is an old song from Back at the Creekbank – Humbly Grateful. It reminds us what our perspective of life should be. The chorus goes:
Are you humbly grateful or grumbly hateful – what’s your attitude? Do you humbly groan or let it be known you’re grateful for all God’s done for you?
It’s a catchy tune, and when my children’s attitude needed some correction, I found myself singing it to them as a reminder to change their perspective. How often do I need that perspective change?
- When I think it’s too cold outside, I remember I have coats, gloves, hats, and boots I can wear.
- When the sink is overflowing with dishes, I need to change my perspective and remember I have plenty of food to eat, a working stove/oven and refrigerator, running water that is pure enough to drink.
- When I am struggling with joint pain, I remind myself I have excellent medical care available to me.
- If I have to vacuum and dust feeling overwhelmed, I remind myself I have the blessing of a warm house.
I pray that this Thanksgiving season you take the time to give thanks in ALL circumstances. When we were flooded in 2008 with 4 feet of water in our basement, nothing seemed like a blessing. But through God we were able to look back on all He provided for us during that time:
- Safety and shelter while our town was evacuated
- Insurance, monetary funds and things to help us rebuild
- Friends and family who worked tirelessly to help with the clean-up and reconstruction
- New friendships made, the ability to help others as they recovered and rebuilt the town.
With God’s perspective working in our hearts, we can GIVE THANKS in EVERYTHING!
Giving thanks for you ~ Faye
There Is Hope In the Middle of Great Pain
In the face of such great loss in Sutherland Springs, Texas people wonder how Christians (believers in Jesus Christ) can find hope for the future. These verse from 1 Thessalonians say it all. 
If you don’t know Jesus Christ or have the hope given through Him, ask Jesus into your heart. Ask Him to be Lord over your life. Feel free to message me or check out information from Peace Church’s website
God's Abundant Blessings! 