Revelation 3:20 - KEY TO HAPPINESS.
Revelation 3:20 (NKJV) Behold, I stand at
the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and
opens the door, I will come in to him and dine
with him, and he with Me.
COMMENTARY PEARL
C. S. Lewis wrote, If I find in myself
a desire which no experience in this world can
satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was
made for another world.
Are you content? Are you a happy person?
Or, are you thinking, If I just had this, I
would be happy? You wont find happiness in
the things this world offers. It wont be
found in possessions. It wont be found in
accomplishments. It wont be found in fame. It wont be
found in any external thing. Happiness does not
come from seeking it but from seeking God.
Happiness will be found in a relationship with God.
Happiness is not about what I have;
its about who has me. Its the relationship I
have with God that brings the ultimate
contentment. As David wrote in Psalm 23, The Lord is
my shepherd; I shall not want (verse 1
NKJV). When the Lord is your shepherd, you can find
perfect contentment.
Tell me what you think you need, and I
will tell you what you really want. What youre
looking for in life is a relationship with God.
Jesus said, Behold, I stand at the door and
knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door,
I will come in to him and dine with him, and
he with Me (Revelation 3:20 NKJV).
Have you asked Jesus Christ to come into
your life to be your Savior and your Lord? Jesus
is ready to forgive you, but you must ask Him
to come into your life. The day you do that,
your questions will be answered. The day you do
that, you will find the contentment youve been
seeking in life. The day you do that is the day you
literally will change your eternal address from Hell
to Heaven. [By Greg Laurie from Harvest
Ministries; https://www.harvestdaily.com]
COMMENTARY
Meals, especially in cultures like those
of the Middle East, are an occasion for
developing deep friendships and lasting bonds. They
aren't just about nutrition; they are about
closeness. This is what Jesus promises His people, but
only if we hear His voice and open the door. We
have to accept His invitation and welcome Him in.
Our primary motive for hearing His voice is
intimacy with Him. Only then are we drawn into the
kind of relationship where His will is discovered
and His secrets are made known. He shares His
heart with those who have opened the doors of
theirs.
Above all else in this life, accept this
invitation. Don't view it as a one-time acceptance of
salvation. See it as an ongoing meal between close
friends. Let Him lean over the table of your heart
and tell you what's on His mind. There's no
greater blessing than this.
Jesus, the door of my heart is wide open.
Come on in. Sit with me, eat with me, talk to me.
Let me be one of Your closest friends. [The One
Year Hearing His Voice Devotional by Chris
Tiegreen]
It happens every day, in every culture,
and in every city, town, and village. To
establish or deepen relationships, we humans sit down
and eat together. The habit is in our genes.
Go into any restaurant at lunchtime or
dinnertime or visit any sidewalk cafe and quietly
observe. You are sure to see business being
transacted over a meal, or it could be a reunion of
friends from way back. Look around, and you will
certainly see several couples, some at the earliest
stages of getting to know each other, others
perhaps embarrassingly giddy in love (maybe even on
their honeymoon), and yet other older couples
celebrating life together. Perhaps you will see a family
enjoying eating out, or several tables pulled
together for a party - for a birthday or maybe a
retirement. It is human nature to eat together.
Important relationships may progress to
the point of inviting someone into your home for
a meal. First you set a time and date. You
carefully plan the menu, shop for ingredients, and
start preparations well ahead, making sure that
the setting is right - lighting, music, flowers,
the best china, crystal, polished silver, and
freshly laundered linen. And the food - everything
done to perfection, ready at the same time so
that you can sit down to eat together. In spite
of all the preparation and attention to detail,
it's not about the meal - it is all about the
relationship. Hearts knit together over food and drink. It
is what we do.
So when the one and only Creator-God,
Sovereign of the universe, Lord of lords and King of
kings, walks up to my door and knocks, waits
patiently, and knocks again, and waits again maybe
I'm not home. Oh, I am home, all right. This is
the door to my heart, my mind. I am always home.
