Open Up part 3
I want to take a little bit of a different tact today, even though I think all I ever do is say the same thing over and over again in a slightly different way. But I think--I hope--this will help us see the importance of keeping our heart and mind open. Revelation 3:20 (NLT), "Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends." I say this all the time, but I truly believe that God is too much of a gentleman to force you to do anything. And, admittedly, there are times when God has done what He wanted to do. The cross, for example. Or when God didn't give Jonah much of a choice on going to Ninevah. But the truth of the matter is that love (Jesus, God) doesn't demand its (HIS) own way. So when Jesus stands at the door and knocks, He doesn't huff and puff and blow your house down. He waits for an invitation. An opportunity. In our weakness He is strong. If we think we can do it ourselves, God will generally let us try. If we think we can do it, He'll let us try to do it. I heard a preacher say it like this, "When you work, God will rest. And when you rest, God will work." I think that's pretty good. Because even though the meal has been prepared (a six-course meal called the Six Steps to the Throne... when Jesus was Crucified, Died, Buried, Quickened, Raised, and Seated), when the Spirit and the bride say "Come," they don't say, "Come... or else." The say, "Come and get it!" Everything is available to us. All we have to do is open up to it. Open the door. And just so we're one hundred percent sure that we're talking about what we're talking about... even though Jesus stands at the door and knocks... Jesus IS the door. "Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep" (John 10:7). And, as my six year old son Logan will tell you, Jesus lives in our hearts. So that door that He's knocking on--the door that He IS--is the heart. And as far as answering that knock goes... to me that simply means listening to that still, small voice inside of us that says, with each and every beat of our hearts, "I love you, I love you, I love you." Answering the call means believing the truth. And I know that when the world is screaming at the top of its lungs about what's wrong with you... it can be hard to HEAR the truth. Much less believe it. But that's what faith is. Faith is not hope. Those are two different things. If you hope God loves you, you don't believe He loves you. But faith comes from hearing. And hearing comes from the Word (LOVE) of God. When you hear that truth about God's love, something rises up in you. Because faith works by love. Jesus said, "Have faith in God" (Mark 11:22). Which means, "Have faith in love." Because God IS love. So what's happening when Jesus (God in the flesh, love in a body) stands at the door of your heart and knocks is that God is filling us to overflowing with His love. With Himself. And all we have to do is open up. Fill ourselves with what we've already been filled with. Receive it and release it. Receive it BY releasing it. And then we get to share that meal with Him. That love feast. Which is good when you consider that you are what you eat. If you feast on love, you will not only be able to love, you will understand that you are loved, and you ARE love!