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.
God is a loving and delightful God, who made a way for us to get to him through Jesus. He also encourages us on the path back to him when we stray and it's the same way-through Jesus. Like a father correcting his children, he can see whatever state you're in and lead you back to him in a gentle, loving way. A
good father will point out what has been done wrong and help you
understand it. He won't let you continue to live in it, remaining
oblivious to your error.
We see an example of this in Revelation 3:15, in God's message to the church of Laodicea: "I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot." God sees the current state of the church of Laodicea and gives them the truth. But he not only points out the truth- he also provides a solution to their apathy: himself, Jesus. He tells them to cover their nakedness with his righteousness. He encourages them to have faith in him through future trials, and he commands them to put "salve" in their eyes and repent. He tells them that he stands at the door to their hearts, and is waiting for them to let him back in (Revelation 3:14-22).
We see an example of this in Revelation 3:15, in God's message to the church of Laodicea: "I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot." God sees the current state of the church of Laodicea and gives them the truth. But he not only points out the truth- he also provides a solution to their apathy: himself, Jesus. He tells them to cover their nakedness with his righteousness. He encourages them to have faith in him through future trials, and he commands them to put "salve" in their eyes and repent. He tells them that he stands at the door to their hearts, and is waiting for them to let him back in (Revelation 3:14-22).
God is a loving and delightful God who wants us to be with him always. (Matthew 28:20 "I am with you always"). His truth, correction, and encouragement lead us in love into his heart. We know from our own lives that inside
the heart of every person is a world of thoughts, emotions, ideas, and
memories. When you come into a relationship with anyone, you effectively
enter (maybe just a couple steps, or maybe miles) into their heart. So when we enter into a relationship with God, he allows us to see what is in his heart: all of Heaven!
In Revelation, God allows John into heaven on a journey displaying what he wants to do with his creation, and it's a wild ride! Through Jesus who is the 'door' (John 10:9), God allows us in as well. We can go a few steps in and see what it's like. We can go a few miles in and grow better for it (Psalm 16:11). Hopefully, we will continually journey into God's enormous heart for the rest of our lives. Jesus invites us in for the first time, or back for a subsequent time, because he knows that God is a loving and delightful father who will not reject those that come to him through his son. Jesus knows his father's heart so well, he has the same heart. (1 John 4:16; John 15:9)
In Revelation, God allows John into heaven on a journey displaying what he wants to do with his creation, and it's a wild ride! Through Jesus who is the 'door' (John 10:9), God allows us in as well. We can go a few steps in and see what it's like. We can go a few miles in and grow better for it (Psalm 16:11). Hopefully, we will continually journey into God's enormous heart for the rest of our lives. Jesus invites us in for the first time, or back for a subsequent time, because he knows that God is a loving and delightful father who will not reject those that come to him through his son. Jesus knows his father's heart so well, he has the same heart. (1 John 4:16; John 15:9)
I believe that this journey into the heart of God will bring us to a better place, a place where our hearts also flow with the same love and delight that God has had since before the foundation of the world. If you let him, he will transform your heart so you have the same heart as he does (1 John 4:12 "If we love one another, God abides in us."): A heart open to those who have journeyed away from God. And it will invite them in.
John 10:9
John 10:9
I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.
1. Do you agree that Revelation is like a "journey into the heart of God"? Or do you think of it in a different way?
2. Do you feel that God invites us back to him the same way he invites us the first time? Have you felt God invite you to return to him? How was it communicated?
3. How has your relationship with God changed as you've gotten to know Jesus more? Do you see God's heart as inviting and loving even in the "corrections" of Revelation?
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