When I first married, my husband had an apartment in a “gated community” in Fort Worth. I thought I had really moved uptown to join him in such a swanky place. It was called “The Polo Club” apartment complex. There was no polo or club, however…just apartments.
That said, there was a gate. To get inside, you had to enter a code for the large gates to then roll back and let you drive through. Without a code, you were stuck on the outside looking in.
A few years ago, my youngest son joined me on a trip down memory lane, as we drove out to Texas and visited the places where that love first sparked, including the lovely Polo Club apartments. Imagine my disappointment to see that the gate was stuck open and the sign looking far from elegant and exclusive.
That community was definitely no longer gated.
Why am I sharing this sad tale? Because the words of Jesus from the tenth chapter of John remind me that I’m living in a much better gated community than the earthly one of long ago. I’m living in the community that has Jesus for the gate. Listen to his words:
Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
John 10:7-10 (NIV)
What does a gate do? It provides a source of protection for the sheep. They know that nothing can come through that gate, because the shepherd is laying across it. He’s providing the ultimate sacrifice on their behalf.
Once we trust in Christ as Savior, he’s the, not “human shield” but “supernatural shield” that defends us from the attacks of Satan. We’re locked into the community of the Kingdom and nothing can snatch us from his care.
I love the idea of knowing that as we go in and out in the world, we’re still under his protection. He provides us places of pasture in this temporary life. Jesus here echoes the words of Psalm 23:
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
In the Kingdom Community, gated by the King himself, we lack nothing and have no reason to fear. He provides for our needs, gives us rest, and refreshes us.
The World wants only to steal our joy, rob our peace, but Jesus has come that we might have life and life to the full.
Are you living within the comfort of the security of the gated community of Christ or standing on the outside looking in?
You don’t have to stay there? Jesus is the code and he freely lets you use it to enter.
Grace and Peace
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