Keys of the Kingdom

 by Macy Johnson

“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven;

whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven,

and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

(Matthew 16:19 NIV)

 

I sent a text to our church’s Worship Director. Could he please let me in the church so I could get the music ready for choir rehearsal? I had not yet been provided with my own key as our congregation’s Treasurer. Sometimes church administration wheels move frustratingly slow.  

 

I was asked to step in as my local hospital’s gift shop manager and was given a key. I rarely needed it, since I usually performed my tasks when the shop was open, not closed. I worked in the back room on the computer or items received while customers freely perused our displays.

 

When I was the pianist at the Methodist church in downtown Madison, Georgia, I asked the Church Administrator for a key. I usually reached the church building long before anyone else arrived for Choir Practice on Wednesday nights. Sometimes I needed to get into the sanctuary for other reasons. Having a key was beneficial for my service.

 

A friend recently told me her church doors were never locked fifty years ago. In our troublesome times keys are necessary. Here I was again, needing a church key to serve. How does possessing a key give me greater access to the kingdom?

 

God gives me items I need to serve in various ways in His creation. Each is an instrument to be used for His glory, but the only real Key I need is Jesus. His keys are freely given and always available for the asking!

 

I will use the keys given to me to unlock the kingdom of God and serve for His glory. I hope you will, too!