He Seeks Us 5

Revelation 3:20

With jobs and church and family our lives can be fairly full. The days seem to fill with scheduled activities that don’t always leave room for the unexpected. Still, it is usually very nice and a fun little change in the routine to have an unexpected visitor stop by the house.

Unfortunately, there are times when we are far too busy to be able to spare the time required to visit with someone who drops by unannounced. When that happens we have to be blunt and explain that we just don’t have the time. We aren’t always ready to open the door for someone who comes to us.

We know that Jesus seeks us. He calls us into a relationship with him. But there is a unique feature to his approach. What does Jesus say about himself? What must we do for him?

This passage is very familiar to most people. It is so well known, in fact, that many churches have the familiar depiction of Jesus standing and knocking at a garden door, whether as a painting or stained glass. It is a comforting image, but there is an interesting aspect to it. If you look closely at these pictures you will notice that the door has no doorknob or handle by which it can be opened.

Jesus seeks us, but in his move toward us he goes only as far as the door of our hearts. He knocks on our lives and tries to get our attention. If he is to enter into a relationship with us then we must be the ones who open the door for him. Jesus is not an intruder. He is not an irresistible force that overwhelms us and controls us. Jesus simply offers himself to us. He knocks. We must open the door.

If we are willing to acknowledge Jesus we can open our hearts and our lives to his presence. We can invite Jesus to enter. He wants to enter. He desires that encounter with us. He wants to heal us and comfort us and feed us. But the relationship depends on us.

As we are assured that Jesus seeks us, we must consider what we will do to receive him.

DAILY CHALLENGE: How can you open the door for Jesus?

This is the last of our 10/2 Grow Daily Devotions for the spring of 2010. We pray that these have been helpful in building your faith. We plan to return on August 30, and we encourage you to invite others to sign up for the daily devotion this fall. May God bless you this summer. - Roger and Peggy Emerson