Topic: The One Who Opens and Shuts – Charles Stanley Daily Devotional  21 December  2023

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The One Who Opens and Shuts

Jesus is the key to freedom and eternal life—and it can begin right now.

December 21, 2023

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Revelation 3:7

Have you ever huddled by your car, stuck in a sudden rainstorm, fumbling around to find your keys? Though soaked and miserable, when you finally stepped inside, you were thankful to have found the correct one, right?

“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” reminds us that Jesus holds the right key for the kingdom—the Clavis David, or “key of David.” This antiphon uses words from Isaiah to show that the coming Messiah will be the rightful king. He alone will have the authority (symbolized by the key) to open and shut any door, as He wills.

Our Lord applies these words to Himself in Revelation 3:7. The church in Philadelphia had endured persecution, but Jesus placed an open door before them. Though the corresponding verse in the hymn focuses on “our heavenly home,” He has told us the kingdom is nearer—“at hand,” as Matthew 4:17 says. In other words, when we trust in Jesus’ way of abundant life, our eternal freedom from sin and death begins now.

Also Read: Open Heaven 21 December  2023 – YOU CAN’T BOX GOD IN II 

O Clavis David invites us to pray in two ways, the first of which is daily acceptance of the Savior’s invitation to freedom. No matter how difficult our circumstances, the Lord opens the way to abundant life (John 10:7; John 14:6). The second is to pray for the courage to point others toward Jesus, through the door He opened to His kingdom.

Bible in One Year: Hebrews 12-13

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