I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.
John 10:9

I walk across the large porch and pull on the screen door. You know, the one with a rickety wood frame, hasn’t been painted in years, with screen patches barely keeping out the flies. It swings open with a screech, and it bounces shut four or five times without fully closing.

And with that, I walk into the dining hall at camp for the first time. 

I’m going to walk in and out that dining hall door 300 times this summer. Maybe 400. It will escort me into sustenance, relaxation, fellowship, and joy. 

When Jesus wanted to describe himself to his disciples, he called himself The Door.

Entrance. Access. Approach.

He is the one and only way to get salvation. To get inside to the goodness of the Father, you must enter through the door of Jesus, metaphorically speaking. There is no life or joy or forgiveness without first going through Jesus. 

You can’t climb in through the window of your good works. You can’t come down the chimney of your family name. You can’t bust in through the wall of good intentions. It’s a secure place, and the only way in is simply called the door (John 10:1-2). 

If you haven’t entered through Christ yet, there’s no better time than now. Come to him in faith. Believe that he is the only entry point to the Father. Trust that he is the good shepherd who laid down his life for the sheep (John 10:11). He did this by dying on the cross for your sins in your place. 

By repenting of your sins and trusting in God’s provision, you can have forgiveness and a relationship with the Father. It begins and ends with Jesus. As you learn to follow Jesus you will go in and out and find pasture, that is, you will find peace and joy in your various activities and relationships at camp and throughout life. 

Let this summer be a time of spiritual growth for you. A time when you become just as familiar with Jesus as you are with the dining room door. More so. 

Why, oh why, couldn’t they keep that old door when they remodeled the dining hall?