Opening the Doors
As my husband will attest, the quickest way to send me into a house-cleaning tailspin is to say that someone is stopping by. Even though I know visitors remember more how they are received and welcomed more vividly than the dust and piles, it’s hard for me to be okay with my mess being exposed, including my sins. Yet, Jesus wants one thing. He wants the messiness I most tend to hide.
It was on a retreat 2.5 years ago that Jesus tenderly spoke to me in a way I learned to be more comfortable letting Him in. We were told a story about opening the doors of our hearts to Him. Here it is:
Jesus came knocking on the door of a rich man’s house. The house was big with 10 rooms. When the rich man opened the door and found Jesus outside, he was ecstatic and welcomed Him in. He gave the best room to Jesus; he thought what he did was right.
“Jesus come into my house, I’ve heard stories about you,” the rich man said to Jesus. “I’ve heard how you bless people, I’ve heard how you protect people and how you prosper them. Jesus, I want you to live in my house.”
That night, the rich man heard a violent knock on the door. He was hesitant to open the door but he did. He found the devil outside.
“Oh no devil, I’ve heard about you,” the rich man said to the devil. “I’ve heard how you break into people’s lives, how you torment them with fears and tears and addictions and compulsions. Devil, I’ve heard about you, and you’re not welcome in my house.”
He started to shut the door, but the Devil already had one toe in the door. The devil barged into his home and tormented the rich man overnight. He fought the devil with all his might but failed. As the sun rose in the morning, the devil crept out of the door just before Jesus showed himself.
Realizing that Jesus was there all night and didn’t even come to his rescue, the sleepless rich man became angry. But Jesus made him realize that he just gave only one room in his entire house to Him, so it was not His responsibility to guard that house. So the rich man gave him half of the rooms in the house; he thought what he did was right.
Again that night, the devil showed up and tormented him. That went on for nights until the rich man finally sobbed in front of Jesus asking Him why He didn’t help him when he was suffering against the enemy. Jesus then made him realize that until the rich man gives Jesus the entire house, including his own personal room where he hides all his dark and secret things, Jesus can’t help him secure the house.
Exhausted from all the nights he battled the devil, the rich man finally gave the keys to his house to Jesus. He let Him have the entire house and made Him the master. That night, the devil again knocked at the door. Right before the rich man opened the door, Jesus came, opened the door quickly, and confronted the devil.
Upon seeing Jesus Christ, the devil bowed down and said that he might have come to the wrong house. “Please excuse me, sir, I think I’ve come to the wrong house,” the devil said.
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Until we finally lay everything before Jesus Christ, He can’t be our Lord and Savior. If we want Jesus to take over our battles with the enemy that have been exhausting us for years, we need to let Him be the Master of our life. Opening one or two doors of our hearts to Jesus is a start, but He desires to enter into all of our life - the beautiful and bright areas, and even the dust and the piles.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on us. Enter into our hearts, especially the messy areas, so you can secure our hearts with Your love, protection and peace.
-Written by Guest Writer (and beautiful sister in Christ), Christy Olinger
