While exploring Nassau, Bahamas, we discovered many abandoned, boarded up homes. What used to be comfortable living quarters were transformed into something undesirable, even to tourists!
Life is often like these uninhabitable dwellings. Our lives often seem, at first anyway, to be quite comfortable. We are eager to reach for the moon and to leave our mark for all to see. Sooner or later however, lethal habits called sin start to board us up in our own home. The more we meddle with that cursed three-letter word, the more we find ourselves isolated from the rest of the world.
It is as if each time we spend time with the illicit lovers mentioned in this series, a board appears and is mysteriously nailed across one of the entrances or windows of our home. Bang, Bang, BANG… and it gets darker and darker. You try to switch the light on, but for some reason, both the electricity and the phone are dead. We find ourselves cut off and alienated from people we used to call friends. Family members become estranged as well, and little by little we find ourselves wondering if love even exists in this world.
How did this happen?
In all reality, we are the ones who have shut ourselves in, isolated ourselves from fully experiencing love and freedom. Sin is vicious. Sin keeps us captive until the end of our days.
Is there no hope for us?
There is! Only One insists on knocking on the boarded-up doors of our homes. Only one knocks relentlessly on the boarded-up windows of our hearts. But He cannot enter unless we invite Him in!
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” (Rev 3:20 NIV)
We hear Jesus knocking but we tend to be standoffish. Hey, we have been used so many times in our lives. Jesus seems to be too good to be true! What if He’s some kind of a Spam message, One that leaves us even worse off than our current condition? We don’t want to be tricked into anything new. There may be nothing more than a trickle of light left in our lives, but we staunchly try to stay in control!
But what do we really have to lose? Remember Nick, the alcoholic down the street? Remember how he abused all those around him? Remember him? What happened to him? Why is he a changed man? How was he able to give up on his dear alcohol? How come people now love him?
And what about Dick, renown all over town as the “wild beast”. No girl was ever safe around him! Somehow all of them eventually fell for him, only to end up being abandoned by him for greener pastures. It wasn’t his fault that there was so much competition out there, was it? What happened to Dick? Why did he give up his vicious passion? Why is he no longer looking for greener pastures? Why has his life changed for the better and why is he now respected by everyone in town?
Is it possible that Jesus is much more than what we think He might be? Is there more to Him than we realize? What do we really have to lose? Why not try Him out and find out who He truly is?
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36 NIV)
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19 NIV)
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10 NIV)
Tired of living in a boarded-up home? Why don’t you let the Master repairer in? He can bring light back into you life! He can fill it with real love once again!
What are we waiting for?
Rob Chaffart
(To access the entire “Addictive Lovers of our Life” devotional series, please click here.)