The Door.
I talked softly to him because I did not want to embarrass him if he thought others were listening. My heart went out to him because I loved the young man. He was not doing well, would not look at me, and his eyes were not clear. I gently reminded him of his need for Jesus Christ.
“I have not stopped praying for you. I know you are not doing good, and your heart does not have peace.” He listened while looking down but did not reply.
Hold that scene for a moment and go with me to a large home that I visited recently. It’s doors were massive, heavy, bordered with iron, and intimidating. The wood was beautiful, thick, and very heavy. The door was well hung, because it took very little effort to swing it open, as long as it was unlocked. Another door I remember was to a courtyard in another country. The iron gate was twenty feet high. I could see the edge of a large green space behind it as well as the blue sky above. Guards stood at attention on either side. In both cases, the objective of the doors was to stop entry unless specifically permitted.
Switching back to the scene with the young man, consider the door in his heart. It was just as formidable as the physical doors I described, and his heart was locked. My wife and I were recalling our love for this young man while we were talking today. We still pray for him. God is knocking on his private padlocked door, but he has not opened his heart so far.
The Bible says we are all that way with closed doors and resistance to God. However, in God’s mercy and love, He wants all to know Him, so He speaks to us one way or another. Revelation 3:20, the last book of the Bible, describes it this way: “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.”
As powerful as God is, He waits for us to open the door. Several verses make the same point. Our Creator made us so perfect that He gave us full choice to accept Him and invite Him in. We can also refuse His knock, pretend like we did not hear it, or simply refuse to believe. Nevertheless, the Father’s intention is that all people would come to Him and be saved from their sins. He is able to forgive our sins, receive us, and give us everlasting life.
Is your door open or shut? If it is open, is it open wide?