When I was growing up, a good friend of ours, Bob Munger, wrote a little booklet you may have read, called "MY HEART-CHRIST'S HOME".He says that as a young christian, when Christ entered his heart, in the joy of this new relationship, he told him "Lord, I want this heart of mine to be yours. I want you to settle down here and be fully at home. Let me show you around so you can be comfortable"...
Then he walks with Jesus into each room of his heart, now Christ's home...
The Study...
Or the library, the study of the mind. It's a small room with thick walls, but it's important as it is the control room of the house.As Jesus looked around at the books and magazines on the shelf, and at the pictures on the walls....Dr.Munger says...
"As I followed his gaze, I became uncomfortable. Strangely enough, I had not felt bad about this room before, but now that he was there with me looking at these things, I was embarrassed. There were some books on the shelves his eyes were too pure to look at. On the table were a few magazines a christian has no business reading. As for the pictures on the walls - the imaginations and thoughts of my mind - some of these were shameful".
"Red faced, I turned to Him and said 'Master, I know this room really needs to be cleaned up and made over. Will you help me change it to the way it ought to be?"
And of course, Jesus agreed, and He began to replace the old with the new, His life changing new.
Jesus told him... "First of all, take all the materials you are reading and viewing which are not true, good, pure and helpful, and throw them out! Now put on the empty shelves the books of the Bible. Fill your library with Scripture and meditate on them day and night. As for the pictures on the walls, you wil have difficulty controlling these images, but I have something that will help", and He gave me a full sized portrait of Himself. "Hang this centrally, on the wall of your mind."... I did, and I have discovered through the years that when my thoughts are centered on Christ, the awareness of His presence causes wrong and impure thoughts to back away."...
You get the idea... he took Jesus from room to room, and this little 28 page booklet is a picture of our hearts, as rooms in a home. And seeing each 'room' through Jesus' eyes, made a vivid impression on me as a teenager when I read this.
Just like a home, our hearts and minds have different parts... emotions, fears, thoughts, gifts, hopes, joys, .... and He wants to be the Lord over all of them!
Better yet, He has promised to enter into each of those places, and change and rearrange them, so that our Heart truly will be His home!...
17 comments:
Good story. I find that happening to myself. The change was so gradual I barely noticed, but over the years the things I once may have found funny and not, things I may have looked at, I now close my eyes or look away. God does replace all those "hidden" things the more of Him you take in, the less room for the junk. What a great way to start my day...reading this! Thanks. HUGS!
So what the booklet is saying is to give Jesus our heart AND every other part! Definitely good advice. :-)
Thanks so much for sharing this. Also, thank you for visiting my blog and commenting. I love to meet new bloggers. Please stop by again, anytime!
Blessings,
Beth
AMEN....HE most definitely wants to be LORD of it "all."
Blessings, andrea
Sonja,
this is a wonderful post.. really gets one thinking... Hope you are having a blessed day!
hugs!
Gwen
This was thought provoking...would Jesus mind if my house was a little dusty? Would He mind if I just made frozen pizza for dinner, because I didn't feel like cooking? Would He care if I didn't make my bed, because I figured no one would see it anyway? Wow, I'm having quality God time here! My spirit's getting filled, just thinking about all the little ways I could be glorifying Him. GOD IS IN THE HOUSE!
Hey Sonja!
Great post!! This little book is one of my favorite little books from years ago!! I've adapted it to a teaching and I've used it speaking at womens groups but I haven't read it for several years and just pulled it out just last week!! Duh! I think the Lord is saying something to me about this!!
You and I are definitely on the same page sister!!! Amazing!!
Have a wonderful week!
Praying for you and yours!!
Luv, Hugs and Sweet Blessings!
Jackie
Dear Sonia,
This book, of which I've never heard, seems to be at least partly fitting in with my way of displaying things in our home.
I'm not much of a preacher. That never was my style. I kind of feel too unworthy to takes those great words in my moth. But outside our entrance door a small figure of Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus is hanging on the wall. I have Bibles in every room of the house,plus also worldly literature, I must admit. I love angles. They are the servants of God. I spread angle figures in every room.
The empty cross hangs by the telephone in our kitchen.
This way I don't have to preach that much to let visitors know where I stand.
And, of course, whenever some comes with burdens of illness or troubles I offer to pray.
Not preach, but pray.
I may be weak, but my heavenly Father is Almighty.
The longer I walk with Him as my Heaenly Father, the more comfortable I feel inviting Him into every room of our home. Since He knows my heart and thoughts before I even say them, He knows each room's contents ahead of time. Our walk together through this life produces conviction and also great peace. I am deeply humbled by the fact of His pressence in my heart and my home...any and every room.
Your blog does a beautiful job of sharing your love of your God.
Sonja--I can't wait to come back and get caught up but am just saying a quick hi for now
love, lisa
xoxo
Hi, Sonja! These thoughts are so beautiful! Just what I need. I love the metaphor of our mind being Jesus' home!
To keep His picture center is my goal. I will hide these lovely words in my heart, keeping Christ's image before me! Beautiful!
I hope you are doing well, dear friend! You are such an inspiration to me!!!
Much love, and many blessings,
Andrea
Friend, I've had that booklet for a very long time. Thank you for sharing powerful message with us. I always enjoy my times in the LORD in your sharing.
Wish we lived close enough to visit.
Sonja, what perfect timing to read this as I'm hanging pictures on the wall and placing books in our new place. The choices we make as to what we place into our minds impacts our daily walk. I found an old placque that my grandparents had in their home. It says "Christ is the head of this house. The unseen guest at every meal. The silent listener to every conversation."
After reading your post, I think I will hang it in our new home.
Love you,
Debbie
Sonja,
Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving the link to this post! I love this little book. In my journey to a deeper relationship with Christ, "My Heart, Christ's Home" was instrumental in the forming of my "quiet" time each morning. Interestingly, Robert Boyd Munger was the minister who officiated at my grandfather's funeral. I was not alive at the time, however my mother of course remembers it (and him) well.
Thanks for the tip on "Reedeming Love". I'll check it out!
Blessings to you!
I heard a sermon once that must have been based upon this book. One of the things stated in the sermon was that things are all well and good when Jesus is contentedly seated in the living room, but when he starts on renovations and the rpping and tearing begin, it's another story entirely. Not sure that I completely agree with the analogy, yet it is interesting to think about.
Great story nand enjoy your blog when I get time to read
Sonja, I was thinking about you this evening. Might have been because I was visiting Franklin Graham's FB page to be in prayer for the election. Anyway, I learned that it was his father's 98th birthday today. I remember your discussing your dad's connection to the team. Now I am visiting friends who are among the missing and, being the sweetheart I am, giving them a little poke. Nice, right? Hope that all is well with you.
Looks very effective.bloom tattoos
Post a Comment