Day 166, Year 1

Guarding the Door of Your Heart

Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens.” (John 10:1-3a NASB)

Jesus has the greatest authority, and He can enter every person’s heart directly. But He opts to knock on the doors outside of our hearts, seeking our permission before He enters. This is because He immensely respects everyone’s sovereignty over each of their own lives. On the contrary, “thief,” whether evil men or the devil, will try to “climb up some other way” into us through thefts, lies,deception, and plunder, to tempt and suppress us illegally. The devil deceives and misleads people, convincing them that they have no sovereignty over their own lives but can only serve it or its agents in all of their lives. It always employs idols, false goodness, and superficial gratifications like wealth, food, drinks, and entertainment to numb people, causing them to directly or indirectly submit to it.

Some people hear the voice of Jesus but are reluctant to open or feel incapable of opening the doors of their hearts. This is often the consequence of accepting the lies of the devil. When Jesus knocks, He calls us to discard all the lies we have previously accepted, and even to dismantle the imaginations or fantasies constructed upon those lies. We also need to abandon all superficial gratifications derived from idolatry and shift the direction of our paramount pursuits and desires to godly satisfaction. Only then could we reclaim sovereignty over our own lives, and then welcome Jesus’ arrival.

In fact, the “thief” is not entirely useless, because what it has stolen or distorted is meant to draw attention, and is worth believers reclaiming, restoring, or rebuilding. At least, theft conveys a message that there are indeed some precious things within us that are worth stealing. Hence, we should reject the various destructive actions of the “thief” rather than despising the things within ourselves that are lost, distorted, or damaged. Though it is saddening to see ruins and decay, we should not hatethe damaged or stolen things that were originally ours. We need to seek the Lord’s help and have His courage, wisdom, and strength to rebuild the broken areas of our lives one by one. Sometimes, to welcome Jesus into our hearts, we first need to rebuild certain foundations within ourselves and cultivate His hope for us.

Reflection questions:

1) Have you experienced the destruction of the “thief”? If so, how has this negative experience affected your faith in Jesus, and how did you rebuild it by His help?

2) Do you have God’s courage, wisdom, and strength to reconstruct yourself and even mend the brokenness in others’ lives?