By Joy Le Page Smith, MA

This means those who believe in Him have opened their hearts to Him when they “heard the knock.” What a privilege it is to have heard the knock! I am referring to the scripture, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock, If any man [or woman] opens the door and answers, I will come in, (Revelations 3:20). 

From there on, we glorify God with how we lead our lives. What does that mean? Well, it does not mean we are perfect. We are growing into His perfection. We are on a very beautiful growth path. We hear His nudges and are learning to follow. Like I heard the nudge to call a friend last week to ask how she was doing. She cried and said, “How did you know I was having a hard time?” It was the Lord who knew while I, like all other believers, try to keep ears open to that Voice within. It is an exciting way to live.

It is hard to believe our lives “glorify God,” but this prayer of Jesus’ in John 17:10, helps us understand. He was praying for His disciples and said to His Heavenly Father, “All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them.”

As followers of Jesus–more than any words we say–our lives tell the story. We no longer are all about serving ourselves. No, we have “sight and sound” coming within our hearts that find us doing what we can to also make life good (or better) for others, as we encounter them within our daily lives. We have no need to make it obvious. “It just happens.” It is in our hearts to do what God prompts us towards. At points we may not be very well liked by some who are looking on. 

Jesus knew His teachings would make us different and He said “I have given them your Word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world,” (John 17:14). Some persecutions can come to believers who are following the guidance of God as they live their lives.

Jesus was hated so much by the religious leaders of the day that He was killed–hung on a cross between two thieves to die! Even people who think they know God, yet are following a regime of their own making, can be majorly misled. God’s Word is trustworthy for those who honor it as coming from the Divine Creator of all that exists.

A post titled, “How can we trust the Bible to be true?” holds answers to questions you may have. You can use the search option of this blogsite to reach it, or use this link: http://healingwithjoy.blogspot.com/2024/10/can-we-trust-bible-to-be-true.html

May we all be highly blessing within this day . . . as we celebrate the life or our Lord and how He came to live among us and to teach us how to live holy lives. (Not perfect, mind you, just “holy.” And, we learn as we go.) 

How wonderful it is that the grave could not hold our Lord–and His shed blood is known to cover our sins as we receive Him as Lord, Master of our souls, and seek to follow His will for our lives.