One Gate.

I have lots of ways everybody could do something better, could live someway better, could be somebody better.  Essentially, my finger waves and my mind spins and whirls with lists and tidbits and thoughts and measuring lines for their best life.  With this regard, the upmost importance is the sifting of their personality, economics, and home-life according to my manicured standards and perspective theology.

Ouch.

The other day, I was thinking about exactly all of this -- the completely divisive thoughts and appalling self-righteaous evaluation I created for measuring people and friends against my own opinion of a good person, or a godly person...

And God cut through and reminded me:

There's One Gate.

One gate into heaven.

And he doesn't ask what you served for breakfast or how your marriage looked or what choice of schooling you picked.  He doesn't ask how you spent your tithe or what your career was or how your kids behaved.

He asks if you know and love Jesus.

The One Way.  The only choice that matters.

Everything else can be debated, majors and minors.

But the same gate is for the criminal on the cross, the pre-schooled toddler, the laboring husband, the slow elderly driver.  He doesn't ask a series of questions, or go through a check list of behavior, or yank out the righteous-life list.

He says, "Do you love me?"

And if the answer is yes, he opens the gate.

The One.  Only.  Single.  Narrow, Open Gate.

One Gate.

Done.

Redeemed.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

What a great relief!  And what a great equalizer!  Isn't that concept so freeing from our comparing and criticizing and competing?  Our dividing and graying and blackening and whitening?  One gate:  Jesus.  One Way In: Him.  For all, to whom the answer is, "Yes, Lord, it is you!"  One Gate.

Now Welcome Home, Dear One.