By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that’s not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise. (Romans 5:1-2)
God wants to do so much for us. We are to enter into what he is doing in and through our lives. Back in the day, we didn't lock doors when we left our homes - now we secure them with multiple locks and security screen doors. There are also doors within us, too. The doors we keep securely "latched" in our lives so as to keep others out, limiting our "exposure" to others. These doors act to keep others out and to keep our "messy lives" under wraps! God's plan is to have those doors opened to him - not so he can criticize our "mess" of a life, but so he can help us clear out the space and allow it to be put in right order.
His door is open wide to those who will take the first step toward him, admit their need for his grace in their lives, and then allow him to gain access to the doors of our heart and mind. He will set in order what we have been working hard to keep under wraps! He does this by putting us into a position of "right-standing" with him - not through our own efforts, but through the efforts of Jesus Christ. All of us were created with a "space" into which God's Spirit "fits" - fill it with anything else and it will never "fit right". It is like trying to put a square peg into a round hole - it could be done, but it sure doesn't fit right and takes a whole lot of altering to get it to fit!
We have "secured doors" in our lives because we think these areas are beyond fixing. God wants to assure us that if we open up, we will discover he has already provided whatever we need that will help us to set right what is behind those sealed doors of our lives. This should be good news for those of us with a whole lot of junk behind those doors! It isn't until we open the door that we discover what Christ has available to us. We know he has "good stuff" for his kids, but we don't come to appreciate what that "good stuff" is until we see how it begins to help us with the "cleaning up" of our messiness.
Open doors not only allow access, but they allow a way of escape. Things we have bottled up so tightly in our hearts and minds are finally free to find a way of escape once we open the door to Jesus' grace. We must open up if we are to recognize the path of escape. It isn't that we escape the hurt that has been bottled up behind those closed doors, but we finally realize a means by which the hurt may be removed so it no longer causes us hurt and it cannot be used to hurt others. Sealing away life's hurts and disappointments may be a means of dealing with stuff we find too difficult to handle, but it is not God's plan for us. Opening to him is the means by which grace enters and hurt leaves. Opening the door actually creates the egress for the anger and bitterness of past hurt. Once the places of concealment are emptied, they are open to be filled again - only this time, they are filled with grace, love, compassion, forgiveness, and peace.
So, we all have doors. The only one with access to open those locks and bolts is the one who secured them in the first place - and that would be us. All Jesus asks is for us to open the door. He does the rest. In opening the door, we might feel a little vulnerable, but grace doesn't mistreat our vulnerability. Instead, it embraces it and loves us through the discomfort of being open and real with him. Just sayin!
God wants to do so much for us. We are to enter into what he is doing in and through our lives. Back in the day, we didn't lock doors when we left our homes - now we secure them with multiple locks and security screen doors. There are also doors within us, too. The doors we keep securely "latched" in our lives so as to keep others out, limiting our "exposure" to others. These doors act to keep others out and to keep our "messy lives" under wraps! God's plan is to have those doors opened to him - not so he can criticize our "mess" of a life, but so he can help us clear out the space and allow it to be put in right order.
His door is open wide to those who will take the first step toward him, admit their need for his grace in their lives, and then allow him to gain access to the doors of our heart and mind. He will set in order what we have been working hard to keep under wraps! He does this by putting us into a position of "right-standing" with him - not through our own efforts, but through the efforts of Jesus Christ. All of us were created with a "space" into which God's Spirit "fits" - fill it with anything else and it will never "fit right". It is like trying to put a square peg into a round hole - it could be done, but it sure doesn't fit right and takes a whole lot of altering to get it to fit!
We have "secured doors" in our lives because we think these areas are beyond fixing. God wants to assure us that if we open up, we will discover he has already provided whatever we need that will help us to set right what is behind those sealed doors of our lives. This should be good news for those of us with a whole lot of junk behind those doors! It isn't until we open the door that we discover what Christ has available to us. We know he has "good stuff" for his kids, but we don't come to appreciate what that "good stuff" is until we see how it begins to help us with the "cleaning up" of our messiness.
Open doors not only allow access, but they allow a way of escape. Things we have bottled up so tightly in our hearts and minds are finally free to find a way of escape once we open the door to Jesus' grace. We must open up if we are to recognize the path of escape. It isn't that we escape the hurt that has been bottled up behind those closed doors, but we finally realize a means by which the hurt may be removed so it no longer causes us hurt and it cannot be used to hurt others. Sealing away life's hurts and disappointments may be a means of dealing with stuff we find too difficult to handle, but it is not God's plan for us. Opening to him is the means by which grace enters and hurt leaves. Opening the door actually creates the egress for the anger and bitterness of past hurt. Once the places of concealment are emptied, they are open to be filled again - only this time, they are filled with grace, love, compassion, forgiveness, and peace.
So, we all have doors. The only one with access to open those locks and bolts is the one who secured them in the first place - and that would be us. All Jesus asks is for us to open the door. He does the rest. In opening the door, we might feel a little vulnerable, but grace doesn't mistreat our vulnerability. Instead, it embraces it and loves us through the discomfort of being open and real with him. Just sayin!
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