Devotion:
Beholding Jesus cultivates awe and love for him, but answering the knock takes us a step further in our relationship with Christ. It takes us from receiving to participating in Christ. Jesus waits for us to let him in. He stands and knocks, waiting for his bride to open the door to the bridegroom. If we listen, hear, and act, then we are invited to have beautiful communion with the Lord and can partner with him to enact his will in us and the world. If we deny the knock and voice of the Lord, we risk straying from the one who died in hopes that his creation would want to dwell with him as much as he wanted (and still wants) to dwell with us. I want you to imagine your life divided into sections. You have the family section, friends, work, hobbies, and of course, we have Jesus. Do your sections look like this: Work (Jesus), Family (Jesus), Friends (Jesus), Hobbies(Jesus)? Or does it look like this: Jesus (work), Jesus (family), Jesus (friends), Jesus (hobbies)? Is Jesus welcome and reigning over all of these things? Do you heed his voice in all of these things?
Whether you are a new believer or a seasoned saint, each day we wake up with a choice: to accept and partake in the Lord’s invitation we see in Revelation 3:20, or to ignore his knock and his voice. Jesus has something new to us about himself each day. He has a plan for each day,knowing what part of our heart he wants to tackle next. There’s something that delights the heart of God when his children welcome him in. It pleases his heart because it communicates our want for him in our lives. So welcome in the Spirit of Christ, breaking away the barriers you may have made between the ins and outs of your life and Christ.
Scripture:
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”
Revelation 3:20 ESV
Prayer:
Jesus, let us hear Your knock and Your voice. Let us jump at the invitation to be in communion with You in every aspect of our lives. Let our hearts not harden when we hear Your voice, but let them be soft before You, ready and willing to welcome You in. Lord, reveal to us the ways we have rejected You instead of welcomed You, and let us turn from rejecting You and run to welcome You. Jesus, You are welcome in our hearts and minds. Have Your way. In Jesus name, Amen.
Worship Song: I Want To Know You by UPPERROOM