DO NOT ENTER

Human nature tells us that if there’s a WET PAINT sign or a DO NOT ENTER notice, we’ll do the opposite.  We tend to slightly touch a wall to “Confirm” it’s really wet; and if no one’s around, we tend to open a door for a sneak view.

As far as heaven’s concerned, God has its door open waiting to receive God-hungry people.  Problem is, too many things are keeping billions of people from entering.  Topping the list is religion.  Whether one is Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Hare-Krishna, Jehovah Witness, Seventh-Day Adventist, Catholic, Jewish, Mormon, etc. religion will keep you out of heaven.  The reason is simple: sets of rules, regulations, and strong adherence to man-established beliefs will go against God’s ways.

“But what if I’m Jewish and following the Torah?” you might say.  Strict adherence to the very words of the law conflicted with the law-Giver, Jesus!  God sent His Son to clarify the law and its works.  He exemplified the law!  He came to show His chosen people, Israel, that the law was to be kept and followed until the coming of the promised Messiah-which had arrived!!! But their over-zealousness blinded them from seeing the Messiah in their midst.

The term, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” is true because what’s inside might be wonderful while the cover might be “blah-looking.”  The Jewish world expected a King that not only kept the law, but practiced it the way they did.  They expected a “filthy-rich” character leading an army to overthrow Rome. They couldn’t fathom Jesus, a poor man born to a young couple who society viewed as giving birth out of wedlock and living in a poor neighborhood to be the promised Messiah.  He had to be a fake.

Their religion blinded them to the possibility that they were missing something.  Following protocol meant they maintained an outward cleanliness and followed their beliefs to a tee.  Yet, they weighed down the people with the law, but they themselves didn’t do what they expected others to do.  In a nutshell, they were so religious they couldn’t fit Jesus into their surroundings .Their adherence to the law blinded them to the Light living among them.  They stumbled in their blindness to the point that they couldn’t see prophesy being fulfilled before their very eyes.  Check it out:

“Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.  But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster” (Galatians 3:24-25).

As religious men, they were, according to Jesus’ rebuke, hypocrites, vipers, and blind guides, that showed no mercy to common people (Matthew 23:13-36).  Like billions of people today, including millions whose religions only surfaced less than 200 years ago, their religious beliefs kept them out of heaven.

Friend, remove your blinders.  God isn’t looking for religious people; He’s looking for people whose hearts are turned towards Him.  He desires a people whose ears are tuned to His heart. We are to have His desires to save the lost within our being.  When we feel what He feels and see others how He sees them, that’s when we’re His people; that’s when we’re walking with Him.  That’s when we become like Him; Christian.  What’s your DO NOT ENTER issue?

God Bless!

Sam