My Heart Christ's Home
In
Paul's epistle to the Ephesians, we find these words:
"That (God)
would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be
strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may
dwell in your hearts by faith" (Ephesians 3:16). Or, as another has
translated, "That Christ may settle down and be at home in your
hearts by faith."
Without
question one of the most remarkable Christian doctrines is that Jesus
Christ Himself through the presence of the Holy Spirit will actually
enter a heart, settle down and be at home there. Christ will make the
human heart His abode.
Our
Lord said to His disciples, "If a man love me, he will keep my
words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make
our abode with him" (John 14:23). It was difficult for them to
understand what He was saying. How was it possible for Him to make his
abode with them in this sense?
It
is interesting that our Lord used the same word here that He gave them
in the first of the fourteenth chapter of John: "I go to prepare a
place for you .. that where I am, ye may be also." Our Lord was
promising his disciples that, just as He was going to heaven to prepare
a place for them and would welcome them one day, now it would be
possible for them to prepare a place for Him in their hearts and He
would come and make His abode with them.
They
could not understand this. How could it be?
Then
came Pentecost. The Spirit of the living Christ was given to the church
and they understood. God did not dwell in Herod's temple in Jerusalem!
God did not dwell in a temple made with hands; but now, through the
miracle of the outpoured Spirit, God would dwell in human hearts. The
body of the believer would be the temple of the living God and the human
heart would be the home of Jesus Christ. It is difficult for me to think
of a higher privilege than to make Christ a home in my heart, to
welcome, to serve, to please, to fellowship with him there.
One
evening I invited Jesus Christ into my heart. What an entrance He made!
It was not a spectacular, emotional thing, but very real. It was at the
very center of my life. He came into the darkness of my heart and turned
on the light. He built a fire in the cold hearth and banished the chill.
He started music where there had been stillness, and He filled the
emptiness with His own loving, wonderful fellowship. I have never
regretted opening the door to Christ and I never will - not into
eternity!
This,
of course, is the first step in making the heart Christ's home. He has
said, "Behold I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my
voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him,
and he with me." (Revelation 3:20). If you are interested in making
your life an abode of the living God, let me encourage you to invite
Christ into your heart and He will surely come
After
Christ entered my heart and in the joy of this new relationship I said
to Him, "Lord, I want this heart of mine to be Yours. I want to
have You settle down here and be perfectly at home. Everything I have
belongs to You. Let me show You around and introduce you to the various
features of the home that you may be more comfortable and that we may
have fuller fellowship together."
He
was very glad to come, of course, and happier still to be given a place
in the heart
"If
anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and
we will come to him and make our home with him." [John 14:23, NIV]
One evening I
invited Jesus Christ into my heart. What an entrance He made! It was not
a spectacular, emotional thing, but very real. Something happened at the
very center of my life. He came into the darkness of my heart and turned
on the light. He built a fire on the hearth and banished the chill. He
started music where there had been stillness, and He filled the
emptiness with His own loving, wonderful fellowship. I have never
regretted opening the door to Christ and I never will.
In
the joy of this new relationship I said to Jesus Christ, "Lord, I
want this heart of mine to be Yours. I want to have You settle down here
and be perfectly at home. Everything I have belongs to You. Let me show
You around."
The
Study
The
first room was the study - the library. In my home this room of the mind
is a very small room with very thick walls. But it is a very important
room. In a sense, it is the control room of the house. He entered with
me and looked around at the books in the bookcase, the magazines upon
the table, the pictures on the walls. As I followed His gaze I became
uncomfortable.
Strangely,
I had not felt self-conscious about this before, but now that He was
there looking at these things I was embarrassed. Some books were there
that His eyes were too pure to behold. On the table were a few magazines
that a Christian had no business reading. As for the pictures on the
walls - the imaginations and thoughts of the mind - some of these were
shameful.
Red-faced,
I turned to Him and said, "Master, I know that this room needs to
be cleaned up and made over. Will You help me make it what it ought to
be?"
"Certainly!"
He said. "I'm glad to help you. First of all, take all the things
that you are reading and looking at which are not helpful, pure, good
and true, and throw them out! Now put on the empty shelves the books of
the Bible. Fill the library with Scripture and meditate on it day and
night. As for the pictures on the walls, you will have difficulty
controlling these images, but I have something that will help." He
gave me a full-size portrait of Himself. "Hang this
centrally," He said, "on the wall of the mind."
