Devotional Book

Beyond The Threshold

People have asked me, “Why the name Beyond the Threshold?” I guess it sounds like I am trying to be ethereal or philosophical, but really it is the most practical explanation of the revelation God has given me as I have journeyed through this particular year with Him. A threshold by definition is any point of entrance or beginning. As in a physical doorway, one must purpose himself to walk beyond it if he is to enter through.

In almost every area of life we reach a place where we are confronted with a threshold. It might be a threshold of pain, opportunity, or it might be a point of decision. But there we are, facing something we have never experienced before and we must decide if we can step out in faith and walk through that place and into the mystery beyond it.

Sometimes we can’t. We just sit there in the doorway trying to figure out what’s out there! We are paralyzed by all the evil we can’t see and we rationalize to ourselves that the smartest thing to do is to shut that door and stay inside where we feel safer with the monsters we do know.

I know a lot of people who live behind doors locked tight. Their fear of what is beyond that door is stronger than their fear of growing stagnant in their walk with God. And yet there are others who let anger or unforgiveness justify their position, and they will go to their graves believing it was someone else’s fault that they did not see the Promised Land.

This devotional is nothing more than a journal of my own journey of trying to walk faithfully behind a Holy God who leads me beyond threshold after threshold. It is a land sometimes beautiful and inviting, causing me to respond with spontaneous worship of the One who guides me. But at other times, the way is marked with conflict and treachery. In these times of uncertainty, I too have felt it would be better to stop and shut the door that seems to lead to so much pain. But as I lay hold of the heavy wood to close it tight, I am suddenly aware of two things. The first is that if I close that door, I have chosen separation between my Savior’s path and mine. The second is the deeper reminder of another threshold my Savior entered into Himself when He chose to die in my place that I might live. That doorway was forever kept open by the cruel cross that He yielded to for my sake.

So even though I might be afraid of what lies ahead, I stumble forward. I try to obey, and I seem to learn daily what it means to follow Him. Becoming His child was easy. It was a free gift by the grace of His mercy. But to be His disciple is costing me everything. The first threshold I walked through was the narrow gate of my salvation. I barely squeezed through that small space holding nothing but true repentance in my heart! To complicate things even further, this road I now walk is filled with others who must make similar choices and live by those consequences as we work out our salvation together in relationships.

Beyond the Threshold is the only title I could give this work. It is just one year captured in the midst on an ongoing life’s journey. I faced more than a few personal crises’ as I tried to navigate truth in responding to situations and circumstances that tore at the fabric of who I believed myself to be. There were relationships that were torn, and I seriously doubted they were capable of being restored. But God was teaching me to trust Him even in the impossible. I really believe He delights in redeeming our “hopeless” situations. He did in fact restore some of those issues in more beautiful ways than I could have imagined. There were, and still are, many places in my character that need to be stretched. Yet God is forever faithful as He reveals His trustworthiness in every unveiling of my unworthiness.

I will conclude with this: It is safe to follow Him Beyond the Threshold, but it is not predictable. Out there is the Kingdom where He rules in perfect love, but His Holiness will unravel our own sense of righteousness. This is a journey that will take us far beyond our comfort zone, but we will find a greater sense of security in following Him. Yes, we will step out with uncertainty, as if we were wild-orphaned children taken in by a wealthy King. But we will learn to trust Him as He teaches us His royal ways. Crossing these thresholds brings us into new life. It is a journey that will transform us, from glory to everlasting glory!