In desperate need of a restroom Joseph finally found one, only to be met by a staff member who firmly told him that this was an exclusive club for members only. And she denied him entry.
This rejection weighed on him for weeks.
Weeks later he happened to be in the same airport with the president of Andrews University. Who invited him to go back to his place of rejection. Joseph was not excited about this, and was doing his best to not be seen by the staff. The same lady however spotted him, and very sternly informed Joseph that he was not allowed to be there without paying the membership price. Bringing all that rejection back again.
However the president of Andrews told her, “This is Dr Joseph Kidder, today his is my plus one” Then the entire premium airport lounge was opened up to him. The woman’s attitude to him changed, and she offered him everything available, full food, facilities, nothing was too much to ask for Joseph, and it would be done.
But Dr Joseph brought this message home by telling us that, as with the story of the Zacchaeus, Jesus says of us, that we are his plus 1 in the kingdom of heaven. We are not there on our own merits, but because Jesus claims us as his plus one, we have full right to enter the kingdom.
