06.29.04

Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. - Isaiah 55:1.

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. - Revelation 3:20.

"I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star." And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. - Revelation 22:16-17.

Today was a sad day for me. My mother has been hospitalized for three weeks to reduce the amount of medication she is taking. Her mental condition had become very delusional and at times she was violent. Since she has been in the hospital, her mental and physical condition has improved but she still has a long way to go. I had visited or tried to visit with my mother for only a few minutes today when she told me to “go away”. With my mother, it was not that shocking but still I never thought I would hear my mother tell me to “go away”. Hopefully, she will be better tomorrow.

The wonderful thing about our God is that as long as we have breath He will never tell us to “go away”. Throughout the Bible, you will find God inviting people to come to Him from the Old Testament to the very last chapter of the New Testament. God is not only inviting us - He is out looking for us knocking on the door of our heart and waiting to be invited into our lives.

God does not invite us to a life of deadness. No! He invites us to the abundant life, to real life. Jesus says, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly (John 10:10).” God is inviting us to continually come closer to Him. If you have never experienced Him (Jesus) as your Lord and Savior then He is inviting you to do exactly that. Once you know Jesus as your Savior He is continually inviting you to come closer to Him, to wade out further into the waters of eternal life, to experience Him in deeper and deeper ways. As long as we have breath, the invitation to that abundant life and the more and more abundant life will never end.

It is hard for me to understand but some people will never ever accept God’s invitation. How can they reject Jesus who suffered and died in their place? How can they ignore Him when He is so patiently and continually knocking at the door of their heart?

God is patient; however, there is a limit to His patience and to His invitation. God’s invitation has an expiration date which is at the exact time that we die physically (However it can come sooner if a person hardens their heart to the point they can no longer hear God’s Voice which comes about by continually rejecting the Holy Spirit’s invitation.*). Those who find that they have let God’s invitation expire will hear God tell them to “go away”. The Bible tells us about this terrible day in Revelation 20:11-15, “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”

Those who throughout their lives tell God to “go away” will one day hear God tell them to “go away” into everlasting punishment.

(*For more insight on a hardened heart read these devotionals:

“What Would It Take?”

http://www.theburningbush.org/devmaraug01

“Hearing God”

http://www.theburningbush.org/devaprjun02

“Hearts of Clay”

http://www.theburningbush.org/devseptnov02)