doorkeeper

I think of those whom I will see as I tend the door of God's place. The famous saints of old will surely pay frequent visits throughout eternity. However, a surprise to many may be that a vast majority of the guests visiting God's house will be saints we know nothing about at least not here on this earth. In Heaven they will be giants of valor, courage, strength and humility. Can you visualize being a "giant of humility"? To us it is an oxymoron, but in Heaven, it is the truth.

The meek, the humble, the pure in heart, those who have hungered and thirsted for God's righteousness all their lives -- they will be there, and I will greet them, because I'm the doorkeeper. I will happily greet the praying moms and grandparents; the godly, loving dads who sought the Lord for their wives and children; the pastors who struggled in a spiritually dry and dusty world full of too many church members who just didn't have a heart for Jesus, pastors who persevered in prayer for their flocks anyway.

Why look who's coming now! It's Moses himself! I'm going to ask him to do that "arms in the air and part the waters" thing; I understand he does it for everybody up here. But first I'm going to hug him and give that shaggy old beard a tug. I'll have to keep his staff in the rack by the front door though. God has too many priceless articles inside that could be smashed by that huge stick; he never was very careful with it. [ref Numbers 20]

I can tell Barnabas is on his way. I could hear his singing before he got near the golden walkway. He has a great booming baritone voice. He usually leads in songs throughout the evening, you just can't stop him. He sometimes bellows away during dinner, which can be somewhat gross because he completely ignores the fact that he has food in his mouth. He's a great guy though, and a lot of fun. If you need a dinner livened up, just invite Barnabas over.

Arriving next is an interesting threesome: Abraham, Phinehas and Ezekiel. These guys usually insist on helping out in the kitchen. They'd be offended if you denied them that pleasure.

Abraham is great with a knife, as you may remember. He can slice and dice and make julienne fries with the best of chefs. One thing to consider about old Abe though -- don't even think of asking about his grandkids. You have never seen a wallet full of photos as big as his! Why, you'd think it held an entire beach full of sand, it's so huge. [ref Genesis 22]

Phinehas is a lot of fun too. He's a real trivia-nut and a games fanatic. His favorite game is "Name that Levite," and he hasn't lost in eons, literally. And of course his specialty in the kitchen is shishkabob, but I wouldn't ask him what he uses. It tastes great, but you might not want his particular recipe. [ref Numbers 25]

Now Ezekiel can always be counted on to bring the fruits and veggies. He once was big into smoked foods, but he used to smoke them with a substance that caused a great deal of commotion and concern and led many to pray for God to intervene. As a result, he quit inflicting those dishes on the saints and stuck to fruit salads and relish platters. [ref Ezekiel 4]

Jephthah, his daughter and Samson have become quite a trio around here. I love to greet them at the door to God's place. Jephthah is a real prankster, and can he tell stories! He sometimes gets a little carried away however, and that is where Samson comes in. He's the only one strong enough to keep Jephthah's mouth shut when he goes a little to far in one of his stories. One thing is certain however, Jephthah is always accompanied by his daughter wherever he travels up here. She refuses to go anywhere without him, and he wouldn't have it any other way. They are so cute together, father, daughter and bull-in-a-china-shop Samson [ref Judges 11].

Here comes a crowd, the 12 apostles -- and they're running! John is in the lead, followed by Peter. He always outruns Peter in these races, which really disturbs a type-A personality like Peter [ref John 20]. Mark is next; he can outrun all of them, but not while fully clothed [ref Mark 14].

James and his brother John are in the middle of the pack. I can't see them yet, but I can hear them. Their voices are as load as thunder [ref Mark 3 and Luke 9]! Matthew is usually pulling up the rear. He's good with figures, but all that time crunching numbers has not been good for his conditioning. He is the best when they gather for Monopoly however, and of course he always wants to be the banker [ref Matthew 9].

And whenever all 12 are invited to dinner at God's place, the meal they prefer most, as a group, is fish! Anything with seafood seems good to them. Jesus Himself is known to make a heavenly roasted fish dinner that is a favorite of the 12 [ref John 21].

