Heart and Home

HEART AND HOME

Scripture:

“Jesus answered and said unto him, 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)

Introduction: Pentecost revealed what the disciples had previously misunderstood. God did not dwell in Herod's temple in Jerusalem--nor in any temple made with hands! Now, through the miracle of the out-poured spirit, god would dwell in human hearts. the body of the believer had become the temple of the living God and the human hear the home of Jesus Christ. There is no higher privilege than to make Christ a home in our hearts, to welcome, to serve, to please and to know him there.
The first step in making the heart Christ' home is to open the door. "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: (Rev. 3:20). Ask him to come in and be your Savior and Lord.
The second step is to show Him around in your heart and expose the darkness to His light.

Use each room as an object lesson

Introduction: Pentecost revealed what the disciples had previously misunderstood. God id not dwell in Herod's temple in Jerusalem--nor in any temple made with hands! Now, through the miracle of the out-poured Spirit, god would dwell in human hearts. The body of the believer had become the temple of the living God and the human heart the home of Jesus Christ. there is no higher privilege than to make Christ a home in our hearts, to welcome, to serve, to please and to know Him there.

The first step in making the heart Christ;s home is to open the door. "Behold, I stand at the door, and know; 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" (Rev. 3:20). Ask him to come in and be your Savior and Lord.

The second step is to show Him around in your heart and expose the darkness to His light.

The Study or Library;

The study, or library; is a good place to begin. Let's call it the study of the mind. In a sense, it is the control room of the house. Look around at the books on the shelf, the magazines on the table, the pictures on the wall, If you follow Christ's gaze around the room, is there anything there that makes you uncomfortable for Him to see? Are His eyes too pure to view what you normally see, imagine, or read? If so, ask Him to help you clean it up and change it to what it ought to be. Books on the shelf should include the books of the Bible. Meditate on the Scriptures day and night. Impure imaginations are hard to control-try putting the image of Christ in a central place and when thoughts are centered on Him, the awareness of His presence, purity and power causes wrong and impure thought to back away.

KITCHEN

Walking into the kitchen, Christ might notice peculiar odors in the room like something is dead. The refrigerator seems to be the source. Do you have one or two little things you did not want anyone to know about? Certainly you don't want Christ to see them. Most of us have dead left-overs from our old life -- not wicked, but not right and good to have in a Christian life. Yet we love them and don't watn to give them up. After all, they don't take up much space and we're ready to give him full access to the rest of our house. However, the smell of these things is causing him to withdraw his face and fellowship. His strength will be needed to clean this area because we cannot manage alone. He only needs our permission to clean it out, wash it down and restore it for better use. We all desire a clean kitchen for food preparation; christ desires a pure heart for a life of service.

Bedroom

One day we go into the bedroom. The picture hanging next to the bed is of our mate. Though our relationship is a good one, there are issues we are struggling with and feel strange talking to Him about. But Jesus knows what we are thinking and wants us to trust him with the most intimate areas of our heart and home. Let Him help you with your relationships with the opposite sex. His teachings on marital and premarital relationships are not to curtail enjoyment, but rather to protect and increase our future or present enjoyment of a loving, life-long partnership where two truly can become one in Him.

The Rec Room

Christ then asks about the rec room, where we go for fun and fellowship. This is a room we don't want to show him. After all, there are certain associations and activities we want for ourselves. Jesus wouldn't enjoy or approve doing them with us and so we haven't invited him into this room. However, he came into our home to be a close companion and do everything with us. He urges us to try entertainment we can share with Him and when we finally do, we find it is much more enjoyable. Now this room has been transformed with new and better friendships, new excitement, new joys. He reminds us that He came "that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full" (Jn 15:11).

The Laundry and Sewing Room

Before long, Christ will ask if we have a work area in the house. Going into the laundry and sewing room, we find stacks of sorted, dirty laundry, piles of unfolded clean clothes, clothes hanging ready to be ironed, and a half-finished skirt draped over the sewing machine. We work half-heartedly at these seemingly unending tasks and do as little of it as possible. Christ asks if this is what we do for others and we can only hang our heads in shame. We complain of awkwardness, and limited time and ability. He reminds us that "without me ye can do nothing" (Jn 15:5). He asks us to come and relax in His spirit and allow him to work through us. It is amazing what He accomplishes when we trust Him and let Him have his way. Give what you are to Christ, make yourself available and He will surprise you with what he can do through you.

The Dining room

Consider next the dining room, the room of appetites and desires. Will Christ be pleased with what is on the menu? Money, academic degrees, retirement accounts, investments, and fame-nothing wrong with this secular fare, but not really food to feed the soul and satisfy true spiritual hunger. Christ would have none of it and would suggest instead that we stop striving for our own desires and seek instead to please Him. Offerings, compassion for others, soul-winning, and work at the church-this would be food with great flavor and satisfaction!

The Living Room

Moving into the living room, we find a quiet, comfortable room with a warm atmosphere. It has a fireplace, sofa, overstuffed chairs, bookcase and an intimate atmosphere. Christ would be pleased with this room and enjoy meeting here with us everyday. It's secluded and perfect for good talks and fellowships together. It is a place where a friendship could develop and deepen. It simply needs time - daily times to read God's Word, meditate, and pray. Be careful not to let responsibilities shorten or take away this time. One never plans to walk by the living room and let the fire go out and the room become dusty with disuse, but it happens. We've invited Jesus into our hearts as our guest and we shouldn't leave Him sitting in this room alone and neglected. At great cost He redeemed us because He loves us and He desires our fellowship. Our quiet time is not just for our on spiritual growth, and help, but also for fellowship with our Lord and Savior.

Transferring the Title

After opening and showing each room of our heart to the Lord, a thought should come to us. Keeping our hearts clean and available for Christ is hard work. We start cleaning on one room only to discover that another has become dusty. It's tiring to maintain a clean heart and an obedient life. Instead of having Christ as just a guest, it is time to have Him take over and manage the whole house as the rightful owner. He will be delighted as this is what He came to do. Knowing it is impossible for us to do it all in our own strength, He is ready to do it for us and through us. He needs to be the Master and we the servants. There is no better way to live the Christian life-He knows how to keep it and use it. May He be the Lord of your heart and house also.

Topics: Incorporate these topics into your devotion.

• Women in the Home - World philosophy vs. Bible Teaching
• Husband/wife relationship/communication
• Making Memories/Teaching Creativity
• Child Discipline
• Dealing with Teens/dating, dress, peer pressure
• Family Devotions: God and family each day

GIVE USEFUL TIPS FOR THE HOME:

Kitchen: coupon strategies meal planning recipes	Bedroom: organization
Rec Room: family games trips	Laundry Room/Bathroom: stain removal tips mending ironing cleaning