Who Stole The Knockin' Sound?

 

The guy on the TV was a thief for the government. There wasn't anything he couldn't steal and he stole on the right side of the law (if there is such a thing!) As a young teenager, I wanted to be like the thief, his name was "Al Monday." The television show was called: "It Takes A Thief." After awhile I realized that stealing things from others was not the right thing to do. Many things have been stolen from me over the years. Physical items that are stolen can usually be replaced. What if someone steals something spiritual, can you replace that? Can a sound be stolen? What about the sound of Jesus knocking on your heart, whose fault is it, if that sound is stolen? Who is the thief that steals the sound of Jesus knocking on the door of your heart?

As a young lad I aspired to be a Catholic priest. I wanted to be a Columban Missionary in South America. There was an altar in my bedroom along with holy pictures on the walls. Many things happened along the way to mold that dream into something else. I wanted to get married (priests are not allowed to marry.) I was hurt by people who I had respected and trusted. These were people within the religious community that were supposed to be close to God. For many years I ran away from organized religion. I didn't run from God, but I didn't represent Him well either. Was my dream stolen or given away? Were the events of apparent dream stealing actually a portion of God's plan for my life? At a certain point in time, we have to come to an understanding about heart-pain. The pain we feel in our hearts that has been inflicted by others is part of the sound of Jesus knockin'. Maybe at this point you might think I'm smokin' something because I'm suggesting that Jesus would knock on your heart with pain. Brokenness and pain are components that make up the seed of compassionate wisdom.

Your heart can grow,
even in the midst of decay.
If everything around you
seems to be dying,
you will be okay.
Jesus loves you and so do we.

Who is the Thief?

 Ungenerosity is a thief.  Bitterness is a thief. Calcification is a thief. Resentment is a thief.  All of these thieves gather and worship at the remnantal rock of remembrance. What is the remnant that they are remembering? Resentment acts as a muffler on the door knocker of your heart. It mutes the sound of Jesus knocking on your heart. Resentment is a calcifier of compassion. Your heart becomes hardened and rocks do not listen. Missed opportunities, broken relationships and back stabbing can cause memories full of resentment. When your thoughts are allowed to gather around resentment, hate and anger start to harden your heart. You will become a victim of your own vehemence. The thief is only here to steal, kill and destroy. If you hold on to unforgiving resentment, you will steal the sound of Jesus knocking at the door of your heart.

John 10:6-10 The Message

^6-10 Jesus told this simple story, but they had no idea what he was talking about. So he tried again. “I’ll be explicit, then. I am the Gate for the sheep. All those others are up to no good—sheep stealers, every one of them. But the sheep didn’t listen to them. I am the Gate. Anyone who goes through me will be cared for—will freely go in and out, and find pasture. A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.

  Today's Wise Saying is from Proverbs 24:15-16

Proverbs 24:15-16

New International Version (NIV)

Saying 27

¹⁵ Do not lurk like a thief near the house of the righteous,
    do not plunder their dwelling place;
¹⁶ for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again,
    but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.

Proverbs 24:15-16

The Message (MSG)

27

^15-16 Don’t interfere with good people’s lives;
    don’t try to get the best of them.
No matter how many times you trip them up,
    God-loyal people don’t stay down long;
Soon they’re up on their feet,
    while the wicked end up flat on their faces.

Proverbs 24:15-16

Amplified Bible (AMP)

¹⁵ Lie not in wait as a wicked man against the dwelling of the [uncompromisingly] righteous (the upright, in right standing with God); destroy not his resting-place;

¹⁶ For a righteous man falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked are overthrown by calamity.

Proverbs 24:15-16

King James Version (KJV)

¹⁵ Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; spoil not his resting place:
¹⁶ For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.

Heart-Storming Challenge 

• Can you identify the thieves in your heart?
• Do you teach others, especially children, about heart-theft?
• How do you soften the hardness of resentment?
  

Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody.

Jesus loves you and so do we.