I
did, and I have discovered through the years that when my thoughts are
centered upon Christ Himself, His purity and power cause impure thoughts
to back away. So He has helped me to bring my thoughts under His
control.
The
Dining Room
From
the study we went into the dining room, the room of appetites and
desires. I spent a lot of time and hard work here trying to satisfy my
wants.
I
said to Him, "This is a favorite room. I am quite sure You will be
pleased with what we serve."
He
seated Himself at the table with me and asked, "What is on the menu
for dinner?" "Well," I said, "my favorite dishes:
money, academic degrees and stocks, with newspaper articles of fame and
fortune as side dishes." These were the things I liked - secular
fare.
When
the food was placed before Him, He said nothing, but I observed that He
did not eat it. I said to Him, "Master, don't You care for this
food? What is the trouble?"
He
answered, "I have food to eat that you do not know of. If you want
food that really satisfies you, do the will of the Father. Stop seeking
your own pleasures, desires, and satisfaction. Seek to please Him. That
food will satisfy you."
There
at the table He gave me a taste of the joy of doing God's will. What
flavor! There is no food like it in all the world. It alone satisfies.
The
Living Room
From
the dining room we walked into the living room. This room was intimate
and comfortable. I liked it. It had a fireplace, overstuffed chairs, a
sofa, and a quiet atmosphere.
He
said, "This is indeed a delightful room. Let us come here often. It
is secluded and quiet, and we can fellowship together."
Well,
as a young Christian I was thrilled. I couldn't think of anything I
would rather do than have a few minutes with Christ in close
companionship.
He
promised, "I will be here early every morning. Meet me here, and we
will start the day together."
So
morning after morning, I would come downstairs to the living room. He
would take a book of the Bible from the case. We would open it and read
together. He would unfold to me the wonder of God's saving truths. My
heart sang as He shared the love and the grace He had toward me. These
were wonderful times.
However,
little by little, under the pressure of many responsibilities, this time
began to be shortened. Why, I'm not sure. I thought I was too busy to
spend regular time with Christ. This was not intentional, you
understand. It just happened that way. Finally, not only was the time
shortened, but I began to miss days now and then. Urgent matters would
crowd out the quiet times of conversation with Jesus.
I
remember one morning rushing downstairs, eager to be on my way. I passed
the living room and noticed that the door was open.
Looking
in, I saw a fire in the fireplace and Jesus was sitting there. Suddenly
in dismay I thought to myself, "He is my guest. I invited Him into
my heart! He has come as my Savior and Friend, and yet I am neglecting
Him."
I
stopped, turned and hesitantly went in. With downcast glance, I said,
"Master, forgive me. Have You been here all these mornings?"
"Yes,"
He said, "I told you I would be here every morning to meet with
you. Remember, I love you. I have redeemed you at great cost. I value
your fellowship. Even if you cannot keep the quiet time for your own
sake, do it for mine."
The
truth that Christ desires my companionship, that He wants me to be with
Him and waits for me, has done more to transform my quiet time with God
than any other single fact. Don't let Christ wait alone in the living
room of your heart, but every day find time when, with your Bible and in
prayer, you may be together with Him.
The
Workroom
Before
long, He asked, "Do you have a workroom in your home?" Out in
the garage of the home of my heart I had a workbench and some equipment,
but I was not doing much with it. Once in a while I would play around
with a few little gadgets, but I wasn't producing anything substantial.
I
led Him out there. He looked over the workbench and said, "Well,
this is quite well furnished. What are you producing with your life for
the Kingdom of God?" He looked at one or two little toys that I had
thrown together on the bench and held one up to me. "Is this the
sort of thing you are doing for others in your Christian life?"
"Well,"
I said, "Lord, I know it isn't much, and I really want to do more,
but after all, I don't seem to have strength or skill to do more."
"Would
you like to do better?" He asked.
"Certainly,"
I replied.
"All
right. Let me have your hands. Now relax in me and let my Spirit work
through you. I know that you are unskilled, clumsy and awkward, but the
Holy Spirit is the Master Workman, and if He controls your hands and
your heart, He will work through you." Stepping around behind me
and putting His great, strong hands under mine, He held the tools in His
skilled fingers and began to work through me. The more I relaxed and
trusted Him, the more He was able to do with my life.
