by David Brenneman
We have heard of different clichés about Jesus living in our hearts.
He stands at the door and knocks, bidding us to let Him enter in as at least one hymn says.
Is there room for Jesus in your life?
Again asked in many ways but there's more to it than gaining the ultimate provider, which many believe they are getting.
As we read the other day Satan's after other things. He uses food, clothing, possessions in general and our emotions and feelings concerning them as weapons. Wars start over them. Special interest groups are fueled by them.
Greed certainly gets going where possessions and money are concerned.
In Heaven there's no money. Gold is considered asphalt. It's for walking on.
We see in Heaven what is the priority. God's will being done in whatever way God sees fit in His time, all the time, interestingly enough all done outside of time.
People get worked up over possessions, over this or that. Nowhere in the Bible are we called to do that.
We surrender our life to Christ Jesus. We are saying to have His own way with us.
Get ready because that means an Extreme Home Makeover of our Hearts.
It means new priorities. You have possibly seen that show. You can Google it later. They take some 'deserving' person or family and spend great amounts of time and money to rebuild their home or room into something spectacular in a week.
Then comes the days, months, weeks and years ahead. Who can keep up with such splendor or fantasy ideas? Who's responsible for fixing it? Things that never cross anyone's mind at the time.
What does this have to do with Jesus in our lives?
Jesus never entered your heart to sit in a chair in your entryway.
Jesus never entered your life to do nothing more after saving you.
Jesus never entered your life to wait on you hand and foot.
Jesus never entered your life to give you all your heart desires.
Jesus came to transform your life. He said so up front, not like the dream world of those Makeover shows.
Jesus said it would hurt. He said He would be with you through all the pain, all the suffering, all the grief that would accompany that transformation. He knew it would be painful.
Jesus loves you too much to just come in and leave you in your weakened state. Which we all are outside of the strength that only comes from God.
Satan's wanting people fretting about useless things. Wanting people obsessed over health, wealth and prosperity. Wants people living out selfish lives in order to keep them from living for Jesus. Wants them stirring up people ovet things that don't matter in light of eternity. Useless things that He gave all enough common sense to handle.
We are to let Jesus indeed into every single part of our lives. Every part.
There should be to secret rooms.
There should be nothing that we tell Jesus He can't do anything with.
There should be obedience.
There should be a willingness to obey.
There should be Isaiah's cry "here am I, send me!".
There should be us opening every single door in us to Jesus, trusting Him with the outcome of His working in those rooms.
There should be a willingness on our part to rest in His will as it happens in Heaven.
I am writing a blog post for our Church that has to do with an apparent disconnect between what we see God like in the Old Testament and the New Testament. God is the same in both. His love begins in Genesis 1:1 and continues all throughout the Bible to the end of Revelation.
Spiritual surgery is required in saving our lives in Christ Jesus. He doesn't need a dumpster outside to toss whatever is leaving our hearts. Doesn't need a storage unit to temporarily hold onto whatever is in the way of the Makeover. What leaves should never come back in.
We often think that later on we will be mature enough to handle such things again and try to bring them back in. If Jesus says we don't need something, the onus is on us to trust Him!
Jesus isn't in your life to visit. He's there to save and transform your life.
Jesus found you at your worst and promised to make all things new.
Jesus said come to me all who are weak and heavy laiden and I will give you rest.
Jesus said to take up His yoke upon you.
Jesus came to break the shackles of the world from around us.
Jesus adopted us into the family of God.
Can you say to God that you are available?
Can you say to Jesus "here am I, send me!"?
Can you say that you are a person after God's own heart?
Can you look at your life and see the fingerprints of God?
Can you look into your heart and see Jesus freely going anywhere He wants to go?
When you look at your life is it Jesus's will being done or are you caught up in the health, wealth and prosperity movement that's keeping your eyes off Christ and onto yourself?
Jesus will indeed look over your life and mine to see just where your obedience to God's Will took place. All selfish and self-centered living will be burned away.
"
Take my life and let it be
consecrated, Lord, to thee.
Take my moments and my days;
let them flow in endless praise,
let them flow in endless praise.
Take my hands and let them move
at the impulse of thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
swift and beautiful for thee,
swift and beautiful for thee.
Take my voice and let me sing
always, only, for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
filled with messages from thee,
filled with messages from thee.
Take my silver and my gold;
not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
every power as thou shalt choose,
every power as thou shalt choose.
Take my will and make it thine;
it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart it is thine own;
it shall be thy royal throne,
it shall be thy royal throne.
Take my love; my Lord, I pour
at thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be
ever, only, all for thee,
ever, only, all for thee."
- "Take My Life" Frances Havergal 1874
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