Gate of Heaven
Ghostbusters.
It’s in the top ten of my favorite movies. Not the sequels. Those are trash. The O.G. Ghostbuster movie. Bill Murray. Dan Aykroyd. Sigourney Weaver. Rick Moranis. Ernie Hudson. It was a great movie. On a side note, I wrote alternate lyrics to the Ghostbuster theme song about diarrhea… it was hilarious.
In any case, one of my favorite parts of the movie is when Louis is running around the city asking anyone and anything he can find is the “gatekeeper” to entryway to the evil dimension. At one point, he runs up to a horse, announces he is the key master and asks the horse if it’s the gatekeeper. Rick Moranis is hilarious.
As I was reading a few weeks ago, I ran across a reference to a different kind of gate and it gave me chills. Check this out:
‘He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place? This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.”’ Genesis 28:17
Jacob, on the run from his brother and on his way to find a wife, stopped for the night to sleep. During his sleep God came to him full of promises, not the corrections he deserved for taking his older brother’s blessings. Jacob didn’t go looking for God. Instead, God looked for Jacob.
And after waking up from this dream, Jacob declared that the place he was standing was none other than the gate of heaven and named the place, Bethel.
The gate of heaven.
Can you imagine standing there in that place with Jacob? To experience the awe and wonder and majesty of God. To literally be standing at a place where it had to be labeled, the gate of heaven. That must have been crazy…
Except, it isn’t that crazy. It’s something that can happen to each one of us. It happened to Jacob. He didn’t deserve the promises of God. He had just stolen his older brother’s blessing from their father. Instead of receiving a beat down from God, he received blessings. Jacob was far from perfect. He didn’t look for God. God looked for and found Jacob.
And He will do the same with us through His Son Jesus. And instead of making a plot of earth where the gate of heaven is found, He is able to make our very life the gate of heaven, if we let Him.
The choice is ours. Each day we have a choice to have our life be the gate of heaven, or not. And that choice lies in what we allow to flow out of our mouth and our actions. Check this out:
“What goes into a man’s mouth does not make him unclean, but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him unclean. Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man unclean. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what makes a man unclean…” Matthew 15:11, 17-20
In other words, your heart is the gate… the gate of heaven or the gate to everything else. I don’t know about you, but without Jesus, my heart would be filled with everything else. My life would be a giant mess. And instead of my life being a gate to heaven, it would be a gate to destruction.
But with Jesus, man, with Jesus my life and your life… our hearts are the gate of heaven. And this is what the gate of heaven lets out… check this out:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” Galatians 5:22-25
This world, this community… your community… needs another gate of heaven… to bring the goodness and faithfulness and grace and promises of God. The question is, will your life be a gate to destruction, or… will your life be a…
Gate of heaven.
He Knows Your Name
It’s funny how certain stories burn into your brain.
This one that I’m thinking of took place 23 years ago while I was at college. Jami, myself and some friends were hanging out at the student center. As we were heading out, a couple of people came in and introduced themselves to the people I was with. One of the guys came up to me, shook my hand and asked me my name… something I wasn’t expecting. You see, this wasn’t the first time we met. It wasn’t even the second time we met. My response back to him as I was shaking his hand and looking him in the eye was simple… “‘Johnny,’ (we’ll call him Johnny to keep his name anonymous) since this is the third time shaking hands, I would have expected you to know my name by now. I’m sorry that you don’t.” Then I walked away.
Names are important. The desire to be known is great. We spend a lifetime trying to be known. As kids, we long for our parents to know and love us. We look for and hope for the popular kids to simply notice and acknowledge who we are. Many of us as teenagers and adults desperately look for and want someone to simply love us. We work our butts off day in and day out at work for those who are in charge to notice the effort we put in, the extra hours we work.
We work. And we try. And we work some more. And we beg. And we do things just to… Never. Be. Noticed. And it’s exhausting. It’s maddening. The anger. The sadness. The hurt. The despair. It’s overwhelming. And the questions come. Why does nobody notice me? Why can I not find love? Why does the boss not see my efforts? Why am I not known… by anyone? And you work some more. You try harder. You look for another love. You look for other attention. And you’re left feeling even more exhausted and overwhelmed.
