The Doors

Bedroom door. Bathroom door. Hotel room door. Boardroom door. Office door. Car door. These are a few examples of physical doors that are closed when sin is about to take place. Why? Because we prefer our sin to be private or confined only to whom the sin is with. From a sexual encounter to an under-the-table deal to driving away forever, isolation and privacy are key factors. Doors get closed. Doors are slammed shut. And most often are then locked.

The illusion for Christian men is that when we decide to sin and we’re going to close the door until we’re done, we tell Jesus to stay out of the room, as if to say, “Hey, please wait outside while I do this and when I’m done and am once again comfortable with you, I’ll ask you back in, likely ask for forgiveness….again….and we’ll be in the same room just like old buddies.”

For most of us in our spiritual and Biblical framework, that is not reality. The truth is because Jesus lives inside of us, we take Him with us when we sin. He’s right there. No doors or locks can keep Him out, because “nothing can separate us from the love of Christ” once we’re in. To be blunt, it would be much like inviting our wives to sit in the room while we commit adultery; to have our boss sit in on the meeting and watch while we take the kick-back under the table.

Yet, anywhere we close doors, Jesus stays, He is there, and waits for us to bring our heart back to Him. To crawl off the throne of our lives and invite Him to take His rightful place once again.

Here’s the question today….

Where are you regularly closing doors for “private” sin to take place?

Where does a door need to be opened, removed, and the hinges taken off?

When Jesus is in that room, He wants us to know nothing is impossible for Him. No door, no wall can keep His love away. We can certainly turn our backs on Him and even run away. But He is relentless in His pursuit of the dark places of our hearts. That’s His goal between now and Heaven.

Take a door inventory today. Do you need some help to open one? Call who you need to for help in opening yours. Your new life might just be waiting on the other side. But let us remember—when we close doors, Jesus is not on the outside. He’s in there with us.

Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” —John 20:26b