The Pocket Testament League

I get this devotional Monday through Fridays. It's really good :)

Day 150: It Would Be So Much Easier To Just Open The Door

Acts 12:13-15

Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer the door. When she recognized Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, "Peter is at the door!" "You're out of your mind," they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, "It must be his angel."

Thoughts for Today:

Not long ago I was playing golf with Pastor Ty. We generally play as a twosome, as it gives us time to talk with each other and whoever God chooses to place in our group. On this particular day, we were joined by a guy in his early thirties who was married, and had two children (they attended an Episcopal preschool). As the conversation turned to what church he was attending, he stammered a bit because by now he knew Ty was a preacher. He answered by saying his family was Jewish, but his wife was Episcopalian. Ty then asked what I thought was a really good question, "Is she a Christian?" He thought about that for a minute, and then said in all seriousness, "I'm not sure I know what it means to be a Christian." Our new friend did not play very good golf the rest of the day, but by the time we finished, he had a much better idea of the person and identity of Jesus.

Our friend asked some really good questions that day, and perhaps the best one was, "Okay I understand who you say Jesus is, but why and how do I believe?" If my daughter asked me "Why do I have to clean my room?" Sometimes I will get tired of explaining and go into my Dad-mode and just say, "Because I say so." That wasn't going to work with this guy, yet that is basically how a lot of Christians answer this question. As I read our passage today I thought about our friend's questions, you see Jesus was standing knocking at his door just like Peter. Rather than opening the door, instead our friend was running to other people looking for answers (as was the servant girl). We were just the last in a long list. I finally told him that he wouldn't find his answers from other people -- the answer would come from Jesus Himself -- from his own personal experience. All he needed was enough faith and belief to grab the handle of the door and open it. Jesus would do the rest. I thought about myself when I said this. I certainly have let Jesus into my life (my house), but have I let Him in every room?

Questions to Ponder:

How long has it been since you opened the door to Jesus? Have you let Him into every room of your house? Is there an area you keep Him out of? Is He in all of your friendships, relationships, at work, in your car, and in your marriage? In what area of your life is Jesus not present? Will you invite Him into that area now?