"And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further. But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us... And he went in to tarry with them. And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight" (Luke 24:29-31).
Do you realize that the God of the universe desires for you to experience a personal and intimate relationship with Him? God will woo you but he will not force you into experiencing a love relationship with him. Forced love is a contradiction in terms. In Revelations 3 Jesus said, "I stand at the door and knock. If any man hears my voice and opens the door I will come in and sup with him and he with me." This verse is often applied to a lost person but I believe the context shows that the Lord is addressing Christians. God wants to dine with me--he wants to fellowship with me and satisfy me with his steadfast love. The thought that God stands and knocks on our door rather than us standing and knocking on his door just blows my mind. And even more unfathomable is the fact that some of us are so caught up with sin and the cares of this life that we have not answered the door at times and left God standing there. This is the reason why there are so many luke warm Christians living such shallow lives. This is why many do not have a burning heart for the Lord. There is an absence of real intimacy with God. In the lives of some Christians Jesus is standing outside the door of their lives. They might go to God's house on Sunday morning with all kinds of demands and expectations that they want met. But they haven't really allowed God to come over to their house. Maybe they talk to God behind a closed door and say, "just leave what I want at the door and I'LL get it when you leave." Or maybe they open the door to ask God what he wants but they leave the chain on and the Lord remains standing outside. Oh, but the Christians that recognize that Jesus is the lover and satisfier of their souls our waiting in the window. They can hear him pulling up in the driveway. No knock on the door is needed. No door bell needs to be sounded. When their savior approaches the door is opened wide and he hears, "come in my Lord. I'm so very glad you're here. Make yourself at home." And the Savior comes in and dines. Have you opened the door of your heart to the lover of your soul? Draw near to him and he will draw near to you (James 4:8).
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