Week 8 - Day 1 - A Relationship With Jesus
|
Title: Welcoming Jesus into Your Heart
Scripture: Revelation 3:20 (NKJV)
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”
Devotional:
The very essence of love as we discovered in one of our early looks into who God is from 1 Corinthians 13 [the love chapter] is consistency and patience. These align perfectly with the Fruits Of The Spirit we discussed just a couple of weeks back.
Jesus will never impose Himself on us. He will never remove our necessity to chose love because love cannot be mandated. It’s our choice always to allow Him in or reject Him.
What keeps us from opening our hearts to Jesus?
Is it a fear that I might change and others will no longer recognise me? Perhaps the fog of institutionalised religion has hidden the real face of God and His Son from your view? Maybe you feel that it’s too late now; that you have been too bad and you feel too ashamed?
Jesus is everything the Bible tells us He is and we have a golden key to the door of salvation and all we have to do in open that door.
You don’t think that hHe knows those things that are holding you back? You think He hasn’t been with you in your darkest hours?
It’s astonishing to now know that He was there in all my darkness like the fire extinguisher behind the glass with the sign. “To access break glass.” He was there waiting to rescue us but we had to choose Him first.
The final book of the Bible, Revelation is the end of one story and the beginning of a new one. It describes the end of darkness and the birth of eternal life. It’s quite significant that Jesus makes this statement towards the end isn’t it?
In the final book of the Bible, Jesus reveals Himself as the one who stands at the door of our hearts, knocking and eagerly waiting to be invited in. He doesn’t force His way in; instead, He patiently waits for us to respond to His gentle call. This imagery of Jesus knocking on the door of our hearts is a powerful reminder of His desire for intimate fellowship with us.
Jesus longs to enter into the depths of our being, to share in our joys and sorrows, and to commune with us in a personal and meaningful way. He offers us the incredible opportunity to experience His presence and to partake in a spiritual feast of fellowship and intimacy.
Reflection Questions:
- Do you hear the gentle knocking of Jesus on the door of your heart? How can you cultivate a greater awareness of His presence and respond to His invitation?
- What barriers or distractions might be preventing you from fully welcoming Jesus into your life? How can you remove these obstacles and open the door of your heart to Him?
- Consider the significance of Jesus’ promise to dine with those who open the door to Him. How does this image of sharing a meal with Jesus deepen your understanding of communion and fellowship with Him?
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, Papa God.
Thank you for the gift of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who stands at the door of our hearts, patiently waiting for us to invite Him in. Open our ears to hear His gentle knock and soften our hearts to respond to His call. Help us to remove any barriers that hinder our intimacy with You and to welcome Jesus into every area of our lives. May our fellowship with Him be sweet and satisfying, filling us with joy and peace. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Graham Hood
