1 Corinthians 16: Open Doors

⁷ For I do not want to see you now and make only a passing visit; I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. ⁸ But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, ⁹ because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.

In college, I spent a lot of time hanging out at a Christian bookstore called the Open Door. I couldn’t afford all of the books I wanted to read, so I would often sit in there for an hour or more, reading and learning all I could.

It would not be until years later, however, until I realized the significance of the store’s name. In 1 Corinthians 16, Paul discusses his plans to visit his friends in Corinth. When he does, he mentioned he would be in the city of Ephesus until the Pentecost holiday. Why? Because the Lord had provided an open door for effective work.

This concept of the open door is critical for us to realize in our spiritual lives. When we are on the lookout for God’s leading in us, we must be ready to walk through the doors he opens. The Scriptures affirm both that we can do nothing without God and that all things are possible with God. The difference is to walk through the open doors he provides.

This is true whether it is a new school, a new relationship, a new job, or a new project of any kind. When we look for the doors God opens, we must still walk in faith, but we know our path will be clear. Why? Because God is walking with us and ahead of us.

What door is God opening in your life today?

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Dillon Burroughs is the author and coauthor of numerous books and is handwriting a copy of all 31,173 verses of the Bible at HolyWritProject.com. Find out more about Dillon at Facebook.com/readdB or readdB.com.