The Scriptures make it clear that God fully respects man’s free will. He accepts our affections, purposes, and decisions. But of course, He does not respect persons in the sense of regarding one above another.   

     God never forces His gifts upon us, but He leaves the choice to us. Otherwise He would be untrue to His merciful and longsuffering nature. The picture in today’s key verse reveals this. Christ stands outside the closed doors of apostate hearts and churches, knocking and calling, seeking entrance and fellowship.  

     How will the door be opened? From the inside only. This is Christ’s way. He has paid the full price for our redemption. He is patient, and He keeps knocking.  

     Christ will never force the door. This is true not only for His first request for entrance, but also for every door in the house of the soul. Do we sometimes retreat into a dark closet to engage in sinful thoughts and actions? Christ knocks at those doors too.  

     We cannot leave Christ in the front hall when the rooms where we work and amuse ourselves are still closed against Him. We must let Him take full possession of the whole property. He wants to sweep it clean so that He can sit down with us to a divine meal at a spotless table in an immaculate house. Oh, what a supper that is!  

     Someone has said, “If there are tears shed in Heaven, they will be over the fact that we prayed so little.” We didn’t let Him in. We didn’t talk with Him. Heaven is full of answers to prayer, for which no one ever bothered to ask. Throw open the door and welcome Him now.  

~James Baer