Sep 22 2024

Today's Bible Verse

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

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In this verse, we get a picture of our salvation. The Lord is knocking at our doors, and only when we open up will He come in and fellowship with us.

Salvation begins with the Lord knocking. He is the one who initiates it; salvation is always an act of grace because it comes from God. This is encouraging to us as we spread the Gospel… we know that ultimately conversions are from the Lord, and not the result of our own efforts. This means we do not have to evaluate our effectiveness as ministers of the Gospel based on the number of conversions. That is in the hands of the Lord.

After the Lord knocks, we have the option to open the door. He will not force His way into our hearts. We must be willing to receive Him. There are many reasons why we might not want to open the door to the Lord. The Christian life is costly and sometimes downright painful. It requires sacrificing ourselves for the glory of God and surrendering our own will to His.

However, opening the door is worth it because it opens up the opportunity for fellowship with the Lord. When we look at what the Lord calls us to give up—sins, selfishness, a desire to understand (and control) everything—we get an ever-growing knowledge of His love and mercy. We open ourselves up to the most satisfying, exciting, and meaningful communion that anyone could ever experience.

When we sit down with the Lord, we're giving our entire lives over to the One who breathed the universe into existence. We're talking to God—the God of everything, the most powerful and almighty being that has ever existed. There is no friend like the Lord, and there is no fellowship like the love of Jesus. This is what is open to us when we hear Him knocking.

Today's Prayer

Dear Lord, I thank you for your great goodness to me. I don't deserve it at all, and yet you shower me with mercy upon mercy. Your goodness is beyond anything that I have ever known, and I praise you for knocking at my door and letting me rest in your holiness. In Jesus' name, amen.

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Sep 21 2024

Yesterday's Bible Verse

If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth.

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Yesterday's Bible study

In this verse, John lays out a test for our salvation very clearly: If we walk in darkness, we do not have fellowship with the Lord. The Lord brought light into the world, and the light is irresistible if you know God. Therefore, if we remain in darkness, it means we do not truly know the Lord.

This is not meant to be harsh or overly difficult. Instead, it's an encouragement for us to see that the Lord wants more for us than to live in sin or darkness. However, even on the other side of getting to know the Lord, it can often seem like we are still in darkness. What do we do when we feel that way?

The first thing we can do is to remember the truth of His Word. Even though it might seem like we're walking alone or in darkness, His word tells us that He is guiding our every step and that He is the light of the world. In other words, we can submit our emotions to the truth, and then we can let those truths dominate our feelings.

We can also turn to the Lord in prayer. We should be honest with Him, telling Him exactly how we feel. Being vulnerable before the Lord by asking Him to help us gives us the opportunity to communicate with Him and hear what He has to say to us.

The Lord speaks to us when we truly want to move forward and walk with Him, and He will show us the areas of our lives that we have not submitted yet to Him. He will show us the darkness in our lives that He wants to fill up with His light.

Yesterday's Prayer

Dear Lord, I thank you that you are so good. I thank you that you cover me with grace as I try to draw nearer to you. Help me to dwell in your name and anchor myself in you always. Expose the areas of darkness that are in my life and make me new in you, Jesus. I love you. In your name, amen.


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