The Path of Purpose Part 4 - The Prison

The best analogy is this...imagine a prison. High walls, impenetrable walls with a large gate studded with heavy bolts and a sturdy lock. Imagine you have been convicted of a crime that means you are to be incarcerated in the prison for life, not just life but eternal life. You enter through the gate, then you are taken through a series of doors until ultimately you come to the door of your cell. The door swings open and you are placed inside. The door swings shut and the key is turned in the lock and there you are. This is the position of all who are born under the disobedience of Adam. On account of him we all are under the sentence of eternal incarceration in the prison of death.
In this place you are subject to the atmosphere of the place. Imagine it is cold in the prison then you are cold. If it is hot then you are hot. You cannot escape.
Wonder of wonders though one comes and enters in into the very place where you are and opens your cell door and says to you, "Come". You see this one has paid the price in full for your crime and has wiped your slate clean for the only reason that He loves you and has the ability to pay the price. You have the choice, you either come or you stay, the choice is yours.
Jesus stood at my door and called and I came out of my cell and into the company of the Redeemer. But we are still in the prison. I am still subject to the atmosphere of the prison although I have been redeemed from the penalty. There are still doors to walk through before absolute freedom comes at the imposing studded door in the wall of the prison.
What are these doors? One could be hurt, it was for me. One could be abuse, it was for me. It could be wrong programming, it was for me. Unforgiveness..., bitterness..., anger..., frustration..., jealousy..., disloyalty, the list could go on and on.
In the Bible is a verse and in it we see two Kingdoms, two Kings and two missions. The verse is found in the book of John 10: 10 and is spoken by Jesus Himself. Jesus says, "The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy; I came that they might have life, and have it abundantly."
The king of darkness is satan, the devil, the one who had a place of honour in the kingdom of God as an angel who served at the very throne of God but sought to usurp God and was cast down and fell to earth. We see this being in the Garden of Eden tempting Adam, and Eve, to disobey God. The mission then of the kingdom of darkness is to "steal, kill and destroy" and we see the results everywhere in the world do we not?
The Kingdom of Light is the Kingdom of God and Jesus Himself is the King. His mission is to bring Life and that abundantly. What is this life that we have the opportunity to have an abundance of? We can have an abundance of LIFE and Jesus is the Life because He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. We can have an abundance of Him and all the fullness of God dwells in Him.
All the doors of the prison that hold us in the cold, dark prison are the works of the mission of the king of darkness. But Jesus has come and we have the choice to receive Him and if we do and are willing He will lavish the blessing of His mercy and His grace upon us up to the measure of the fullness of God. Why will He do this? Because we deserve it? No! Because we work hard for it? No! Because He is Love and He loves us with a never-ending, unconditional love and that love cannot stop but bless us with every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus? Yes! That is it!
Jesus will walk with us through the doors and all we need do is look to Him. He will lavish upon us His love and none of the works of darkness can stand before the glory of His Light and so the doors before will melt away as we walk together towards freedom in Christ.
So April 2000 I took the hand of God and we began a journey towards the prison gate. The journey was at times hard and difficult and there were many obstacles be together, Jesus and I, we pressed on.
Next time...The Journey.