Answering God's Knock

By Brooke Momblow

“Receiving, reading, researching, remembering, and reflecting on the Word are all useless if we fail to put them into practice. God’s Word exposes our motives, points out our faults, rebukes our sin, and expects us to change. It’s human nature to resist change, so applying God’s Word is hard work. Every application will involve either your relationship to God, your relationship to others, or your personal character.” – Rick Warren, Purpose Driven Life

Answering God’s Knock is the theme that the Spiritual Formation team had prayed about and acted on, for EPC’s April 2019 retreat. Long before the Coronavirus God knew our retreat would be canceled, but he had given us the theme anyway. The team has prayed about, researched and personally practiced this theme over the last year in preparation for sharing it with our congregation. We couldn’t have realized God was preparing us to share with you through devotionals all of the ways we have been learning to Answer God’s Knock in our own lives.

Sanctify = to make holy, set apart as sacred, purify from sin, render legitimate or binding, entitle to reverence or respect, to make productive of or conducive to spiritual blessing.

“For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, “ John 17:19-20 NIV (for deeper insight read all of ch.17)

Jesus prays this famous prayer for his disciples, and then he prays for all those who will believe and become his disciples. His sacrificial love for us is shown not just in dying on a cross, but in sanctifying himself so that we too may be sanctified.

For some reason, I had never realized the love in Jesus sanctifying himself. I want to show my love for him in return by living sanctified. I want that to translate in my life as love for others, so that they too will see Jesus and believe.

Watching God work in my life and in the lives of others, seeing how he teaches, confirms, and connects the dots so I begin to understand and build relationship with him, has been great joy for me. However, God’s ways are often counter-cultural in the best of times and more often self-denying in the hardest times, and it feels like sacrifice or even dying. Hebrews 12:2 says “For the joy set before him he endured the cross…”

Scott Rodgers says about endurance and perseverance: “Faithfulness is sticking with it, to the very end. It’s needed when the inspiration fades and the perspiration begins. Faithfulness is an afterthought in the ‘feel good’ moment, when the holy goosebumps are a mile high. When they disappear, and the only bumps you have are the bumps and bruises from following Jesus, that’s when faithfulness is vital. Receiving eternal life requires faith but living the life God is calling you to requires faithfulness.”

David Platt admits his own struggle encountering Christ “I found myself faced with two big questions. The first was simple. Was I going to believe Jesus? Was I going to embrace Jesus even though he said radical things that drove the crowds away? The second question was more challenging. Was I going to obey Jesus? My biggest fear, even now, is that I will hear Jesus’ words and walk away, content to settle for less than radical obedience to him.”

Has something you’ve heard or read in scripture stuck with you? Does it seem there is a desire in your heart for more? More purpose perhaps? More passion? More personal giving? More communion with Him? God is knocking.

“I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference. Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.” Revelation 3:19-20 NLT

Answering God’s Knock might be believing Jesus is the Son of God, it may be taking a step in faith, it might be seeking to hear God’s voice of direction, it could be learning new disciplines in prayer, reading scripture, solitude, service, submission, confession, and worshiping, it may be acting in obedience to His Word, it could be participating in community by attending a study group or volunteering with a team, or maybe something like stepping into a structured form of ministry to people. Who knows what the will of God has planned for us?

Are we going to Answer God’s Knock?

Lord, make us faithful as you are faithful, sanctify us, may we have the full measure of your joy within us, grant us a willing spirit to sustain us. In Jesus name we ask, Amen.