There was once a minister in England who was troubled with a violent and ungovernable temper. Many times he had prayed for victory over it. In tears he had struggled to conquer this foe. But again and again he had been beaten and now was almost in despair. He came into his study one day after a violent outburst of anger and brokenheartedly buried his head in his arms on the desk. Soon his tears lulled him into a deep sleep. He dreamed that he was in this same study. As he looked out through one of the windows, he saw a glorious man coming toward the house who evidently was to be his guest. He was very aware that his study was in much disorder, and certainly unfit to receive such a guest, who he knew was the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He swept and dusted the room, but, strangely, the more he worked the worse it became. Then the stranger knocked on the front door.

“Oh, what shall I do?” The minister said to himself. “I cannot invite Him into a room in such disorder as this.” As he kept making attempts to clean his dirty study he kept thinking, “I cannot open the door while this room is so unfit to receive Him.” But try as he would, all his efforts were in vain. Then when the knock came for the third and what he thought might be the last time, he with a sense of shame and confusion opened the door, saying to his guest, “Master, I can do no more. Come in if Thou wilt enter such a dirty room.”

The Master walked in and suddenly a strange transformation occurred. The dust settled, the disorder disappeared, and all was bright, clean, and joyful. The Master’s presence alone had done all that his own utmost efforts had failed to accomplish.

A sinful, mortal man, try as he may, cannot cleanse his own heart so that Jesus can come in. Only Jesus is able to do that. He says, “Come.” He wants us to open our hearts’ door (Revelation 3:20), and He will do the cleansing.

By George S. Ashlock, These Times, June 1953. With permission from Dale E. Galusha Pacific Press Ministries dalgal@pacificpress.com