{"id":29754,"date":"2021-03-03T03:30:03","date_gmt":"2021-03-03T11:30:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/?p=29754"},"modified":"2021-03-01T16:36:16","modified_gmt":"2021-03-02T00:36:16","slug":"march-3-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/2021\/03\/03\/march-3-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"March 3, 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201cOpen the gates, that the righteous nation which keeps the truth may enter in.\u201d\u00a0<\/em>Isaiah 26:2<\/p>\n

\u201cTherefore your gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day or night, that men may bring to you the wealth of the Gentiles\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/em>Isaiah 60:11a<\/p>\n

Open the Gate!<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I admit I\u2019m not very good about hospitality. Oh, I love people, love being around them (for awhile), love hearing their stories, love chatting with them. What I don\u2019t love is the work involved before letting them in the front door. Opening my heart is easy; opening my home is hard.<\/p>\n

I can hear you all in chorus even as I type this. \u201cNobody cares what your house looks like. Nobody comes to see if your housekeeping is up to their standards. Nobody cares what you serve for the meal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Somewhere, somehow, it is ingrained in me that parties and dinners and guests mean work, and lots of it. Somehow, I believe I must put out maximum effort in order for them to be happy and comfortable. Somehow, I fear that once they come in, they will never leave\u2014and for someone who needs quiet in her life, this is a something I must fight against.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s Scripture speaks to me about this. My front door is my gate. It\u2019s the part that stays shut\u2014yet God wants it open. (So that I do not misinform you, let me say that these verses are not about people, but the city of Jerusalem and the nation of Israel. But the principle is the same.) God says to open up. Let people in. Let the righteous in. Let the people bring \u201cwealth\u201d\u2014not literally, but the stuff of beauty and goodness and all that enriches us.<\/p>\n

What God brings through my open gates is far richer than what I would have without them. Learning to give, to love, to support, to comfort\u2014all the things that have nothing to do with a clean house\u2014come with people. Their insights teach us, make us wiser and more discerning, and possibly more resilient. Their experiences broaden our own attitudes and outlooks. Their choices make us think about our own.<\/p>\n

These things are blessings. Graces. Mercies\u2014all from the hand of a loving Father. When He gives direction such as this in His Word, He wants us to learn something from it. He wants to satisfy us with abundance and fulfillment. Open the gates, and let Him do it!<\/p>\n

\u201cLord, we want to open our gates\u2014whatever that means to us individually. Would You open our eyes\u2014which some would call the windows to the soul\u2014and show us how You want us to do this. Amen.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

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