Hello weekend readers. The other day I had to look up a few things for a new Adult Vacation Bible School I will be teaching in January. I had my studies for each of the 3 days and now I wanted to dig into history, science, etc., to go forward with the program. As usual, Google had tons of stuff, but I wanted good sources and not a lot of online hoopla. Sadly, just about every site I needed said “access denied!” I had to join, or purchase subscriptions, etc. But I’m a “bull-dog” and dug deeper to find most of what I needed and was not “denied.” Mind you, this took me quite some time but it was worth it.

Later that day I spoke with my mom, telling her what I was up to with a new teaching and my frustration with “access denied.” She laughed and said, “think back into our history and remember how many people had “access denied” daily just because the color of the skin. Or women who couldn’t vote. OK mom–at 95 years old you still have it!

Her words got me to thinking about this topic and how, being denied, was so hurtful for so many people. Imagine being on the white-side, enjoying bathrooms, any seat on a bus, a fresh slurp from a drinking fountain—while those not-white stood back because they were not allowed access. Or our Native Americans who were herded into reservations because they were not fit to be among the whites. Kind of rankles me a whole lot to even think of it.

This brought me to Ephesians 1:3-4, using The Voice translation, which has the heading “This letter begins with praise and thanksgiving to God the Father, to whom we always have access. God blesses us, Jesus, who redeems us, the Holy Spirit, who seals us.” Just that heading reminded me that we have 24/7 access to the Trinity! Read on below for the verses that encourage and remind us that God chose us before we chose God.

“Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus the Anointed One, who grants us every spiritual blessing in these heavenly realms where we live in the Anointed—not because of anything we have done, but because of what He has done for us.  God chose us to be in a relationship with Him even before He laid out plans for this world; He wanted us to live holy lives characterized by love, free from sin, and blameless before Him.”

What does this mean for us? We Have access! We are never denied and sent away. Unlike the world, God never sleeps and is always available. Who has that kind of access? I came up with a few that could be close: the gift of our hospitals, emergency rooms, fire stations and the first responders who step up to the plate no matter what time of night or day. ​Or the parents of a newborn child, up all night—might be tired and sleepy but never do they deny access to th​eir love and care for this precious ​child!

Christine Caine wrote seven encouraging quotes about what we can receive because of our “access always” to God. I asked her if I could share this and she said “you always have access to my writings.” So, enjoy her words and find strength and encouragement in each one:

  • You can have joy despite difficult circumstances.
  • You can show love in a hate-filled world.
  • You can have patience in an instant-gratification world.
  • You can display kindness in a harsh world.
  • You can display self-control in an out-of-control world.
  • You can be faithful in a faithless world.
  • You can be gentle in an agitated world.

Perhaps you have been denied just because of your skin color, your looks, your dress, your voice—we are so quick to “judge a book by its cover.” It hurts to be denied, and spiritually, those who place their faith in God and yet have no problem with denying someone because of race, creed, color, religion, looks, status, etc., need a refresher from Ephesians 1:3-4!

Friend, be encouraged by knowing that you have what Jesus has—full access to his Father. Let the Holy Spirit’s wisdom sink into your heart and mind with this access, so when you get denied—and you will, when the door may close in your face, you know this is not from God. God’s grace, love and acceptance of you is 24/7 all the way to eternity! Amen.