"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me."
Back in the day when I first became a Christ-follower, this is the key verse I was given.
It explained the process that I had just gone through in becoming a Christian. I had just asked Jesus into my heart, and opened that proverbial door to my heart and invited Him in.
Yes, I got that. It meant a lot to me back then. It still does. Declaring your faith in Jesus Christ and trusting Him as your LORD and savior is huge. It's live-giving. It's live-changing. It's the door to life itself.
But, almost 40 years later, this verse still is dear to me. Not simply for the memories of giving my life over to God, but for my present life as a middle-aged believer.
The process of giving ourselves to God never ends. At least it shouldn't. You see, on some days, I find it's easier to live my humdrum life on my own shallow terms. Sometimes I can almost see how an atheist can exist day to day without even once considering if God loved me, is pleased with me or has a perfect and loving purpose for my life.
Almost.
Those moments of amnesia about God are fleeting for me. I know I walk with Him and He walks with me. I know there isn't anything in this world that would separate me from His love.
But, I do have those moments when I want to go my own way. I want to live in the immediate, the obvious, the superficial. It is during those times I need to open the door once again to my heart and ask Jesus to enter. That heart door is annoyingly good at closing.
Unfortunately, that door might stay closed even longer than it does, if it weren't for the first part of Rev. 3:20. Jesus tells us that He stands at the door and knocks. He knocks, and thank God He does.
No, Jesus isn't pestering us. He isn't simply prompting us to listen and obey. What His knocking at the door of our hearts tells me, is that He seeks us. He invites us. He pursues us. Just like a lover woos the object of his affection, Jesus woos us with an indescribable love. No one is more loved than we are.
So, why do I need to "hear" a knock at the door of my heart before I respond? I don't know. It makes me sad to think about it.
But, I thank God that He never stops pursuing me. I am loved. I am worth it.
Thank you, Jesus.
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