One of the great depictions of Jesus in the history of art was painted by William Holman Hunt. In his painting The Light of the World, he portrays Jesus knocking at a door. On the frame of the picture he had etched the verse from Revelation 3:20, written to followers in the ancient city of Laodicea. "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me."
The striking thing about Holman's picture is that Jesus is standing outside the door, holding a lamp in His hand. The imagery is clear. If Jesus is on the outside of your life, so is His light. There is no hope of lighting the world around you until you let Him in to light your world.
When Jesus wrote the letter to the Laodicean church, He pictured Himself on the outside of their heart's door because in their affluence and self-made lives, they didn't think they needed Him. In a very real sense they had constructed their world as a non-Jesus world. And, strange as it seems, many of us have done the same thing. We feel we have all we need without Him.
No doubt the Laodiceans were glad to have Him as Savior, attend His church, even serve on committees and boards. But until they needed Him at death's door, they would do life much as they pleased. And so an excluded Jesus stood at the door of their hearts seeking to come in. He is standing at your heart's door seeking to come in with the light for your world gripped firmly in His hand. If you're arguing that Jesus is already "in you," then you have missed the point. He can be resident somewhere in the territory of your life without being the all-controlling center of your heart. He seeks to set up His throne in your heart where decisions, dreams, plans and intentions are forged.
Surrendering fully to Jesus is the key to beginning a life that effectively impacts your world for Him.
- Joseph M. Stowell, The Trouble With Jesus
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