Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. John 10:1
The scripture tells us that, a thief does not use a lawful entry but climbs up some other way. A thief/robber is a person who is trying to get something unlawfully. He/she is trying to acquire something that doesn’t belong to them.
Most of us might say, “I have never robbed anyone!”. How do we rob others? When we are fighting battles for our children that are their battles to fight, we are robbing them of growth and maturity. If we backbite or gossip about someone, we are robbing them of their reputation. We rob them of the opportunity to present their side of the story. When someone manipulates their way to get into a job or a marriage, they are robbing themselves and others of God’s perfect will. When people purchase things that they can’t afford, they are robbing the family of peace and unity. They put the family in a tough financial position.
Are we willing for God’s open door to enter lawfully in any situation? Can we trust God without manipulating or pushing our way through to get somewhere?
For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly.
O Lord of hosts, Blessed is the man who trusts in You! Psalm 84:10-12
Being a doorkeeper is rather a lowly position. The Psalmist declares that he would rather stay in God’s presence as a doorkeeper than to practice wickedness and be identified as one of gang members. He would rather be in God’s will than out of God’s will. It would be better to humbly stay by the door than to enter unlawfully and be among the wicked.
When we walk uprightly with God, He gives us the grace and glory to handle difficult situations. We don’t have to rescue others. We don’t have to push our way in. We don’t have to fight to be right. We don’t have to participate/create unhealthy relationships, and we don’t have to steal someone’s reputation, in order to secure a place for ourselves. God sustains a man/woman who trust in Him!
The scripture tells us that God will not withhold any good thing from us. So if we feel something is withheld from us, it is either not good for us, or it is not time for us to have it. If it is in His will, the Lord will not withhold it but bless us richly in His time. Our job is to walk uprightly and stop climbing!
Whenever Jesus speaks so clearly, He is speaking it for the sake of deliverance not for condemnation! God wants to deliver the climbers. It is important to repent from those actions even if they are in your past. Make the commitment that you will choose not to “climb” anymore. Declare your trust in Him especially when you are tempted to “climb another way”!