One of my favorite guests to greet is Paul. He is always pleasant and friendly, going out of his way to make me feel at ease [ref 1 Corinthians 9]. He is especially happy in heaven because he can see the sights so much better with his resurrection body vision [ref Galatians 6]. He still does a lot of writing here, and he always stops for a few minutes with me near the door to God's place to let me read some of his first copy material. He knows how much I enjoy it, and I love to spend time with him for any reason at all. Next to Jesus, I can be more relaxed and content fellowshipping with Paul than almost anyone.

I've told you of some of my favorites who visit as I tend God's door, but they are not nearly all of my favorites. Some of those whom I most treasure seeing and spending time with are folks you won't recognize by name. In heaven you will certainly know them, as I stated earlier, because they are righteous and holy giants. But even up here, they shy away from that kind of acclaim. It is what made them great, and what caused them to have so much in the way of heavenly treasure. But the one treasure they possess that is most dear to me, the one that sets them apart from mere "normal" heavenly saints, is the love of Jesus that is a living part of them. They tell me they had a degree of it on earth, and that they would never have been victorious without it. But here in Heaven, it makes them glow with a brightness that favors our Lord.

What I love most, far and away, are those special times of quietness when no guests are coming or going. Those times when, as a doorkeeper, I have no official duties to perform. It is during some of those times that Jesus pokes His head around the corner and hollers from the kitchen, "Hey Andy, come on in for a while and let's have some coffee."

I love these times with Jesus. I can't begin to tell you how much it means to me when He asks me -- just me and no one else, in for coffee and fellowship. What is so dear to me is that Jesus and I really talk and joke and plan and laugh together. He is such a friend. He is the best "older brother" anyone could have.




	God's Doorkeeper - Psalm 84 The Doorkeeper A Message Preached March 18, 1998 Bro. A. Madonio




