Have you ever been to a home improvement store? Have you ever noticed the wide variety of doors that are available? I had no idea there were so many different kinds! Some are solid; some are hollow. Some are pocket doors, sliding into a wall until needed. Some are half-doors, where the top swings open, but the bottom remains closed and locked. Some have windows in them, while many have only peepholes. The variance in doors is amazing, but they all have the same function. Doors let people in or out. You can lock them, hoping to keep people out indefinitely, or you can leave them wide open, an invitation for anyone to enter. You control your door.
When I accepted Christ as my Saviour, the illustration was used of Him standing outside the “door of my heart” knocking and waiting for me to invite Him in. He never forced Himself into my life; instead, he patiently waited for me to open the door and invite Him to be my Lord and Saviour.
As I was reading today’s devotion, it occurred to me that although Jesus had walked through the door of my heart years ago, my “life’s house” still has many other doors. I pictured Jesus walking around in my house, freely entering any room whose door was open, but what about the rooms whose doors remained closed? I knew Jesus would not barge through any of them. It was up to me to open them and allow Him access. I had to ask myself, “Why are these doors closed?”
One room that still had a closed door was the entertainment room. What was in there that kept me from opening that door? What was it that I didn’t want Jesus to see? Was it the CDs I listened to? The television shows I watched? The games I played?
Another room was the reading room. This door had one of those half-doors. Jesus could peek into this room through the opened upper half of the door, but He still couldn’t freely go in and out. I had a Bible in there – He could see it if He peeked in through the door, but what other reading material was in that room? What kinds of magazines? What kinds of books?
The rest of my life’s house was open, but I had to ask myself, “In which room do I spend most of my time?” Was it a room where Jesus was? A place where I could easily chat with Him? A place where He was welcome? Or was it one of those rooms with the closed doors? A place where I could go and indulge in whatever I wanted without His presence? A place where I hoped Jesus wouldn’t intrude?
I have decided that 2019 is going to be a year when I clean house! I want Jesus to feel welcome and invited to every part of my house, so it’s time for me to rid my life of those sinful behaviors that hinder my relationship with my Lord. It may be a little early in the year, but for me, spring cleaning is going to begin in January!
“But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.” – John 10:2