John: Chapter 10

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. 4 When he hath put forth all his own, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. 5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. 6 This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.

THE DOOR OF YOUR mind is your open-mindedness. "I am the door of the sheep." "Sheep" are your thoughts. "A thief and a robber" is mortal thought. The "porter" is the will. The "good shepherd" is the spiritual I AM.

All forces that come into your consciousness in any other way than through your own I AM are thieves and robbers. No man can be saved from the limitations and mistakes of ignorance except through his own volition.

There is a widespread belief that we can turn over to those who have better understanding the straightening out of our tangled thoughts. Such help may be extended temporarily, but it always proves "a thief and a robber" in the end. The true healer is always the teacher and instructs his patients how to open the door to the "good shepherd," the divine I AM.