TLIC FAMILY. DAY 263. SEPTEMBER 20: IN YOUR HEARTS.

THINK TOGETHER

Have you ever had a guest stay in your home? How did they act differently from your family? How did they act the same as your family?

READ TOGETHER

Being a Christian means much more than just being saved from your sins. Of course that is a wonderful thing, but there’s more, way more, that God wants for you. He wants you to know Jesus and to experience Jesus and his love in a very real and personal way.

Listen to how Paul prays for the Ephesian Christians.

Ephesians 3:14-19. ¹⁴ For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, ¹⁶ that according to the riches of his gloryhe may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

Paul prays these words – “so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.”

But doesn’t Jesus already live in our hearts?

When I was a kid my best friend’s house had one of those living rooms that we were never allowed in. It was always neat and clean and perfect looking and we were not allowed to sit, eat, or watch TV in that room.

Do you have a room like that in your house?

Or think about when people come over to your house for dinner or for a party. Sometimes people come over and you don’t know them very well and so they eat in the dining room (not the kitchen), and they ask permission to use your bathroom, and they would never go in your closet, or attic, or basement.

But then there are people that you know so well that they just make themselves at home in your house. They can go in the fridge. They just use the bathroom when they need to. They might even be allowed to walk around freely in your house. Do you have any friends like that?

Paul wants us to let Jesus do whatever he wants in our heart house.

Does Jesus have access to everything in your heart? All your worries and fears? All your thoughts and dreams? All your anger and pride? All that you love and want?

But why should we let Jesus have control over our hearts like this? Because he loves us. And when you know that Jesus loves you no matter what, it will never be scary to let Jesus take control of your heart.

Because of Jesus we have all the love of God living inside of us.

With Jesus we can allow Jesus to take control over our hearts.

DO SOMETHING TOGETHER

Walk around your house together and talk about what it would mean if Jesus were allowed in that particular room. Then make sure you also talk about the “rooms” of our heart house (worries, fears, decisions, loves, hates, etc.) Talk about what it would mean if Jesus controlled each of these spiritual rooms too.

And here’s a fun commercial where a kid lives in a house without permission – is that how Jesus is in your heart?

PRAY TOGETHER  

Jesus,

Make yourself at home in my heart. I know you love me and I trust you with everything that I think, and feel, and do.

Amen.

***

To see today’s post from the TLIC Daily blog –> Click Here