Daily Devotional

God pursues us, His children. Sometimes we respond to Him and sometimes we do not. Regardless, He waits for the invitation. He will not intrude.

Even though my house is broken and dirty in places and in such need of cleansing, Jesus becomes the door for me to God—my wholeness, my cleansing—if I simply believe and invite Him in. Jesus said, “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved” (John 10:9, NKJV). Inviting Him in is not a one-time event. He must be at home in our lives. My dearest and most intimate friends have been at my house frequently and feel at home there. They don’t ask where my bathroom is or if they can get a drink of water. They’re familiar with my house. They can take their shoes off and relax.

I want God to be so at home with me that He knows He is welcome anytime, that He has access to all of the rooms in my house. Paul said in Ephesians 3:17–19, “And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God” (NLT).

Imagine: To be in relationship with the sovereign God of this universe, our Creator. It is astonishing to think that He can be a close friend, closer than a brother. And it may be at times a volatile relationship, perhaps distant. It is, after all, a relationship. “I’ll only go so far with You, God.” “I’m not sure I trust You.” Or, “Let’s talk. I’d like to get to know You more.”

Possibly the most important relationship you have (other than with God) is with yourself. Honesty is the first step. It can be scary to take a good, hard look at oneself. But if I enter this innermost chamber, daring to see the truth about myself with my hand in His, knowing He loves me, it is liberating. Jesus said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32, NIV).

From Your Life, God's Home by Nancie Carmichael. Reprinted with permission. www.nanciecarmichael.com