In John 10:9-10 Jesus says - "I am the door; by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy; I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." The key words in the ninth verse are, "and shall go in and out and find pasture." Even after a person is born again of the water and of the spirit it is possible to forsake the Lord. He says, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you,” and that is true, but whether we live in continual fellowship with the Lord is a matter of our responsibility.
I once knew a beautiful Christian layman, an attorney by occupation. This man was very active in Lay Witness Missions, and lead many of them as coordinator. He truly desired to yield his life to the Lord Jesus. He told an incident about himself regarding a simple trip to pick up his son at a golf course. He arrived before his son was ready and he walked over to talk with the manager of the course. Something in the conversation caused him to become enraged. He said some things he regretted saying while his temper was out of control. He then went to his car to wait for his boy. Once there, he began to think about what had happened. The other man was not a professed Christian, but the man knew that he professed Christianity. What kind of an impression had he made on that man? More than that, what could he do now that might help that man in his future in relationship to Christ. I believe the Holy Spirit gave him the proper guidance.
He walked back over to the man, who was alone, and he said to Him, "This may not mean a thing to you, but it means something to me. I profess to be a Christian, and I try real hard to do what I believe that Jesus would want me to do. Awhile ago when I lost my temper with you, that was not Jesus in me that caused that to happen. Whatever I did wrong was outside of my fellowship with Jesus. I have asked his forgiveness, and now I ask yours."
I don't know what the other man’s response was, but I dare say that the attorney wound up giving a beautiful witness for Jesus. He was not always perfect but the purpose of his life was to honor the Lord.
Have you ever had anything happen in your life where you felt that you had forsaken the Lord? When we forsake the Lord is when we open the door for the thief to come in to rob and to steal and to kill and to destroy -- and he will as we give him the opportunity -- but Jesus never leaves us nor forsakes us, so that anytime we can call upon him and receive his help. In James 4:7-10 we are told how to get the devil off our back, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.”
If we are in fellowship with the Lord, he wants us to have joy -- but when our joy is related to things outside of his fellowship, they turn to mourning and heaviness until your life is cleansed, your purpose turned around, your direction secured in the way of the Lord.
Every day we have choices that lead us in different directions of life. All of us can relate to Jesus each day, but it takes our choice. "Every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before."
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