DAY 98 of #100daysofJesus
In a chapter full of instruction and guidance, and with us as the intended audience, Jesus invites us to zealously repent. In connection with that invitation, Jesus gives this beautiful promise:
"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."
To me, this is what repentance (personal change and growth) is all about. It's letting Jesus into our lives and hearts.
Jesus helps us transform ourselves into new creatures.
I love the paintings that depict a door with no knob on the outside. Jesus won't just barge in on us and force us to change. He patiently waits, knocking, calling our name, and let's us answer when we're prepared to do so.
At baptism, we make a promise to God that we will follow Jesus, and in return, we are born again and sanctified. We, in essence, open the door for Him.
But life happens, and it's hard to maintain space for Jesus in our hearts every moment of every day while we are so easily distracted by the allure of the world and neverendingly busy.
None of us are perfect, and we make mistakes. Sin closes the door on the Savior until we proactively invite Him back.
As we repent daily, we can retain a remission of our sins through Jesus' grace. This is like opening the door anew each day to continually invite Jesus in. And it can be more often than daily, even hourly, minutely (is that a word?) if needed.
There is no literal door, but Jesus does visit us in a very real sense. This is largely the role of the third member of the Godhead, the Holy Ghost. He is a personage of spirit, able to literally dwell within each of us. He's sometimes referred to as the Spirit of Christ.
There is great power that comes into your life when you have a member of the Godhead with you. Jesus has taught us how to enjoy that special gift by opening the door.
Zealously repent to hear Him and open the door. Jesus is already standing right there, knocking.
(Revelation 3)
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