Some of us are going to have house guests for Christmas. I am assuming that we will clean up more than usual, bring out the best decor and furnish up the house as if that is the way we normally live. We want our guests to be comfortable and welcomed.
Many sermons educate us on how Jesus wants to come into our hearts if we let Him in. We are taught about how He will sanctify us and prepare us for our eternal life in Heaven. Do you wonder what He will find when you let Him in?
Every morning, in my prayer time with our good Lord I conclude our Lord’s prayer by asking Him to come into my heart and hang out with me all day long. Then I get nervous that it may be a very uncomfortable place for Him to stay. My guess is that I am not that far off in my assessment of how uncomfortable it might be to live in my heart.
We as Christians may think that we have minor issues. But if our yardstick is Jesus Christ, there is no way that our hearts are inhabitable. Our life is a daily, hourly battle against sin. Though we have won through Jesus, we do have to go through the motions of making smart choices and protecting our hearts.
“Above all else, guard your heart,
Proverbs 4:23
for everything you do flows from it.”
How are you welcoming Jesus? You want Him to take permanent residence in your hearts. Does your heart look like a swanky mansion or a run-down ramshackle cottage?
C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of – throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”
I think what C.S Lewis is so articulately expressing here is that I do not need to worry about cleaning my house before letting Jesus in. I must let Him in and grant Him complete lordship to my heart. He becomes the owner of my little heart. He knows what is right for me, so He will fix it up into whatever it needs to be.
What am I doing then? Aligning my will and keeping in mind that He will be uncomfortable if I continue with my sinful behavior. Most importantly, be of good courage in tough situations, because He is going to fix it all.
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:9
There is great hope for us. Let Him in and watch your life transform into something unimaginably beautiful. It may seem slow and hard but close your eyes and rejoice in the knowledge that He is in your heart forever. What a beautiful love story and you are the protagonist. God bless you!
Dear God,
Come into my heart and take ownership. Be the Lord of my heart. Fix what needs fixed and throw out what needs thrown out. Rebuild, renew and make it a slice of Heaven so that no evil can take residence in my heart and goodness will always prevail. Amen.