Jesus Asks Us to Open the Door First, Not Clean the Room First
Jesus says:
“Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends” (Revelation 3:20, NLT).
How do we respond to His knock? Revelation 3:15-19 describes three types of Christians and how they each respond:
- The Hot Christian eagerly and joyfully opens the door, welcoming Jesus in without hesitation.
- The Cold Christian longs to open the door but feels stuck, unable to reach the door because of life’s clutter. Yet, they earnestly desire to be close to Jesus.
- The Lukewarm Christian sees Jesus as an interruption and chooses not to answer at all.
Many of us are Cold Christians, believing we must clean up our lives before inviting Jesus in. But this is not how Jesus works. Consider this:
Imagine yourself in a cluttered room. The door swings outward and is locked with a voice-activated system. The room is packed with “stuff”—burdens, distractions, and sins—so much so that you can’t even reach the door. Jesus is knocking, and though you desperately want to let Him in, you feel trapped.
What can you do?
The solution is simple: Cry out to Jesus!
Remembers? This is exactly what Peter did in Matthew 14:22-32. As he began to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” and Jesus immediately reached out to rescue him. Similarly, when we cry out for help, the door unlocks automatically, and Jesus will come in.
Once inside, Jesus begins the process of cleaning our hearts. Just like tidying a cluttered room, this takes time. We may resist, clinging to things He wants to remove, or we may even ask Him to stop. But Jesus understands our deepest desires. Unless we truly reject Him, He patiently stays, working carefully and lovingly until the process is complete.
And when the work is done, Jesus doesn’t just leave us alone in a clean room. He sits down to share a meal with us, offering fellowship, peace, and joy.
Jesus isn’t waiting for you to be perfect before He enters—He simply needs an invitation from you. Cry out to Him today, and let Him in.
Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.
Can an Ethiopian change the color of his skin? Can a leopard take away its spots? [Can a tiger change it’s stripes?] Neither can you start doing good, for you have always done evil.
