Can God Make His Home With You?
Jesus said,
“If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My
Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me
does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the
Father's who sent Me” (John 14:23-24). Most religious people
would hope that God would make His home with them. But here, Jesus makes it
very clear with whom He and the Father will abide.
We must
love God in order for Him to make his home with us. Jesus tells us that the greatest command to
us is “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your
soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). We must love Him more than anyone or anything
else including our families, our dearest loved ones, and even our own lives
(Luke 14:26). To what
degree do you love the Lord? Whole-hearted love carries with it the idea that
all of our decisions are affected by that love. Our every thought and deed are
done only after considering the effect that thought or deed will have on the
one we love. It makes sense that God would make His home only with those who
Love Him and want Him to be with them.
How is it
known when one loves another? Jesus goes
on to say that if we love
Him,
we will keep His word (John 14:23). Our love for Him is manifested by our obedience to His will. So many people claim to have faith in and
love for God, yet they prove otherwise with their lives. Those who refuse to follow the word of God
are fooling no one with their pseudo-love for Him. On the Day of Judgment, the
Bible will be opened, and each of our lives will be measured by its contents
(Revelation 20:12). It will
be a sad day for those who follow not after the will of the Father. No doubt
some of them will say, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many
wonders in Your name?” (Matthew 7:22).
But Jesus will reply, “I never knew you; depart from Me,
you who practice lawlessness!” (Matthew
7:23). Some see this statement as harsh & unloving, but if it were not for
the great show of love that God made for us in sending Christ to die for us, we
would have no chance and no hope. After doing that great thing for us, God
merely asks that we keep His commands.
“Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of
heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).
Do you
truly love God? Does it show in your actions? Make your heart a suitable home
for the Lord by loving Him and obeying His will. Remember, if it is not the Lord God who lives
in your heart there IS someone else abiding within you (John 8:44).
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