I Shall Enter Through Them
I Shall Enter Through Them
We need a pass to get into the doors at the ball game, concert, convention, and all sorts of events. Some of those events are very spendy, but if we feel it is all worth it, we will put forth the cost. There is even a cost for the freedom we enjoy. Some of our troops pay with their lives, so that we may enter into the gates of the freedoms we have today.
Then, there are gates into eternity. God’s word speaks both of the gates of heaven and the gates of hell. We’re probably sure which of those gates we want to go through. The “cost” of entering through the gates of hell includes things like: obstinate unbelief, hatred of the Savior, the love of evil, and the denial of the Holy Spirit’s truths as laid out for us in the Bible, i.e., calling God a liar. There are a lot of people who feel they can put forth these sorts of lives, and still be able to enter some sort of paradise, when then pass on from this earth.
They will be mightily disappointed to find out that they don’t have what it takes to enter any sort of paradise. Their denial of God’s love and salvation in Christ alone has shut them out of every single, little bit of reward they could ever have hoped for. They will have nothing left to hope for.
On the other hand, there are those who will get to enter into the gates of heaven. What will their “cost” be? It’s the cost of faith. Faith can cost us a lot on this earth. But, faith will enable us to realize that God’s word is eternal and speaks only the truth. Faith will lead us to trust that Jesus only is our Savior, in spite of every trial we need to endure here. And, faith will make us righteous enough to enter into heaven for all eternity. That is because, along with a number of accounts, Romans 1:17 and Habakkuk 2:4 tell us,
The righteous man shall live by faith.
This truth of God is stated in many ways throughout the Bible. All this leads us to consider Psalm 118:19-21, where the psalmist describes a bit of what it means to be righteous in God’s eyes. It says,
Open to me the gates of righteousness;
I shall enter through them, I shall give thanks to the LORD.
This is the gate of the LORD;
The righteous will enter through it.
I shall give thanks to Thee, for Thou hast answered me;
And Thou hast become my salvation.
How do we “pay” to enter heaven through “the gates of righteousness”? What is the cost of righteousness? It is paying honor and thanksgiving where honor and thanksgiving are due. All honor and thanksgiving are due to the LORD God Almighty for all that He has done for us in Jesus Christ.
Are we willing to bow down, in the midst of all our troubles, and, by faith, give honor and thanksgiving to the LORD? If we want to go through “the gates of righteousness”, we need to say, believe, and do what is right and good. It is only right and good that we confess the truths of God Almighty’s salvation in Christ, as He has proven them throughout His word to us.
Worldly people won’t love us for sticking to these truths, but God Almighty will. Ultimately, it is only God’s love that counts.
Filled with thanksgiving, we say, “Hallelujah! LORD, You alone can make us righteous through faith in Christ Jesus. Thank You for paying our way through the “gates of righteousness”.
Love,
Margaret
A Christian devotional to glorify the LORD of lords and King of kings…
Pray for our country
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Hallelujah 