It happened to me again yesterday. I take a road out to the highway any time I go out to church. There is a
traffic signal that lets me in on the highway and it is not unusual to have a line of cars trying to make the same
left turn I am. I was headed out there and I got stopped in that left turn lane. It looked like there were three cars
ahead of me and so I knew I’d make the turn on the next green arrow. Well, it turned green, and I had the
slowest cars in front of me. I kept waiting to see a car make that left turn on to the highway…but nothing
happened. Then suddenly two of them bolted and the car in front of me just slowly edged up to the light, like he
was waiting for the red light…and he got it…and so did I! I couldn’t imagine why that person didn’t want to
just get to where they were going. But as I sat there waiting now for the light cycle to run its course, I thought
about what Jesus said. He said that there were people who didn’t want to go to heaven…and they were seen by
their society as the really religious folks of that time. And he said to them, “You won’t go into the kingdom of
God yourselves…and you don’t let others enter either!” And that’s what we see in our culture today. People
who declare that they don’t want to have anything to do with the God of the Bible…and they don’t want you to
have anything to do with him either! So be careful of those folks whose hearts are closed to the love and
kindness of this Jesus we know. It is tragic that they don’t want to experience the goodness and joy he brings to
life and to eternity too. But even more tragic is that they do all they can to keep others stuck behind them, so
that they will not have that loving, forgiving relationship that our God offers to anyone who will accept it.
Don’t let those who have decided to ignore or actively oppose the God we know keep you from experiencing
his grace and mercy. Pray that they will come to know his love and kindness. But most of all, don’t let them be
a roadblock for you or for those you love. Find your way around them to heaven’s highway!
Here’s our Bible verse for today…
Matthew 23:13 NLT “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. You won’t go in yourselves, and you don’t let others enter either.
Remember I’m praying for you…
With love, Pastor Joe
Here’s our Bible verse for today…
Matthew 23:13 NLT “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. You won’t go in yourselves, and you don’t let others enter either.
Remember I’m praying for you…
With love, Pastor Joe