Lesson 88. Come In, Jesus!

Imagine the following scene. The president of your country has promised that he will visit you personally in order to meet you, talk with you, learn about your problems and needs, eat with you, and stay overnight so that your conversation can continue the next day. This is supposed to happen soon. At first, such a promise will fill you with delight. What will you begin to do? I think any homemaker would prepare an abundant meal and keep the house clean and orderly. I would do the same. I would also make a list of the questions and needs the president could resolve and meet. Time passes, but he does not come. I attend to my affairs and wait for the visit. Suddenly I hear a knock at the door and a voice calling me by name. How strange. Presidents do not arrive like that. And who am I that he should become my guest? He is knocking rather modestly too; presidents do not knock that way. And if it really is he, what could he possibly want with me? Perhaps I should open the door. But what would I show him? I am simply unprepared for this meeting. There is a mountain of unwashed dishes, the floors are dirty, there is no food, and I have not shaved. What would I tell the president? Perhaps it is not he at all. Out of so many millions of citizens, would the president choose to visit me? That simply cannot be. Exactly—it cannot be. I just do not believe it is he. Anyone could be out there! I would certainly recognize the president immediately. What should I do? In any case, my apartment is that part of the country which even the president himself cannot enter without my permission. And even if it is he and I let him in, no one will believe that such a thing is possible. Who has ever heard of a president visiting ordinary citizens in their homes? I would rather read about him online. It is definitely not he. But even if it is, what does he want? The knock is far too quiet, though the voice sounds familiar. Let us suppose it is the president. Very well, I open the door and let him in—then what changes? No, I have no desire to talk with anyone. I am so tired of everything!

The knocking stops. The voice can no longer be heard. At last, he has gone. Or perhaps I only imagined it all. What has changed in my life? Nothing. I am still the same, everything remains in its place, and life continues as usual. There are no problems. My daily routine is established, and every issue can be resolved without the president. He has more important matters to attend to. It is good that I did not open the door. I know what to do next and how to live. I have enough money for everything, sufficient clothing, plenty of food, and I am happy. I need nothing. I thank the country’s leaders for arranging everything so well. The main thing is that there is no war; we can survive the rest. I heard from my neighbor that the president visited him too, and they talked. To be sure, my neighbor has become rather strange, as though he were not of this world. He has probably become proud.

The saddest thing in this entire story is that it describes the reality of our time. This is approximately how the situation appears in the eyes of Heaven. I imagine the astonishment of the Heavenly beings as they rejoice over the prospect of many changes in the lives of God’s children, while in reality nothing remarkable happens.

Sometimes I wonder what would change in the life of the church if the Spirit of God were withdrawn from us. Would we notice? Would we run about in panic, searching for what we had lost? Would this loss shock us? Who is God’s Spirit, and what does He do among us? How can we tell whether it is He or not? We seem to have the same prayers, the same activities, work, stores, meetings with friends, and worship services. What has changed? So many good deeds have accumulated, and there is desperately not enough time for all of them—not even enough time for sleep. My business and my work seem not to depend upon God at all. What would change in the lives of those near to me or far away? They did not want to hear anything about God before, and they still do not. They have merely become unusually irritable and aggressive.

What would actually change in your life, my friend? Please answer this question honestly.

Unfortunately, our world has been arranged so comfortably in every area of life that everything can operate by itself without any special intervention from outside. Most frightening of all, it creates the impression that God does not exist. And if people do say that God exists, they often do so jokingly, gloating over someone’s failure or accident and calling it just karma. How can these people be helped to understand that one cannot live this way? The Name of God has become so insignificant that people now write it with a lowercase letter and insert it into conversation merely to connect words or intensify profanity. Medicine, science, technology, discoveries, and inventions have all advanced in their development. Yet the Bible has not changed in the least, and God is still the Same. He has not even changed His raiment in all these thousands of years. It has become normal to think that faith in God is something for elderly women who have nothing else to do.

But the Lord is faithful to His word. He accomplishes what He has purposed, directing the destinies of individuals and entire nations. His plans will be fulfilled whether I believe them or not.

What is remarkable is that, amid all this bustle, Jesus comes personally to me and to each of you. He stands at the door of my heart and knocks. He desires to give me something I do not possess. What should I answer? I decided to say, “Come in, Lord!” It is difficult for me to understand everything that is supposed to happen, but I see that a very close and trusting relationship has developed between us. I have access to Jesus at any time and can seek His counsel. When trials come, I do not lose myself in speculation or fall into panic; I turn to Him for counsel and help. And help comes—not always in the form of deliverance, but as strength to resolve and endure every difficulty in the right way. The peace of God has become the barometer of my well-being. If I lose it, I begin to search for the reason, and I find it. God’s Spirit has become so much a part of me that I cannot imagine life without Him. He does not perform astonishing things to impress those around me, but He amazes me with His miracles in my life and character. If I say that all these transformations took place through my own will and strength, I am certain I would thereby offend God, Who works so wonderfully in me. It is not I, but Christ in me, Who works in me both to will and to do of His good pleasure. I am afraid even to imagine that He might leave me. I would understand it at once. And what then? Everything would collapse in a single second. Why live? For what purpose? Where should I go? But Jesus has promised that He will not forsake me, and no one will pluck me out of His hand.

Without love, I am nothing. I understand this clearly. If everything except love were taken from me, I would be the richest person on earth. I know how beautiful love is and what power dwells within it. This power transformed my life, and now it is changing the lives of those who believe in it and receive it. Through love, Jesus can best communicate to me the essence and meaning of His teaching and reveal the beauty of His character. Sometimes I think how wonderful it would be if God loved me as I love those near me. Yet I know that He loves me even more than I love anyone. This fills my heart with such joy.

Glory to God!

I would rather ask Jesus once more to enter my home, even if He already lives there. I will do this for my own sake, so that I may know for certain that Christ is within. I believe that Jesus has heard and answered and is at work. He is a fascinating Friend. The more closely I know Him, the more deeply I fall in love with Him. If there is anything a person truly needs in this world, personally knowing Jesus is the most important and fascinating pursuit of all. “Come in, Jesus!”

1. What did you understand from this lesson?

2. Do you see the work of the Holy Spirit in your life?

3. How do you understand the expression “Let Jesus into my heart”? How does this happen in life?

4. To whom is Jesus speaking as He stands at the door and knocks in Revelation 3:20?

5. Do I have the Holy Spirit within me? How is this manifested?

6. What should I do so that God’s power may work in me through love?

7. Please read John 10:27–29; Revelation 22:17; Isaiah 26:20; Acts 16:14–15; Deuteronomy 31:8; and 1 Chronicles 28:9 in the light of our lesson.