JESUS CHRIST: THE GRACIOUS VISITOR

Appearing above is a popular painting that has been viewed around the world. Take a good look at it….do you notice anything missing? There are many versions of this rendition showing Jesus knocking on the door and most of them have this very thing in common…..

There's no outside doorknob! The message here is that, with rare exceptions such as Paul's Damascus conversion, Jesus doesn't barge into our lives. He is The Gracious Visitor who remains on the outside, awaiting our invitation for Him to come in. We were given free will to do as we please and, oftentimes, Jesus does not interfere with it:

Revelation 3:20-22: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, [then] I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me. I will give the victor the right to sit with me on my throne, as I myself first won the victory and sit with my Father on his throne. Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Have you invited Jesus Christ into your heart and into your life? For many, this is a big step, for it implies - among many other things- that we are surrendering control of our lives to Jesus. When we're used to being "in charge," giving up the driver's seat is not natural.

Maybe we were not raised to know Jesus. Perhaps we were, but then someone at a church hurt us- physically, emotionally, psychologically or otherwise- and it caused us to distance ourselves from Him. Whatever the case may be, Jesus desires to have a personal relationship with YOU. He doesn't just want you to spend an hour in His House on Sunday but then return to regularly scheduled programming until next Sunday. Jesus wants us to spend quality time with Him just as we do with friends and family here on Earth. He already knows you,  for He created you (Jeremiah 1:5). But He wants you to get to know Him. If you're ready to take this step, and you believe that Jesus lived, died on His Cross and was resurrected on the third day, we can help get you started….

Romans 10:9 shares with us, "if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

So, create an opportunity to spend some quiet time with Jesus...talk to Him as you would a loved one...tell Him your heart's desire to receive Him as your Savior and King. Invite him in. Again, He already knows what's on your heart that He made, but He rejoices in hearing your voice cry out to Him.  By surrendering to Jesus Christ, John 14:12 tells us we are allowing Him to do amazing things with us!

Joshua 24:15- "As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."

Climb the Ladder toward Christ! Do not look down, but keep your eyes affixed on the prize of ETERNAL SALVATION!

If, after reading the above, you have decided to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, we'd like to welcome you to the Family! Amen! If you're searching for a spiritual home to help you get to know Jesus, we invite you to call or visit any of our churches. Our directory, which includes contact information for our 10 parishes and 7 schools, can be explored HERE. Stay blessed and come back soon!