Names are important. The desire to be known is beyond great. And there is One who does know your name… my name… our names. Check this out:
But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. Genesis 43:1
I don’t know where you’re at in your faith journey. I don’t know if you even believe in God. But I’ll tell you this, the God who created the earth knows your name. He has numbered the hairs on your head. God knows you. He knows your name and you didn’t even have to do anything to make that happen. He knows you and you didn’t have to do anything to be accepted. And the God who created the earth wants you to know…
You are enough. Not because anything you can do. Not because of anyway you look. You are enough because Jesus is enough. When God looks at you, He sees you through His Son, Jesus. One of my favorite passages in the Bible is found in Genesis 16, verse 13…
And she gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” Genesis 16:13
Yup. Hagar. Sarah’s maidservant. Abraham’s baby mama. Who, while pregnant with Abraham’s child, was sent away from them because of Sarah’s relentless jealousy. And while Hagar was on the road of misery, the Lord met with her broken heart, heard her sadness, satisfied her needs, and secured her future in Him. The Lord saw Hagar for who she was and revealed Himself to her and gave to her unrelenting mercy and grace.
And He does the same thing for you and I. He meets us on our road of misery. He meets with our broken heart, hears our sadness, satisfies our needs and secures our future in Him. And He sees us for who we are and still accepts us as we are and calls us by our name.
If you’re tired at working to be known, come to Jesus in whom you will find rest and joy…
Because He knows your name.
Your Story Is Not Over
Story.
We all have one. Have you ever compared your story to someone else’s? Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night and thought, “I’m not where I really want to be in life?” Have you ever gone on a long walk and thought, “What more can I be doing with my life?” Have you ever sat in the quiet of your mind and thought, “This can’t be it, can it? There’s got to be more.”
We all have a story that is being written with our lives. A page being written each day. And whether we like what is being written or not, it’s our story. Page after page until it fills up a chapter. Then on to the next page. Each one of us has a story that we’re writing. For some, the story is just beginning. For others, it feels like halftime. And still for others, it feels like it’s toward the end of the book.
And no matter what chapter you find yourself in, it’s easy to get frustrated where you’re at in your story right now. But you’re not alone. There are others who have asked the same questions, who have felt the same feelings, wondering what God is doing.
For the last few weeks, I’ve been there. I’ve asked the questions above. I’ve had the same thought. I mean, I’m 44. I want to have a bigger impact. And then, in my reading the past couple of days, I come across these folks in Genesis, and it gave me some hope for my story.
Check this out…
Just after the destruction caused by the flood, God chose Abraham to be the foundation of the new humanity that God would build by promising to make Abraham into a great nation. Check this out:
I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you… Genesis 12:2
The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” Genesis 12:7
For years Abraham lived on this promise, this covenant between him and God… the promise that Abraham and Sarah would have children. But for the next 10ish years, Sarah and Abraham could not get pregnant. Can you imagine the deep sadness between Sarah and Abraham? The frustration. The desperation. Feeling like their story is almost over.
Instead of continuing to wait for God’s promise, Sarah and Abraham decided to take their story into their own hands and have a child their own way by having Abraham sleep with Sarah’s maidservant. In other words, they settled by having a child outside of the way that God intended. This settling caused Sarah to despise her maidservant and caused trouble down the line for years to come. Talk about drama!
Nine months later, Hagar, Sarah’s maidservant, and Abraham’s baby mama, gave birth to Abraham’s son, Ishmael. Abraham was 86 years old at this point. We don’t hear anything else about this situation until Abraham is 99 years old. Can you imagine the thoughts and feelings and hurt and pain and questioning that might have been going on… for thirteen years!
Then, when Abraham is 99 years old, God appears to him again. In addition to giving Abraham instructions on keeping the covenant between him and God, God tells him that He will give Abraham a son with Sarah. And Abraham fell facedown laughing. And when Sarah heard of this, she laughed to herself because she knew that she was past the childbearing age.
Then, at the age of 100, Sarah gave birth to Abraham’s son, Isaac, fulfilling God’s promise to Abraham… 25 years later.
I don’t know where you’re at in your story right now… If you’re comparing your story to someone else’s. If you’re questioning God about what’s going on and the hurt and pain you’re experiencing. Or if you’ve felt like the promises of God aren’t coming through. Or maybe you’ve made some mistakes or gone down a road that would be contrary to God’s Word.
If you’re thinking any of those things, I want you tell you three things…
First, God’s timing is not our timing. You see, God’s timing wasn’t the timing of Abraham or Sarah. They didn’t receive the son that God promised until 25 years later. In this world, we want things now. Fast. Immediately. Sometimes God wants you to wait. As hard as this is sometimes, God’s timing isn’t our timing.
Secondly, don’t settle. Abraham and Sarah settled. They didn’t wait for God’s promise. And that caused them problems, and hurt and frustration and pain. Even though you may not be where you want to be in your story, don’t settle.
