The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…
"Our Hearts, His Home"
In His epistle to the believers of Ephesus, the Apostle Paul prayed that "Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith" (Ephesians 3:17). On the surface, this may seem to conflict with the truth that, like all believers, the Ephesians were already indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
"Because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying Abba Father" (Galatians 4:6).
"But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His" (Romans 8:9).
Why does Paul pray for a gift the Ephesians had already received, namely, the living presence of Christ in their spirits? Actually, he does not. The word "dwell" in his request does not suggest the simple presence of one living in a place. "Katoikeo" in the Greek rather speaks of one dwelling comfortably, as in the notion of a house becoming a home. Paul declares that our Lord lives in believers accordingly as we walk "by faith." Thus, to make our hearts more than a simple dwelling for our Lord, we must seek to further a consistent and growing trust in Him whereby we create an atmosphere that pleases Him. "The just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:17).
Why does faith form such a pleasing environment for God as He dwells in us? The primary answer is that we were made as creatures completely dependent on Him for "life and breath and all things" (Acts 17:25). God is God, we are not, and our hearts can only provide a suitable abode for Him if we live in the reality of who He is, and who we are. "Christ is our life… We had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead" (Colossians 3:4; II Corinthians 1:9).
Most importantly, the Christ who dwells within our hearts is glorified and revealed therein as we walk by faith. God's pleasure in His trusting sons and daughters graces us because He sees His beloved Son in us - "accepted in the Beloved" (Ephesians 1:6). Certainly, He loves us as individual and distinct persons, dear to Him for who we are. However, our "who we are" is only whole and fulfilled through the Spirit of the Lord Jesus dwelling within us - "ye are complete in Him" (Colossians 2:10). Trusting God bears witness to Christ's presence within us, and to His shining forth from us unto the eyes of our Father and of people. As was said of the disciples of old, "They took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13).
We do well to join Paul in praying for fellow believers and ourselves that our hearts will provide a comfortable dwelling for our Lord. He will answer by working to reveal His trustworthiness more and more, resulting in our enabling to trust Him more and more. No greater gift can be imagined, and no greater opportunity for a life wherein we can please the One who so loves us that He was not content to merely dwell with human hearts. He rather dwells within all who believe, and surely all who have received such grace desire to make our heart far more than merely a place to be. Our hearts, His home. By faith, such a wondrous reason for being becomes more blessed to us, and most importantly, more comfortable to the gracious and holy Occupant.
"I will dwell in them and walk in them."
(II Corinthians 6:16)
"But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him."
(Hebrews 11:6)
Memory Verse
What hast thou that thou didst not receive?
(I Corinthians 4:7)
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