Elemental: S2 - Day 19

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in…” Revelation 3:20

Jesus and I agree that freedom is essential. It’s elemental. Apologies if I’ve made myself sound equal to Jesus here. But we both have a say because I’m free. In fact, it’s Jesus who made my voice equal to His on this subject.  

And so I snap another Lego block onto my faith reconstruction. I confidently reach through the supplies of yesterday’s thinking and select “freedom.” This wall is significant to my house of faith. I’m grateful that it’s so important to Jesus as well. Consider Revelation 3:20 above. You might have thought the most impressive takeaway was Jesus’ persistence as we visualize His knocking, knocking, knocking at our heart’s door, never giving up. But isn’t it more remarkable that He refuses to crash through the door, taking our relationship by force? As much as anything, this verse reiterates a truth scattered throughout scripture—God tethers His love for you to His absolute respect for your freedom. You cannot discuss God’s love without acknowledging that freedom is the first ingredient.

To say that God wants you around Him, Him around you, is obvious. “For God so loved you that He gave His own Son to be around you.” (John 3:16, my version) But He could have gone about it a vastly different way. At the moment of the first sin in the Garden of Eden, He could have reached into Adam and Eve’s brains, flipped some switches, erased memories, rebooted, and tried again until they passed the test. Or He could have jumped forward, skipping their sin and keeping them perfect. But something fundamental would have been missing.

To love means to choose. And the best love wants to be loved back and chosen in return. God could have made a charade out of His love for us, caging us at His side for eternity. And maybe He could have done so without our realization. But He would have known. And we know for sure that He didn’t do it that way. How? Sin.

Our sin is evidence that God does what He says He will do. He gives me freedom. My sin demonstrates my liberty. That doesn’t make my sin a good thing. It just establishes proof. I am FREE to love God.

Now, let’s go open the door.

1. If you could go anywhere in the world for one week and do anything you wanted, what would it be?
2. If you could have anyone across time as a guest for dinner in your home, whom would it be (pick someone other than Jesus)?
3. If you could participate in any story from the life of Jesus in the Gospels, which one would you choose? What would you want to do?