My Passport
I have a passport which allows me to leave one nation and enter another, so long as I abide by the laws of whatever country I enter. However, before I am allowed to go from one to another, my passport is examined to authenticate that I have the history of a law-abiding citizen, I must state my reason for being there, and the border officers must believe I constitute no threat within their territory before I am allowed to enter.
Each kingdom has rules about whomever and whatever they restrict from entry. Some of these rules may seem petty to me, but they don’t care. Rules is rules! If I want to enter I must comply or stay behind. Now I’m all for their keeping weapons, infectious diseases or dangerous people out.
But there is a long list of seemingly innocent things they won’t allow. If for instance, if I am taking home a few souvenirs that I didn’t declare? What’s the big deal? Those items are way down in the list and they are so small they probably won’t be noticed.
But what if they are found? I must unpack; all my secrets will be exposed .I may be asked to leave behind some things I hold dear. Some choice: leave them or stay behind to keep them. However, if it appears that I deliberately hid them, I may find myself in real trouble.
Heaven’s “Pearly Gate” will be an impressive sight one day, but if you thought airport security was tough, just watch this! Boarding pass in hand, you stand in line, waiting your turn to pass through its X-ray machine.
You know better than trying to smuggle in big-time bad habits and unconfessed sin, and comparing yourself with those around you, you feel pretty safe. You recognize a few people from your own church up ahead and they don’t look worried. Still, you’ve been told God doesn’t grade on the curve, but against the perfection of His blessed Son, Jesus.
You are next in line. Your mind races, trying to remember anything you overlooked. That X-ray shows everything. As you approach, you glimpse the viewing screen and see dark patches lighting up. A wisp of smoke appears as your “contraband” is removed and destroyed.
Many of the things you thought were good works went up in a puff of smoke, along with the deeply-held sins that you struggled against for so long. Glad you accepted that “fire insurance policy”? None of those seem so important now.
Free at last.
