WATCH BIRD OF THE VENT By Marion Smith

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only
Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have
everlasting life.

I looked out the hotel window and observed a circular air vent across
the way. Many sparrows were flying in and out of it. I noticed one
pathetic little bird who tried to get in the vent, but all his
attempts were in vain.

In Biblical times, there was a watchman at the gate of each city, and
there, in San Antonio, Texas, there seemed to be a watch bird of the
vent! This bird guarded the nesting area , and was the “keeper of the
vent ”, so to speak. The watch bird denied my little feathered friend
admittance to the nesting area, and it made me sad. Why, I wondered,
did he not belong? What had he done or where had he been hatched, or
what was his physical deformity that kept him as “the outsider”? He
seemed determined to gain admittance, flying from one side to the
other, trying to make his swoop in to the area. Finally, however, he
gave up his valiant effort and just flew away.

In God’s house there is no watchman at the gate to deny our
admittance. There is no station of birth, no bad deed we have done,
nor any deformity that will keep us barred from the house of the Lord.
As a matter of fact, God sent His only son to give us an individual
invitation into God’s presence. What a wonderful invitation that
is...and such a personal one, too. What a wonderful God we have! He
knows each one of us personally and He invites us to know and live
with him forever, through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

THANK YOU. FATHER FOR THE INVITATION YOU HAVE GIVEN US TO
RESIDE WITH YOU FOREVER.