Always Open

I saw a poster last week that made me smile. It was a poster for a church that showed a young person standing on top of a hill with his or her arms opened wide as though to give a hug. Beneath the picture was a caption that said something to the effect of, “Come to the church that’s always open.” Always open…there’s a neat concept for a church, but open to what? Does it mean that the doors never close? Does it mean that the hearts of the people never close? Does it infer that some churches are closed in every possible way? I suppose the answer to all of these is ‘yes,’ at least to some degree.

This led me to think about another place that boasts it is always open, the Waffle House. I went to the Waffle House web site, www.wafflehouse.com, and found the following interesting facts: Waffle House is open 365 days a year. More than 877,388,027 waffles have been served since the first Waffle House opened in 1955. Also, since 1955, approximately 1.3 billion cups of coffee have been served. The Waffle House found 22,020,096 different ways to prepare its hamburgers. Waffle Houses serves 2,501,866,574 eggs each year. If you stack all the sausage patties sold in one day, the stack would be four-times taller than the Empire State Building. And Waffle House sells enough bacon in one year to stretch all the way around the equator…that’s 25,000 miles! These are some staggering facts that proves how much can be accomplished when something is actually, “Always Open!”

I know something—or should I say someone—who is also always open: God! God created you for one purpose: relationship. It is out of God’s love that you were created and it is in God’s love that you live. Sometimes people do pretty well without God in their lives, but think about how much better it would be if we were living faithful lives; lives with our eyes fixed firmly upon Jesus, the One who openly gave His life, that we might know just how much God loves us!

When we speak of God’s love, there are many who want to put qualifiers on it. Some might think that you have to be in worship and Sunday School or a small group every week to experience God’s saving love. Some might think you aren’t saved until you tithe to a church. Some might even think you have to know how to spell all the books in the Bible (and yes, Old Testament included), let alone recite them in order. All of these can help strengthen your faith and relationship with God, but friends, let me tell you this right here, right now…God’s love is for you! There is nothing you can do to deserve it save realize you are a child in need, turning to God, the ultimate giver.

God’s love is always open and inviting you in. It does not matter what you bring with you to read this article, but you have the chance to get up a changed person. It does not mean you are better than everyone else, just better than the person you were. Ask God to forgive your sin. Place your faith to live life in Jesus Christ. Then commit your life to living in God’s love through a local church as a child of the One who is always open in love!

Friends, it is staggering what Waffle House can do with coffee, waffles, sausage, and bacon. It is even more staggering what God can do with a life committed to Him. So take this day to turn your eyes upon Jesus. Take this season of Lent to recommit your heart to the Almighty. And above all, make yourself open to receiving the love that has been meant for you all along…the open, freeing, and saving love of God in Christ Jesus!