DAY 20 - LISTENING TO THE LORD
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore, be zealous and repent. 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.
OUR DEVOTIONAL
Our loving, amazing, all-powerful God loves us! His love is so deep and expresses itself through His wonderful grace because He is the perfect Father. He shows us what a perfect parent looks like. He chases us, He corrects us, always with loving kindness and grace. Never abusive or harsh. But always with truth, justice and mercy. God is good, period!
With love so graciously expressed through the summoning of the Holy Spirit to our hearts, He calls us to be zealous for Him. He is knocking at the door of our heart. He is summoning us to spend time with Him. He wants to dine with us, have coffee with us, be with us. He is waiting with arms open wide. He wants to enjoy a friendship with us, talk with us, laugh with us, cry with us in order to strengthens us as we live this amazing, changing life. God promises His presence when we open the door. He is knocking, will you let Him in?
The conviction of the Holy Spirit brings to our attention that we have neglected our best friend. God is always available. He is as perfect a Friend as He is a Father. In our relationship with God, we fail many times to be a good friend to Him. We blame God when things don’t go our way; we neglect time in the word and prayer. Our lives begin to reflect that neglect, and our behaviors smell bad. We have bad attitudes; we react rather than respond; we get jealous of one another; we are selfish with our time and our “I wants”.
The wonderful presence of God our Father, our Friend, gives us safety and assurance like nothing else can. He knows what we need. He provides in ways unimaginable. He shelters us through the storms of this life. These are the wonderful benefits that hanging out with Jesus gives us. When we quiet our thoughts, when we hear His voice and we let Him in and dine with Him and He with us, we experience uncommon peace, joy, wonder and a calm mind. It’s a relationship that sweetens us; we no longer smell bad.
In this moment take the opportunity to be quiet… Do you hear? Let’s stop doing our own thing and listen. Hear Him knocking? Open the door of your heart and let Him in, and hang out as best friends.
FAMILY MOMENT
Take turns knocking on the door and opening it to one another. Let each one share how it feels to be let in. Express how God may feel when we let Him in. Invite each person to share their favorite way they hang out with Jesus. Discover new ways to involve the Lord in everyday activities.
PRAYER & REFLECTION
- God is the perfect Father who loves us deeply, compassionately and unconditionally. How do I express to God my understanding of this fact, even if I never had a loving, perfect example in a father?
- In what ways has the Holy Spirit been convicting me to be zealous and repent for not spending time enjoying Him?
- What am I going to adjust in my life in order to listen and open the door?