Which doors in your home do you leave open?
It may sound like a silly question, because doors are usually meant to be closed. They prevent access.
Refrigerator doors aren’t intended to hang wide open all day and cool your kitchen (or even while you pour yourself a glass of cold milk, but some would disagree with me).
Exterior doors opening to the outside prevent unwanted pests from living in your home with you, as long as you keep those doors closed (“Honey, close the door, you’re letting in all the bugs.”)
But doors open all the time? That sends a different message. A doorway with the door open all the time is really no longer a doorway. It is more of an entryway.
“For the word of God is alive and active” (Hebrews 4:12). The Bible isn’t a door. It isn’t meant to keep some people out, or keep everyone out some times. The Bible is God’s Word that is accessible 24/7, but more than that.
God’s Word is doing something. It is an agent. It doesn’t just talk about being alive. It brings you to life. It doesn’t just promote active faith and love. It activates your faith and love.
Jesus once said, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).
The Bible is life, because it is God’s life-giving, life-changing truth. So why shut it down? Why log out of it? Why close it for the day or the night?
Here’s a suggestion. Leave your Bible open. Like the magazine on your coffee table or the pile of bills on your kitchen counter. Those sit out because you are going to get right back to them.
If you close your Bible, put it back on the shelf, tuck it into a drawer, you’ll tend to overlook it. So leave your Bible out on the kitchen counter, on your night stand or coffee table. And leave it open.
PRAYER: Holy Spirit, God and Lord, your word is life-giving. Once dead in sin, I am now alive in Christ! Your word is life-changing. I need your patient, practical grace to mature me in faith and refine my character. I give you open access to me, even as you give me the same to you. Amen.
FURTHER MEDITATION: Let’s get practical. Try this. Commit to it beginning today. Leave your Bible open. Clear some clutter. Find a space that is clearly visible. Make your Bible the most accessible communication tool in your home—even more than your TV, your pile of bills, or the cute sayings hanging on your wall.
