Listen

Jesus answered, “Whoever loves me will keep my word. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever doesn’t love me doesn’t keep my words. The word that you hear isn’t mine. It is the word of the Father who sent me.”

John 14:23-24

Think

Somewhere along the way, I heard that it is important for us as Christians to make our hearts a home for Christ. Some liken this holy work to the chores associated with housekeeping; however, it is more like the compassionate work of homemaking.

Think about this example from the blog, Home Made Lovely. In “Why Homemaking is Not the Same as Housekeeping,” mom and writer Shannon Acheson states: “Housekeeping doesn’t leave the four walls of our home,” while homemaking “… comes from the heart.” Imagine a family vacation. You wouldn’t do the same cleaning chores in the hotel room that you are required to do at home; however, we would love and care for our family members regardless of where we were.

And so it is with keeping God’s word. We must love God above all else and love our neighbors as ourselves, even when it is difficult, so that our hearts may be found warm and welcoming by our Lord, who will make a home in and with us.

Sarah Boatwright

Pray

Help me, O Lord, to love you and to keep your word today, that my heart may be a home for you.

Amen.

Go

O teach my heart to know Your Word
And treasure all that I have heard
O raise this everlasting seed
To bear the fruit of Christ in me

Abe and Liza Philip in “O Teach My Heart to Love Your Word” (2009)