Monday, September 26, 2016

Open Door Policy


Monday, September 26, 2016

“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Laodicea.  This is the message from the one who is the Amen—the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s new creation:  “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold.  I wish that you were one or the other!  But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!  You say, ‘I am rich.  I have everything I want.  I don’t need a thing!’  And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.  So I advise you to buy gold from me—gold that has been purified by fire.  Then you will be rich.  Also buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see.  I correct and discipline everyone I love.  So be diligent and turn from your indifference.  “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.  Those who are victorious will sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne.  “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.”  Revelation 3:14-22(NLT)
An open door is a metaphor that can take you in more than one direction.  An open door can be an opportunity, or it could be an invitation at work to go to the boss for frank discussion anytime. 

An open door can also be the symbol of confidence someone expresses in the possibilities of friendship and community; you are welcome here anytime!  The context here makes this kind of warm invitation a really strange one.  After all, the risen Lord Jesus is telling John to tell the Laodicean church their lukewarmness made him sick!

Lukewarm friendship; how does that work for you?

Okay, so everyone can see this invitation is preceded by a warning – I’ll spit you out of my mouth!  Cold water works, hot coffee works, but neither is good lukewarm.  My wife likes iced coffee, sugar-free, vanilla, non-fat, yada, yada, yada.  Give me hot, black, no sugar and I’m ok.  If I forget my coffee for an hour and absent-mindedly take a sip, I’m really close to my Jesus imitation; can’t stand tepid coffee; nothing more nauseating!

So there’s the caution against cooling off, or warming down – lukewarm indifference. 

And there’s an invitation of strong friendship – dinner and a movie with Jesus.

And it’s conditional – turn from that indifference; accept the correction Jesus offers and the open door thing is going to happen.  And the key to it all is in our hands, because it’s our door….the door to each of our hearts.

And that door is only opened from the inside…like any common house door lock, you must be willing to open your heart to God; He will not pick that lock like a burglar…He waits for you to accept His invitation to open the door.

He calls, but He won’t beat down the door!  He will step inside when you are ready to get white-hot for him!

For You Today


When I was very young we didn’t have a lock on the front door.  Friends and neighbors were pretty much welcome to open the door and come on in. 

Is that the kind of open door policy you have with Jesus?

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road…have a blessed day!
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NOTES


[i] Title Image: Henry Fox Talbot [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

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