Ungovernable Temper
There was once a minister in England who was troubled
with a violent and ungovernable temper. Many times he had
prayed for victory over it. In tears he had struggled to
conquer this foe. But again and again he had been beaten and
now was almost in despair. He came into his study one day
after a violent outburst of anger and brokenheartedly buried
his head in his arms on the desk. Soon his tears lulled him
into a deep sleep. He dreamed that he was in this same
study. As he looked out through one of the windows, he saw a
glorious man coming toward the house who evidently was to be
his guest. He was very aware that his study was in much
disorder, and certainly unfit to receive such a guest, who
he knew was the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He swept and
dusted the room, but, strangely, the more he worked the
worse it became. Then the stranger knocked on the front
door.
"Oh, what shall I do?" the minister said to himself. "I
cannot invite Him into a room in such disorder as this." As
he kept making attempts to clean his dirty study he kept
thinking, "I cannot open the door while this room is so
unfit to receive Him." But try as he would, all his efforts
were in vain. Then when the knock came for the third and
what he thought might be the last time, he with a sense of
shame and confusion opened the door, saying to his guest,
"Master, I can do no more. Come in if Thou wilt enter such a
dirty room."
The Master walked in and suddenly a strange transformation
occurred. The dust settled, the disorder disappeared, and
all was bright, clean, and joyful. The Master's presence
alone had done all that his own utmost efforts had failed to
accomplish.
A sinful, mortal man, try as he may, cannot cleanse his own
heart so that Jesus can come in. Only Jesus is able to do
that. He says, "Come." He wants us to open our hearts' door
(Revelation 3:20), and He will do the cleansing.
By George S. Ashlock, These Times, June 1953. With permission from Dale E. Galusha Pacific Press Ministries dalgal@pacificpress.com