Thirdly, be faithful during the waiting. It’s easy to get mad at God. It’s easy to get angry at the situation. It’s easy to get frustrated in your story. But don’t lose faith in God. Don’t lose the commitment you have to Him. Keep his commandments. Stay close to His Word (the Bible). And keep your ear open to him as you pray.
Lastly, I want to say this… God accepted and chose Abraham not because he led a perfect life. No. It’s because of Abraham’s responsiveness to God’s promises. Check this out…
Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness. Genesis 15:6
No matter where you’re at… no matter what you’ve done… as long as you're breathing, your story still has time to be written.
We all have a story. And no matter where you’re at in your story, it’s not over.
Stealing Second
Baseball
It’s the sport I grew up playing. I mean, with the last name of Ruth, you’d expect a kid in the 80’s to play no other sport than what the Great Bambino played. Some of my earliest memories are of me and my dad throwing a ball back and forth.
Now, as a ball player, it didn’t matter if it was little league or high school, my job was to get on base and get into scoring position as fast as I could. I wasn’t exactly a big kid. So I was never going to hit home runs or a ton of triples. But I was fast. So, as a lead-off hitter and there after during the game, I simply tried to get on base anyway I could, then steal second base, most of the time within four pitches.
I’ll never forget a game we played against Culver Military Academy. I went three for three that game. I’m not sure how I got on base… base hits, walks… I’m not sure. That doesn’t really matter. What matters is this… that’s the game I stole six bases. I’d get on base. And within four pitches I’d steal second. Then within another three pitches, I’d steal third. By the fourth stolen base, it had become comical. They couldn’t throw me out… not even on a pitch-out. It’s one of the games I’ll never forget. And it's been something I've been thinking about towards the end of last year.
As 2020 was closing down, I began thinking a lot about 2021. Praying and asking God to speak to me and give me goals and steps for my life and my family’s life for the next year. And there were two phrases that kept coming back to me over and over again. One that has to do with my family which I’ll share at a later date, and one for my life. It’s actually a phrase that’s on a paperweight that was given to me when I was younger and it says this…
“You can’t steal second base, and keep your foot on first.”
I don’t know where you’re at right now. I don’t know what’s going on in your life. I don’t know what you’re thinking about. What you’re struggling with. What relationships are strained. I might not know anything about you… but I know this… God is telling you right now that you can’t steal second base, and keep your foot on first. God is telling you that you can’t keep one foot in that relationship… you can’t keep one foot in hate and anger… you can’t keep one foot in one life and expect to get to the next.
You see, when I looked out as I was standing on first, I could see second. I knew that’s where I needed to get to. I knew I needed to be standing there. If I could get to second, I knew I was probably a hit away from scoring. But it took a decision to leave first. I knew that if I wanted to stand on second base, I needed to decide to leave the safety of first base.
God is calling each of us to leave first base. He’s calling each one of us to our next step. That looks different for each of us. He’s calling each of us closer to Him. He’s calling each of us to step out in faith. For those looking at our lives from the outside, it might look crazy. It might feel like a giant step. But I want you to know two things. First, you aren’t alone.
There are those who have gone before us. Check this out:
“Noah did everything just as God commanded him.” - Genesis 6:22
If you read just that, you might think cool. Noah did what God asked him to do. But what did Noah do? He built a boat 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high… on dry land with no rain in sight. I wonder what people thought as they walked by. I wonder if they asked Noah questions. I wonder if they talked behind his back or even made fun of him. To the outside world, what God asked Noah to do might have seemed crazy. But Noah walked with God (Genesis 6:9). When you walk with someone long enough, you get to talk and listen to each other. And Noah listened to God.
What God is asking you to do might seem crazy for those looking from the outside in. But know that there are those who have gone before you and have listened to and obeyed God. You are in good company. And secondly, you should know this…
There are those who will walk with you.
Noah had other people in his life… his wife, sons and his sons’ wives. We don’t know much about them at the time of the building of the ark, but we know that they were with him. I wonder what the conversations were around the dinner table. I wonder what they prayed. We don’t know any of that. But we do know that they were with Noah.
And like Noah, there will be people who will walk with you. Who will pray with you. There will be people who will push you towards Jesus. And if you don’t have anyone like that, I’m raising my hand now to be that person for you.
2021
God is calling each one of us to leave the safety of first base. He’s calling each of us to take our next step and to go after great things for Him. That looks different for each of us. And it might look a little scary or even crazy. But know this, there are those who have gone before us. And there are those who will go with us. The question is…
Will you go after God and what He has for you?