The Doorkeeper Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. Psalm 84:10 I think of those whom I will see as I tend the door of God's place. The famous saints of old will surely pay frequent visits throughout eternity. However, a surprise to many may be that a vast majority of the guests visiting God's house will be saints we know nothing about at least not here on this earth. In Heaven they will be giants of valor, courage, strength and humility. Can you visualize being a "giant of humility"? To us it is an oxymoron, but in Heaven, it is the truth. The meek, the humble, the pure in heart, those who have hungered and thirsted for God's righteousness all their lives -- they will be there, and I will greet them, because I'm the doorkeeper. I will happily greet the praying moms and grandparents; the godly, loving dads who sought the Lord for their wives and children; the pastors who struggled in a spiritually dry and dusty world full of too many church members who just didn't have a heart for Jesus, pastors who persevered in prayer for their flocks anyway. These will be the righteous ones who visit God's Place, the ones I will greet as God's doorkeeper. Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. Why look who's coming now! It's Moses himself! I'm going to ask him to do that "arms in the air and part the waters" thing; I understand he does it for everybody up here. But first I'm going to hug him and give that shaggy old beard a tug. I'll have to keep his staff in the rack by the front door though. God has too many priceless articles inside that could be smashed by that huge stick; he never was very careful with it. [ref Numbers 20] Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. I can tell Barnabas is on his way. I could hear his singing before he got near the golden walkway. He has a great booming baritone voice. He usually leads in songs throughout the evening, you just can't stop him. He sometimes bellows away during dinner, which can be somewhat gross because he completely ignores the fact that he has food in his mouth. He's a great guy though, and a lot of fun. If you need a dinner livened up, just invite Barnabas over. Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. Arriving next is an interesting threesome: Abraham, Phinehas and Ezekiel. These guys usually insist on helping out in the kitchen. They'd be offended if you denied them that pleasure. Abraham is great with a knife, as you may remember. He can slice and dice and make julienne fries with the best of chefs. One thing to consider about old Abe though -- don't even think of asking about his grandkids. You have never seen a wallet full of photos as big as his! Why, you'd think it held an entire beach full of sand, it's so huge. [ref Genesis 22] Phinehas is a lot of fun too. He's a real trivia-nut and a games fanatic. His favorite game is "Name that Levite," and he hasn't lost in eons, literally. And of course his specialty in the kitchen is shishkabob, but I wouldn't ask him what he uses. It tastes great, but you might not want his particular recipe. [ref Numbers 25] Now Ezekiel can always be counted on to bring the fruits and veggies. He once was big into smoked foods, but he used to smoke them with a substance that caused a great deal of commotion and concern and led many to pray for God to intervene. As a result, he quit inflicting those dishes on the saints and stuck to fruit salads and relish platters. [ref Ezekiel 4] Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. Jephthah, his daughter and Samson have become quite a trio around here. I love to greet them at the door to God's place. Jephthah is a real prankster, and can he tell stories! He sometimes gets a little carried away however, and that is where Samson comes in. He's the only one strong enough to keep Jephthah's mouth shut when he goes a little to far in one of his stories. One thing is certain however, Jephthah is always accompanied by his daughter wherever he travels up here. She refuses to go anywhere without him, and he wouldn't have it any other way. They are so cute together, father, daughter and bull-in-a-china-shop Samson [ref Judges 11]. Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. Here comes a crowd, the 12 apostles -- and they're running! John is in the lead, followed by Peter. He always outruns Peter in these races, which really disturbs a type-A personality like Peter [ref John 20]. Mark is next; he can outrun all of them, but not while fully clothed [ref Mark 14]. James and his brother John are in the middle of the pack. I can't see them yet, but I can hear them. Their voices are as load as thunder [ref Mark 3 and Luke 9]! Matthew is usually pulling up the rear. He's good with figures, but all that time crunching numbers has not been good for his conditioning. He is the best when they gather for Monopoly however, and of course he always wants to be the banker [ref Matthew 9]. And whenever all 12 are invited to dinner at God's place, the meal they prefer most, as a group, is fish! Anything with seafood seems good to them. Jesus Himself is known to make a heavenly roasted fish dinner that is a favorite of the 12 [ref John 21]. Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. One of my favorite guests to greet is Paul. He is always pleasant and friendly, going out of his way to make me feel at ease [ref 1 Corinthians 9]. He is especially happy in heaven because he can see the sights so much better with his resurrection body vision [ref Galatians 6]. He still does a lot of writing here, and he always stops for a few minutes with me near the door to God's place to let me read some of his first copy material. He knows how much I enjoy it, and I love to spend time with him for any reason at all. Next to Jesus, I can be more relaxed and content fellowshipping with Paul than almost anyone. Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. I've told you of some of my favorites who visit as I tend God's door, but they are not nearly all of my favorites. Some of those whom I most treasure seeing and spending time with are folks you won't recognize by name. In heaven you will certainly know them, as I stated earlier, because they are righteous and holy giants. But even up here, they shy away from that kind of acclaim. It is what made them great, and what caused them to have so much in the way of heavenly treasure. But the one treasure they possess that is most dear to me, the one that sets them apart from mere "normal" heavenly saints, is the love of Jesus that is a living part of them. They tell me they had a degree of it on earth, and that they would never have been victorious without it. But here in Heaven, it makes them glow with a brightness that favors our Lord. Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. What I love most, far and away, are those special times of quietness when no guests are coming or going. Those times when, as a doorkeeper, I have no official duties to perform. It is during some of those times that Jesus pokes His head around the corner and hollers from the kitchen, "Hey Andy, come on in for a while and let's have some coffee." "Oh yes Lord," is my eager and attentive reply. I love these times with Jesus. I can't begin to tell you how much it means to me when He asks me -- just me and no one else, in for coffee and fellowship. What is so dear to me is that Jesus and I really talk and joke and plan and laugh together. He is such a friend. He is the best "older brother" anyone could have. It is because of my brother Jesus, my Lord Jesus, my Savior Jesus, that I can say with full assurance and clarity and conviction that . . . Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. Amen.

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