The
Rec. Room - (His Work Room)
He
asked me if I had a rec. room where I went for fun and fellowship. I was
hoping He would not ask about that. There were certain associations and
activities that I wanted to keep for myself.
One
evening when I was on my way out with some of my buddies, He stopped me
with a glance and asked, "Are you going out?"
I
replied, "Yes."
"Good,"
He said, "I would like to go with you."
"Oh,"
I answered rather awkwardly. "I don't think, Lord Jesus, that You
would really enjoy where we are going. Let's go out together tomorrow
night. Tomorrow night we will go to a Bible class at church, but tonight
I have another appointment."
"I'm
sorry," He said. "I thought that when I came into your home,
we were going to do everything together, to be close companions. I just
want you to know that I am willing to go with you."
"Well,"
I mumbled, slipping out the door, "we will go someplace together
tomorrow night."
That
evening I spent some miserable hours. I felt rotten. What kind of friend
was I to Jesus, deliberately leaving Him out of my life, doing things
and going places that I knew very well He would not enjoy?
When
I returned that evening, there was a light in His room, and I went up to
talk it over with Him. I said, "Lord, I have learned my lesson. I
know now that I can't have a good time without You. From now on, we will
do everything together."
Then
we went down into the rec. room of the house. He transformed it. He
brought new friends, new excitement, new joys. Laughter and music have
been ringing through the house ever since.
The
Hall Closet
One
day I found Him waiting for me at the door. An arresting look was in His
eye. As I entered, He said to me, "There is a peculiar odor in the
house. Something must be dead around here. It's upstairs. I think it is
in the hall closet."
As
soon as He said this, I knew what He was talking about. There was a
small closet up there on the hall landing, just a few feet square. In
that closet, behind lock and key, I had one or two little personal
things that I did not want anyone to know about. Certainly, I did not
want Christ to see them. I knew they were dead and rotting things left
over from the old life. I wanted them so for myself that I was afraid to
admit they were there.
Reluctantly,
I went up with Him, and as we mounted the stairs the odor became
stronger and stronger. He pointed to the door. I was angry. That's the
only way I can put it. I had given Him access to the library, the dining
room, the living room, the workroom, the rec room, and now He was asking
me about a little two-by-four closet. I said to myself, "This is
too much. I am not going to give Him the key."
"Well,"
He said, reading my thoughts, "if you think I'm going to stay up
here on the second floor with this smell, you are mistaken. I will go
out on the porch." Then I saw Him start down the stairs.
When
one comes to know and love Christ, the worst thing that can happen is to
sense Him withdrawing His fellowship. I had to give in.
"I'll
give You the key," I said sadly, "but You will have to open
the closet and clean it out. I haven't the strength to do it."
"Just
give me the key," He said. "Authorize me to take care of that
closet and I will."
With
trembling fingers I passed the key to Him. He took it, walked over to
the door, opened it, entered, took out all the putrefying stuff that was
rotting there, and threw it away. Then He cleaned the closet and painted
it. It was done in a moment's time. Oh, what victory and release to have
that dead thing out of my life!
Transferring
the Title
A
thought came to me. "Lord, is there any chance that You would take
over the management of the whole house and operate it for me as You did
that closet? Would You take the responsibility to keep my life what it
ought to be?"
His
face lit up as He replied, "I'd love to! That is what I want to do.
You cannot be a victorious Christian in your own strength. Let me do it
through you and for you. That is the way. But," He added slowly,
"I am just a guest. I have no authority to proceed, since the
property is not mine."
Dropping
to my knees, I said, "Lord, You have been a guest and I have been
the host. From now on I am going to be the servant. You are going to be
the owner and Master."
Running
as fast as I could to the strongbox, I took out the title deed to the
house describing its assets and liabilities, location and situation. I
eagerly signed the house over to Him alone for time and eternity.
"Here," I said. "Here it is, all that I am and have,
forever. Now You run the house. I'll just remain with You as a servant
and friend."
Things
are different since Jesus Christ has settled down and has made His home
in my heart.
-Robert
Boyd Munger
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Midi is "Ivory Palace"
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© All rights reserved Revised: August 23, 2010
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