The Tupelo journal., 1904-03-04

that believeth on the Son HATH eternal
life" The will is the door. Jesus
knocks, not that the will may be de-
stroyed, but that it may swing open. NAV
yield to Him and give Him entrance. So
many, many dear souls are hindered by
the thought that to yield the will to
Christ means to lose the will entirely.
But never was there greater mistake
made, never did a soul misunderstood
God more, than when it believed that
a man loses his will and his personality
when he surrenders to God. When |
knock on the door to my home, it is lot
with the intention of destroying thai
door. | do not want 1t to open to me that
| may wrench it from its hinges and
throw it aside as useless and undesirable.
That door has a very useful function to
perform. 1t is absolutely necessary to
the completeness of the house. With
out it the house would be unsafe and I'M
inhabitable. And it is so with the will.
the door to the human heart. God real
ICES more perfectly than do you that
that will is necessary, that it has a func-
ton to perform which cannot be dis
pensed with. Without the will the heart
is unsafe. Jesus knocks not to con-
denim, but that He may come in and dig
nifty and strengthen that door. that He
may increase its usefulness. The will
with God behind it is a mighty factor
for good in the world. The will with
God shut out is dangerous and d~estruc-
tive.
JESUS has a right to knock for ad-
y mittance. First of all because as
the created work of God we belong to
Him. | have a right to knock upon the
o of my home because it belongs to
me. 1t is my home, and, therefore, |
have indisputable right to knock, and
when | knock expect to be admitted.
Jesus has a right to knock at the door
of your heart, because you belong to
Him by right of creation, and when
He knocks He has a right to expect to
be admitted. And in the second place
Jesus has a right to knock for admittance
because of the need within that heart.
The heart may not be really conscious of
bAoN ANNos bdt Nv 4CCu 10 lA6IS,H never lllS-
less. There is a degree of hunger which
becomes Indifferent to food and fails
longer TO feel the gnawing pangs. And
the heart is often unconscious of and
Indifferent to its need, but the need is
there. Ard Jesus has a right to knock
because of that need. In the home of
my neighbor is dire need. They are
without food o,J Gca 7 Iou, g A.
sad condition, and because of the need
there, | have a right to so to my neigh
boris door and knock for admittance. II
never before, at least now, | have per-
feet right to knock. In fact. if | knock
rot, | am cruelty and wickedly neglect
full of my duty. And so it is with Jesus,
He has a right to knock, He must knock
because Of the need within. But the
fact of the need within is not all the
warrant that is needed for knocking for
admittance. If curiosity brings me to
the door, if l knock because | wish with
prying eyes to witness the suffering, then
may my right to knock be questioned.
But if l come bringing supplies which
shall satisfy the needs then is my claim
of right to knock fully established. And
when Jesus N to the heart and
knocks, it is not only because of the
need within, but because He is fully able
to supply that need. Jesus does come
to the human heart and knock for ad-
mission. He is knocking at your heart
even now while these words are being
spoken, and He has a right to knock be-
cause you are Gods creation, because
your soul has al undyirg need, and be-
cause He is abundantly able to supply
that need.