"Beside the Gate"

Some won’t understand it,

When I tell you how it was,

To work and sort the cattle,

And that’s simply because,

They never stood there by the gate,

To hear the catch and pass,

With your Dad there in the alley,

Sometimes they came too fast.

But either open up the gate,

Or let him go on by,

To travel where the order said,

So it was do or die.

Dad, he had no patience,

If you couldn’t work that gate,

You better pay attention,

Lord, help you if you’re late.

Hundreds, more like thousands,

Traveled through those pens,

Loaded onto cattle trailers,

Sent where, it all depends,

On where they needed cattle,

How many and what for,

All I knew was hold the gate,

And cowboy to the core.

And now all these years later,

When God is at the sort,

I’m still standing by the gate,

To give all my support,

Point to the gate that’s open,

And will salvation bring,

And glory to the Lord above,

Is just beats everything,

When they run to Jesus,

Don’t try to run away,

The only way to heaven,

And they will be okay.

Standing here beside the gate,

Is where I’m s’posed to be,

To point someone who’s running past,

It’s not too late, you see.

“I am the gate; whoever enters through Me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.” (John 10:9, NIV)

In the same chapter where Jesus claims to be the good shepherd who gives abundant life, He compares Himself to a gate. It is clear that He saying that He is the gate to God’s salvation. Later He will say that He is the way, the truth and the life, and that no one comes to the Father but by Him. But in this passage He makes another point. When one finds Jesus the gate, he comes and goes and finds good pasture. What is this all about? The picture is one of freedom and spiritual satisfaction. It is the opposite of restriction. Legalist religion does not understand coming and going freely because for them, it’s all about rules kept and an emphasis on where you’re not supposed to go. I like the way Jesus describes salvation, don’t you?

Lord, help us enter through the gate and find salvation, in Jesus’ name.

Art by JaNeil Anderson, used by permission. Thanks, JaNeil, and God bless you.