By David ReayFriday 1 May 2020LifeWords DevotionalsDevotionsReading Time: 2 minutes
“Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. (NLT)
This familiar text can be misunderstood so as to diminish its meaning for followers of Jesus. First, it is not addressed to those not yet Christians. It is addressed to Christians who had become lukewarm in their faith. It is not an invitation to begin the faith journey but to deepen the faith journey.
It can also be misunderstood as if responding to Jesus is a bit like taking necessary but nasty medicine. Inviting him in to deepen our faith is going to mess up our lives and make us feel terrible about ourselves.
Here we need to take seriously Jesus’ promise to share a meal with us. Eating with one another in his culture was a sign of love and acceptance. It was no casual matter. When he ate with tax collectors like Levi or Zacchaeus he was not just filling his stomach. He was conveying to all who were on hand that these people were loved and were now his friends.
In troubled times, we need to see Jesus more and more as the one who wants to not just visit us occasionally or deliver the deserved rebuke. He is not just wanting to be like a bit of emergency equipment to be dragged out in times of extremity.
He wants to be woven into our lives as our constant companion, the one who offers himself to us and showers on us his grace and acceptance. Remember he is not knocking at everyone’s door but your own. He knocks on your door. Open it and enjoy him. No need for any distancing!
Blessings
David