[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Farticles\u002Fdoorkeepers":3,"\u002Farticles\u002Fdoorkeepers-surround":78},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"bibleBooks":8,"body":11,"columnName":60,"date":61,"description":17,"extension":62,"image":63,"meta":64,"minRead":65,"navigation":66,"path":67,"postType":68,"publication":69,"publicationUrl":63,"seo":70,"stem":71,"topics":72,"__hash__":77},"blog\u002Farticles\u002Fdoorkeepers.md","Doorkeepers",{"name":7},"Dave Faust",[9,10],"Psalms","1 Timothy",{"type":12,"value":13,"toc":56},"minimark",[14,18,21,29,32,35,38,41,44,47,50,53],[15,16,17],"p",{},"The psalmist wrote, \"I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked\" (Psalm 84:10).",[15,19,20],{},"Those words sound poetic, but a doorkeeper's job isn't very glamorous. Sweep the sidewalk. Shovel snow in the winter. Greet people as they come and go. Hold the door open so busy travelers can pass through unhindered. There's nothing spectacular about that.",[15,22,23,24,28],{},"But it's still better to be a humble doorkeeper in God's house than lounge around where wickedness abounds. \"I'd rather scrub floors in the house of my God than be honored as a guest in the palace of sin\" (",[25,26,27],"em",{},"The Message",").",[15,30,31],{},"All of us are doorkeepers of another kind. By our good examples, we open the door a little wider to those who need the Lord—or by our bad examples, we close the door a little tighter.",[15,33,34],{},"There are plenty of bad examples mentioned in the Bible: Jezebel's treachery, David's infidelity, Solomon's idolatry, Judas's betrayal, Demas's defection from the Lord's work. There are plenty of good examples, too: Joshua's courage, Ruth's loyalty, Daniel's faithfulness, Mary's obedience, Stephen's self-sacrifice, Phoebe's servant heart.",[15,36,37],{},"By his grace, God even turned some bad examples into good ones! Jonah's cowardly retreat became a story about second chances. Peter's denials didn't keep him from becoming a great leader. Paul saw his own transformation from persecutor to apostle as a way \"Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life\" (1 Timothy 1:16).",[15,39,40],{},"Nowhere is our door-keeping function more important than in the example we set for the younger generation. Parents, teachers, and church leaders serve as role models even when we're not aware of it.",[15,42,43],{},"What kind of example are we setting for the younger generation?",[15,45,46],{},"We can't walk through the door for others, but with a little effort, we can open the door to spiritual growth in the lives of those close to us. Psalm 84 mentions several ways this is true.",[15,48,49],{},"We can open the door to meaningful worship. The psalmist cried out, \"How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God\" (vv. 1, 2). Do we model such a vibrant love for the Lord? Satan makes the \"tents of the wicked\" look pretty enticing. We may say, \"Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere\" (v. 10), but our children won't believe us if we model sporadic church attendance and half-hearted involvement in the Lord's work. Unless we show an authentic love for the church and a heart for worship and prayer, a thousand influences will pull them elsewhere rather than to the courts of God.",[15,51,52],{},"We can open the door to God's goodness. \"For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless\" (v. 11). Do we demonstrate confidence that God will protect and provide? Does our walk with Christ seem dull and dutiful, or do we model God's grace with cheerful hearts?",[15,54,55],{},"We can open the door to blessing. Do others young in age or young in faith look up to you? Point them in the right direction. Usher them closer to the presence of God. Encourage them to enter the door of faith where they will learn, \"O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you\" (v. 12).",{"title":57,"searchDepth":58,"depth":58,"links":59},"",2,[],"First Look","2003-11-30","md",null,{},3,true,"\u002Farticles\u002Fdoorkeepers","column","The Lookout",{"title":5,"description":17},"articles\u002Fdoorkeepers",[73,74,75,76],"Biblical Theology","Intergenerational Ministry","Church Leadership","Spiritual Formation","PZWG39xmTl6UaEWzIEP01Uz-ctsNaytEv7TS5w6bdaw",[79,84],{"title":80,"path":81,"stem":82,"description":83,"children":-1},"Don't Throw Away the Scale","\u002Farticles\u002Fdon-t-throw-away-the-scale","articles\u002Fdon-t-throw-away-the-scale","After years of faithful service, our family's bathroom scale broke the other day. A spring inside must have snapped, for the dial suddenly registered about 300 pounds and wouldn't budge. I threw the scale away, but I was sad to see it go. Since the dial read \"5 pounds\" even when no one was standing on it, I figured it always overestimated my weight—which made it easier to feel light-hearted even after a heavy meal. Plus, our scale could make a person seem 10 pounds lighter if you simply leaned forward on your toes while standing on it. In the old scale's place now sits a sleek new model, which has the annoying characteristic of being completely accurate.",{"title":85,"path":86,"stem":87,"description":88,"children":-1},"Down in the Dumps","\u002Farticles\u002Fdown-in-the-dumps","articles\u002Fdown-in-the-dumps","Ever since he was very young, my son Matt has enjoyed drawing cartoons and writing stories. By the time he was 10 years old, he had collected a pile of papers a foot thick, covered with everything from silly doodles to childlike but serious poetry. In fact, the pile had grown so large that my wife Candy insisted that he should sort through the papers and throw away everything he didn't need to keep."]