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. Revelation 3:20 KJV
The Contention:
Just in case you were wondering, the words of today's extract were addressed to an actual church, located in Laodicea in the then Asia Minor. The Lord sent these words to the church, and they portray a God who cares about the condition of His church, and will do anything to preserve its integrity and holiness. God sent these words to remind the church that He sees and knows all, and nothing is hidden from Him. We can convince ourselves about anything, but we cannot ignore the words here: they warn us about becoming complacent or familiar with the things of God, so much so that we do not recognize His leading, direction or warning. That is a dangerous place for any 'child of God' to be, and it is something I must consistently guard my heart against.
The Expectation:
Familiarity indeed breeds contempt. This is a church that had shut its doors against its Lord and Master, and who was now standing outside the door, seeking to be allowed to come in. How would a church survive if the presence of its Lord was not there? We do try and force it sometimes; we keep up appearances, go through the motions and just pretend all is well, but if the presence of the Lord of the church is not there, it is just a ceremony, empty of power, purpose and perfection. There is the power to choose the right response, which is to open the door to Him. Until I respond the right way, the rest of the verse will not happen. No matter how much I desire the presence of God, I have to be the one to invite Him of my own freewill. He does not force Himself on anyone.
The Conclusion:
He wants to come in. As His patience has no limits, He will continue to knock until I respond, or the need to open the door expires. From the passage the verse above was taken, you will see that time is very critical to this conversation. I need to make up my mind how I will respond. It is a new year, with its own challenges and peculiarities. It is a year that will demand a lot from me, but I need the help of the One who owns and holds times and seasons in His hands. He wants to come in and eat with me, showing that He is interested in every detail of my life. Of course, these decisions also have eternal consequences, and if I allow Him in, He will eat with me down here, and I will also eat with Him when He returns for the final judgement. It is not an appointment to be missed; I must accept it today. Tomorrow is not assured for anyone. God's time of favour is here.
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