Going to Heaven indeed is a pleasant prospect. But going to the Father is the fire of our personality returning to the creative, fiery Love from which it received its spark of life.

Every saint in whom Christ is abiding possesses in himself the desire to return to the Father. Merely going to Heaven will not satisfy our desire. We must return to Him—to the Father.

How do we get there—we who are bound in sin, in self-seeking, in fear, in rebellion and stubbornness? How can we be made presentable so we can return to Him who is adored forever, the Ancient of Days, the Father of spirits?

Jesus

Jesus had to return to the Father. It was not possible for Him to bring people to the Father while He was on the earth the first time. Going to the Father, in the manner to which Christ was referring, required death and resurrection on His part and requires death and resurrection on our part.

We cannot be made ready to go to the Father merely by being instructed. Christ must enter us and prepare us from within by becoming our love, our joy, our peace, our patience, our wisdom, our knowledge, our strength, our faith, our courage, our holiness, our obedience.

I am the Way. Christ is the Way to God. But how is He the Way?

He was broken on the cross of Calvary. Then He brought His own flesh and blood before the Father.

God the Father blessed the flesh and blood of Christ as Jesus blessed the loaves and the fish.

Then the Holy Spirit received the flesh and blood, now blessed and multiplied, and holds them in readiness for each person on earth who will receive them.

Christ comes and stands before the heart of the believer. Christ knocks, and we feel the knocking in our life. He knocks until we become aware that God is asking for our attention.

Then Christ speaks. He calls to us. We hear His Voice. But will we open the door of our heart? Christ will not open that door.

No person ever will be forced to become part of the Wife of the Lamb. Jesus will not have it that way. Our returning of His love must be intense, single-minded, self-sacrificing. If it is not, the Holy Spirit will work with us in the attempt to guide us into a voluntary cleaving to the Lord.

We possess the awesome power of being able to keep the door of our life closed against Christ, against our Creator, forever!

If we open the door, Christ enters us. He brings His body and blood and give us to eat and to drink. We dine with Him. There must be a loving, glad response in our heart. If we do not love Him, no relationship is established. For this is the eternal romance.

To be continued.