SLEEPING IN THE ENTRY
Doug & Sylvia White had high hopes as they opened the door to the bridal suite of an expensive hotel late at night. The room contained a sofa, two chairs and a table... but no bed. They discovered the sofa was a hide-a-bed, with a lumpy mattress and sagging springs. The honeymooners settled for it, but slept fitfully and awoke with sore backs.
The next morning, the groom went down to the front desk and verbally let loose on the manager. The clerk tried to speak, but the husband was on a roll. Finally, he took a breath, and the manager jumped in. "Did you open the door to the room?" Doug went back. He opened the door which they had assumed was a closet. There was the honeymoon suite, complete with king-sized bed, Jacuzzi and champagne. Rather than enjoying the luxurious room they paid for, they spent their wedding night in the entryway to the honeymoon suite.
How often do we settle for “sleeping in the entry” when Jesus wants us to experience the honeymoon suite? God has given us “His precious and magnificent promises” (II Peter 1:4), which include freedom, hope, joy and victory. Rather than grasping hold of these promises and living in the victory of Jesus, perhaps we plop down on a spiritual sofa bed and “sleep in the entry.” God hasn't called us to merely hang on and survive; he wants us to thrive! We weren't delivered just to settle for the entryway, but to enjoy the honeymoon suite! Even in our struggles, he wants us to live out of a place of victory. Romans 8:37 tells us that “overwhelming victory is ours through Christ.”
Pause for a moment. Does this passage characterize our lives? Right now so many struggles attempt to steal our victory in Christ. At times I vacillate between the honeymoon suite and the sofa bed. I allow anxiety and stress to creep in, and before I know it, I’ve grabbed my “blankie” and I’m tossing and turning on a hide-a-bed. I’ve left my overwhelming sense of victory sleeping soundly in the bridal suite. Let’s not allow anxiety to steal our triumph. Remember the promises God has given us and live in a place of victory. Open the door to the honeymoon suite, and experience God's blessings. Jesus is waiting for you!
Principle: God wants us to live in a place of victory.
Promise: God has given us His precious and magnificent promises.
Ponder:
What anxious thoughts drag me out of the “honeymoon suite” and into the “entry?”
What promises from God could I meditate on to fill me with a sense of victory?
Prayer: “Dear Jesus you died so I could live in victory. Bring me back to that place where we share your victory together.”
Pursue: For a deeper dive, study Romans chapter eight.
Perceptions: Record any ideas God puts on your heart from today’s devotional.