An Open Door - Day Two

As this week begins, you may wonder where this is going to lead you. As you look at the people you know, some of them seem far from God and reaching them for Christ seems impossible. As you ponder the Great Commission and the responsibility of taking the gospel to the difficult places like Japan or other difficult countreis, the despair seems to grow within you. How is it possible to accomplish such a task?

Let's take a look at Luke 11:5-8. Jesus tells the story of a man whose friend is knocking on the door in the middle of the night, asking for bread. The man is inconvienced, even irritated, by the request. Yet because of the the friends's boldness, the man gets up and gives him what he needs.

Notice three things about the story. First, the friend was not asking for himself. He had unexpected late-arriving guests who needed to be fed. This was not a selfish request. It was the request of a friend desperate to meet the needs of others. He was not asking for himself. He was simply in the position of desiring to help others and lacked the means to do so.

Second, notice that the friend instinctively knew the place to get what he needed. He knew, that though it was the middle of the night, if he asked he would receive what he needed from his friend. He knew that his friend would have abundant resources to meet the need.

Third, he wouldn't take no for an answer. The Bible says, "though he wouldn't get up because he is his friend, because of his boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs." The Greek word translated "boldness" carries with it the idea of shamelessness or audacity. He came at a time when everyone was in bed and he kept pounding on the door until he received what he needed to meet the needs of his guests.

Does this sound familiar? Surrounded by people needing the bread of life, we wonder "how can I possibly meet these needs? I have nothing to set before them!" We have a friend who has more than adequate resources. What we really need is the boldness and audacity to pound on the door until it opens and we receive what is necessary to meet the needs.

What conclusion did Jesus draw from this parable?

"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks the door will be opened."

Are you asking? Will you ask, seek and knock until you have received what you need to meet the needs of others?