JESUS WAITS

"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" Revelation 3:20 (KJV).

When I was a little girl, my Great Uncle Jerry had a hard time finding work to support his family of four. He began selling religious pictures and asked my mother if my sisters and I could also sell pictures for him. He would give us ten cents for every picture we sold. One of the pictures was of Jesus knocking at the door. It had a rich, blue velvety background and the picture was etched in silver glitter. It was inspiring and sold for one dollar. Even in the poor economy the householders were glad to buy the picture for it gave them hope in desperate times.

The picture of Jesus standing at a door knocking, waiting to be let in is called The Light of the World, painted in 1851 to 1853 by William Holman Hunt, illustrating Revelation 3:20 above. He continues to knock on peoples hearts today, always watching, waiting for the invitation to come in. He is patient and kind but not pushy or demanding. Jesus loves us with a never-ending love that is all encompassing, an invitation to an eternal love.

When the door of our heart is opened for Jesus, He is happy to come in. He forgives our wrong actions and leads us on to the path of righteousness to His Father.

Father, teach us to walk the right path and not grow faint while serving You. May we listen for Jesus' knock on our hearts' door so we can invite Him in to stay. Amen.

© 2015 E. Bonnie Ryan