LISTEN, ANSWER, AND FELLOWSHIP WITH JESUS

"Look! Here I stand at the door and knock. If you hear me calling and open the door, I will come in and we will share a meal as friends. I will invite everyone who is victorious to sit with me on my throne just as I was victorious and sat with My Father on His throne." Revelation 3:20-21

Question: Do you feel as if the Lord is inactive in your life? Are you going through circumstances where you feel lost and alone? Depressed and stressed instead of blessed?

If so, then I believe that today’s scripture from the 3rd chapter of the Revelation of Jesus can offer you guidance toward renewing and strengthening your relationship with Him and moving you from despair to hope. Here are several points to ponder:

(1) Jesus never leaves us…we leave Him. In verse 20, Jesus says that He stands at the door, knocks and calls out. The "door" is the entrance to your heart, a door that we too often keep closed with a do not disturb sign on it. We tend to want to internalize everything, especially when things are going wrong in our lives. At the very time we should be asking Jesus in to help, instead we shut Him out with the intent on relying on ourselves to work things out…and that’s a recipe for disaster.

The truth is that void of Jesus, we can’t succeed and we certainly don’t have the inner strength to persevere through trials on our own. We have to have Jesus. Paul asserts in Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." So can we but only if we answer the knock on the door of our heart and invite Jesus in.

(2) When we let Him in, He makes Himself at home and enters into fellowship with us. Jesus tells us that He "will come in and share a meal as friends." Food brings nourishment and strength. In your weakest times, the invited Jesus feeds your inner heart and soul, bringing strength and vitality…a renewed zest for life and living. But He brings even more…He brings friendship.

As mentioned, we tend to withdraw during times of trouble. When we need someone to hold and comfort us most, we tend to steal away and isolate ourselves. Jesus brings us friendship anytime we want. He longs to be in constant fellowship with us…to show us a joy and peace beyond comprehension. We need only invite Him in.

(3) When we fellowship with Jesus and build a solid faith relationship, He knows us and will count us as the "victorious" when either we die or He returns, whichever might come first. Either way, we are assured victory and the privilege "to sit with (Jesus) on the throne, just as He was victorious in resurrection. Is there any better news than that?

So…in summation, listen for Jesus knocking and calling…when you hear Him, invite Him in…partake of His strength, comfort and peace, all that come to nourish you in your weakest time. And sustain your fellowship and relationship with Jesus after inviting Him in so you might be counted among the victorious. The prize is eternal life and a place on the throne with Jesus and His Eternal Father. Hallelujah!

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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