Door to Your Heart

Chuckle: Child's comment on marriage: "No person really decides before they grow up who they're going to marry. God decides it all way before, and you get to find out later who you're stuck with." -- Kristen, age 10

Good Quote: “Among the things you can give and still keep are your word, a smile, and a grateful heart.” --Zig Ziglar

    "Look! Here I stand at the door (of your heart) and knock. If you hear me calling and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal as friends" (Revelation 3:20 NLT).

Our passage is from a letter from Jesus to the church at Laodicea. This was a church that had become comfortable with the status quo. It was wealthy and lacked for nothing, but had lost its vision for what a New Testament church should be. The people had become complacent and self-centered and Jesus accused them of being "lukewarm" and disgusting to Him. He said he was going to "spew" them out of his mouth because they were neither hot nor cold. Christ was showing the Laodiceans that true value is not in material possessions but in a right relationship with God.

Our desire for money, pleasure, material possessions can be dangerous because their temporary satisfaction can cause us to be indifferent to God's offer of lasting fulfillment and happiness. In reality, our possessions and achievements are worthless when compared with the everlasting future of Christ's Kingdom. But Jesus had not given up on the Laodiceans, and neither has He given up on us. If your relationship with our Lord has become lukewarm, He wants you to repent and return to Him.

In our passage, Jesus is standing at the door of our "lukewarm" hearts. He is knocking on our heart's door and calling out for us to open the door. But if we are doing our own things behind the locked door of our turned away hearts, we will no longer hear God because we are too busy disobeying the greatest commandment: "Love the Lord our God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength" (Mark 12:30 NIV). If our hearts are turned away from God, we do not want to hear God. We want to do our own thing. Notice that Jesus didn't assume that he would be heard. He said, "if" anyone hears my voice. We can easily get so far away from God that we can no longer hear his voice.

Notice that Jesus does not break down the door to our hearts, but gently and lovingly knocks and calls out for our attention. He allows us to decide whether or not we will listen to his call and open the door. Have you found yourself deliberately and intentionally keeping Christ's life-changing presence and power on the other side of the firmly locked door of your heart? If so, you would do well to open your heart to Him in an attitude of repentance and let Him restore your joy. Say to God: I'm wrong; I'm sorry; please forgive me; cleanse me; empower me anew with your Spirit; and use me once again as your vessel for your glory!

Love, Jerry & Dotse