Open Jail Doors

     My grandmother on my Dad's side told of the story about her father, Gottfried Gentsch who owned a bar/restaurant in Illinois in the late 1800's.   He had an unruly patron one night that he had to literally throw out of the bar.   When he threw him out, in his anger he said to him, "If I see you in here again, I will kill you!".    A week later that man was found dead in a ditch in the back of the bar.   My great-grandfather was arrested and tried for his murder.  Back in those days they did not have fingerprints, DNA evidence or security cameras to help clear him of this murder and so he was sent to the county jail.  The warden of this small jail noticed that this man was not like the other inmates.   My great-grandfather had been an elder of his church and read his Bible regularly and continued to do so in jail.   After some time (I am not sure how long) the jailer said to him, "If some night you wake up and see the jail doors open, just get up and walk out and don't turn back".   Later that week, he awoke in the middle of the night to see that his door was open and he walked out.   He came back and started his life over and re-married a woman named Linda Strammer who would become my great-gandmother.   Later (I am not sure how long) a man who was a member of their church admitted on his death bed to the murder of the man who my grandfather had been wrongfully convicted of killing.  

    I tell this story not just as a historical novelty, but as a lesson for all of us.  The largest and strongest prison in the world is not made with concrete and steel, but is from our own thoughts and feelings of guilt, fear and shame.  We feel trapped and, unlike my grandfather, know we deserve to be there.  So often people become trapped in their lives.   We look at them and know they deserve so much more but they continue to make bad choices.   They believe that this is their lot in life and there is no way out of it.  

    But Christ has come to tell us we are free to go and the doors are all unlocked. 

    Jesus said,

        "You shall know the TRUTH and the TRUTH shall set you FREE!"

    What is that TRUTH?   Simply that God loves you and forgives you all of your sins because Jesus has already paid the price for you.  

    Jesus whispers to your heart to tell you, "The doors are unlocked now.  Leave and don't look back!"  For some, they will continue to sit in their cells thinking that this is all too good to be true and there must be a catch (maybe it's a trap!).  Other's will take the steps of faith to trust God and leave their cells behind.  

   God makes that offer to you today!  Will you leave or will you stay.  It's up to you.