April 29, 2004

THE KNOCKING CHRIST

"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him" (Revelation 3:20, NIV).

A little girl stood gazing intently at a painting of Jesus at an art show. It was the painting of Christ knocking at the door of a home. In the picture, it was a cold winter night; snow flakes were gently falling on the head and shoulders of the knocking Christ. Visibly troubled, the little girl turned to her mother and asked, "Mommy, why do they keep Him standing there?"

The portrait of the knocking Christ hangs in the gallery of every human heart. The little girl's question must not be left unanswered. To the church of Laodicea, this portrait is especially timely. In our lukewarmness, in our indifference to God's will, and in our fascination with the mundane--we keep Him standing there. "Why do they keep Him standing there?" is a question we cannot ignore. It's a question we must do something about.

There is another intriguing detail about the portrait of the knocking Christ. There is no latch or doorknob on the door! That's the way it is with the human heart. The latch is always on the inside. It's the people inside who must open the door. As the little chorus says, "You must open the door... when Jesus comes in, He will cleanse you from sin, but you must open the door. The knocking Christ wants to come in for fellowship with us. Ellen G. White offers the secret to opening the door: "When the heart is emptied of self-importance, the door will be opened to Christ, because you will recognize His knock. But unless you clear away the rubbish that keeps the Lord Jesus out, He cannot possibly enter; for He forces no entrance."--This Day With God, p. 74.

My Prayer Today: Lord, too often have I kept the knocking Christ waiting on the outside. Today, I open the door. Amen.