A Keeper Of The Door

            

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t's funny how some people come into our lives and leave a lasting impression.  Unknown to them, their mannerisms and means of living teach us volumes we could never learn in a book or in a formal lecture.  These individuals teach us by example and they don't even realize their lives send a strong message to those around them. Such was the case with a man I met during my years as a high school teacher in North Carolina

I had the privilege of teaching seven years at a high school near my home.  I have very fond memories of the people with whom I worked and the students I was fortunate to teach.  I hear from some of them occasionally, and from time to time faces and names cross my mind.  I relive conversations and events that were both memorable and special.

One of these memorable people was Joe, one of our school janitors who worked the night shift. He was responsible for securing the building and preparing it for the next school day.  Joe would arrive at work around 2:00 p.m. and would stay until 11:00 p.m.  Usually, he would stop by my room just to chat and as I left each day, he would always say the same thing without fail.  I would call out, "Have a good evening Joe," and he would reply "I wish to you the same." 

Joe supervised every sporting event at the school, opening the door as people entered the building. Everybody knew Joe.  He would always greet you with a smile and a laugh and made you feel genuinely welcome.  Although he never held a high position in administration, although he never taught a class, although he never wrote a speech or performed on the football field, Joe was as important to that school, if not more so, than any one else working there.

Our scripture for today speaks of the importance of the people who keep doors.  1 Chronicles 9:21-27 tells us that the gatekeepers and doorkeepers were responsible for the treasury and upkeep of God's house.  In fact, they were the ones who opened God's house each day.

Look closely at verse 27 and you'll see that "they lodged all around the house of God because they had the responsibility, and they were in charge of opening it every morning." Although they held a very lowly position, no other official business of the temple could occur until the gatekeepers had opened God's house.  No sacrifices could be made, no prayers could be offered, no sins could be atoned for, unless the gatekeepers opened the doors.

What an awesome responsibility and privilege these men had.  I'm sure there were times when they felt they could be doing something else, something more important, something more glamorous, and something more sophisticated.  I'm sure others may have encouraged them to seek more prominent positions within the temple itself.  But these men were appointed to this position, it was their area of service and ministry, and it was there that they were most effective.

Today, you may feel as if your service is unimportant, unnoticed, and of very little significance.  But you are very wrong to think this way.  The place you are serving has been given you by God himself and there are no unimportant positions in his kingdom.  The gatekeepers of the tabernacle lived in the very presence of God.  They were clothed, fed, safe, and warm.  It was their duty and privilege to make God available to those around them by opening the tabernacle doors so all could come in and worship.

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e, as believers in Christ, share the same privilege and responsibility as the tabernacle gatekeepers.  Every day, our lives represent a door that is either opened or closed.  We are either making it possible for people to come to Christ or we are preventing them from doing so.  There is no middle ground!  Are we as faithful in our walk with God today as these men were? Could God entrust us with the awesome responsibility of being gatekeepers?  The truth is, he has.  The question is, are we?