God's Glory Church

“So that Christ… dwells in your hearts.” — Ephesians 3:17

When a blizzard hit the western United States, my widowed mother agreed to stay with us to wait out the storm. However, after the blizzard, she never returned to her house. Mom moved in with us and lived with us until the end of her life. Her presence has changed our family in many positive ways. She was available every day to share wisdom and advice with family members and to tell the stories of her ancestors. My mother and my husband became best friends, sharing a common sense of humor and love of sports. She was no longer a guest, but a permanent and important resident, forever changing our hearts, even after God called her home.

Thinking about this, I remember the text from the Gospel of John that Christ “was among us” (John 1:14). In the original Greek, the word “stay” means “to pitch a tent.” In another translation, for example, it is said that He “settled among us.”

We accept Jesus by faith as the One who lives in our hearts. The Apostle Paul prayed: “For this I bow my knees… that He may give you according to the riches of His glory with strength through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith…” (Eph. 3:14, 16-17).

Jesus is not an occasional visitor, but a permanent resident of all His followers. Let us open wide the doors of our hearts and welcome Him.

What does it mean for you to open your heart to Christ? How can you make Him more desirable to you?

Loving Jesus, living in my heart, liken me to Yourself.

Author: Patricia Raybon