He knows that. So He calls to me. He isn't a
bill collector or a loan shark, but a Father
longing for a relationship with me. Hear the cry in
His voice: "If anyone hears my voice and opens
the door, I will come in and eat with that
person, and they with me." It isn't about the meal,
mind you - it's about the relationship.
Lord, please come in. Let's eat. But more
important, let's talk. [God of Wonders by David Steen]
ILLUSTRATION
Our first day in Egypt, my three friends
and I found ourselves in the middle of Cairo
with a plan to go visit the pyramids of Giza. But
we couldn't find the bus that would take us
there. As you know, many countries have a different
language but still use the same number symbols we do
in North America. But Egypt doesn't. Their
numbers are totally different, so it took us awhile
to find the correct bus stop. After fifteen
minutes, we saw a bus approaching in the distance
with the number symbol we were looking for. This
was our bus!
As we looked to the right where our bus
was approaching, all the other people waiting at
our bus stop suddenly started to run to the
left, away from the oncoming bus! What was going
on? The bus never stopped; it only slowed down.
A moment later it passed us and caught up to
the people who were now running alongside the
bus at about the same speed. In a flash, the
people running alongside the bus jumped onto the
bus, and the bus sped off. It all happened so
quickly, and we realized we had just missed our bus.
We missed it because we didn't know the system.
Twenty minutes later, another bus came, and this
time we boarded it successfully and made it to
the pyramids!
Getting to heaven doesnt require us to
be aware of any special systems, characters, or
languages. God doesn't want us to "miss the bus so
he's made it very simple for us to get to heaven.
Jesus knocks on the door of your heart every day.
Every day you must answer the door and decide if
you will accept Jesus into your heart by asking
him to be part of everything you do that day.
What will you decide for today? [Passport to
Adventure by Rich Aguilera]
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
Pray in your closet, and as you go about
your daily labor let your heart be often uplifted
to God. It was thus that Enoch walked with God.
These silent prayers rise like precious incense
before the throne of grace. Satan cannot overcome
him whose heart is thus stayed upon God. There
is no time or place in which it is
inappropriate to offer up a petition to God. There is
nothing that can prevent us from lifting up our
hearts in the spirit of earnest prayer. In the
crowds of the street, in the midst of a business
engagement, we may send up a petition to God and plead
for divine guidance. A closet of communion may
be found wherever we are. We should have the
door of the heart open continually and our
invitation going up that Jesus may come and abide as a
heavenly guest in the soul.. live in the pure air
of heaven. Those whose hearts are open to
receive the support and blessing of God will walk in
a holier atmosphere than that of earth and
will have constant communion with heaven. Let
the soul be drawn out and upward, that God may
grant us a breath of the heavenly atmosphere. We
may keep so near to God that in every unexpected
trial our thoughts will turn to Him as naturally
as the flower turns to the sun. SC98-100
CLOSING THOUGHTS
He reminds me that if I am too busy for time
with Him and for the people He puts in my path
something is wrong. Lynette Allcock;
Adventistworld.org
When love fills the heart, it will flow out
to others, not because of favors received from
them, but because love is the principle of action.
Love modifies the character, governs the
impulses, subdues enmity, and ennobles the affections.
This love is as broad as the universe, and is in
harmony with that of the angel workers. Cherished in
the heart, it sweetens the entire life and sheds
its blessing upon all around. MB 38
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2016/20161130-0909.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
Steps to Peace by Billy Graham:
https://stepstopeace.org/
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
Importance of Choice:
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]
Medical Seminar on Healthful Living by David
DeRose, MD, MPH:
https://www.smartlifestyletv.com/lifestart
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Hope Awakens Bible Study Guides:
https://www.hopeawakens.study/lesson-header;id=2
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Islam and Christianity in Prophecy, The
Third and Final Conflict by Tim Roosenberg:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHSJB-fuHLU&list=PLWhQIHGTHlkaGg5Cwe3NDzWtFX8vNSpsE
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible
Revelation Now by Pastor Doug Batchelor:
https://www.revelationnow.com/
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
