“For a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.” 1 Corinthians 16:9

 

I can remember the very first doors that I ever walked through. I was born in Houston, TX. Many people have been (my beautiful wife comes to mind), but not many were born in the house where they grew up. It wasn’t planned that way. I was “like one untimely born” (1Cor. 15:8). My mother thought I was just a case of indigestion.

My earliest childhood memories take me back to the hallway of that little house at 9918 Tilltree. I can see the doors of the dimly lit hallway. Walking through those doors is where my story begins. They were the very first doors that God ever put before me. They are filled with joy, love, and family. Many years ago, I drove by the old house. I stopped and stared. I didn’t go through the door.

We all have doors. You did not choose the first door. God put it there. Sometimes we may wonder why. Why this family? Why this place? But, we started out somewhere God had placed us. In many ways, our entire lives are a series of doors. Like stages through out the day, we pass through from one to the next, different doors at different times. Some, like my door on Tilltree, we don’t get to go back to. That door has closed for me. That time has passed. How do we know which door to go through next? How do we know the right direction?

At the time of the writing of 1 Corinthians God had a door for Paul in Ephesus. Much to the Corinthians surprise it was a door for Timothy God opened at Corinth. In ministry, there is the lead of the Spirit through God’s calling. That same lead and guide is at work in the life of Christians. God has a door for you. We often try to ignore it and make our own way. Those doors lead to much destruction. When we trust God with our life we are led through many doors we may not have chosen for ourselves. Following God’s lead is not without “adversaries.” The path of Jesus cannot be made without its share of suffering. However, suffering is not forever. Life eternal is.

Living in obedience to Jesus Christ will lead you through the most challenging doors you could ever imagine, but they are also the most exciting, fulfilling, and rewarding. Prayer is one of the most important tools on this journey. Before you walk through the door, seek God first. Is this the door He would have you go? Does this fit with the Lord’s will and plan? Walk in step with God’s Spirit each day.

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