Lord, prepare me, to be a sanctuary.  Pure and holy, tried and true...These are the opening words to a hymn we sung on Sunday morning.  And it got me thinking.  How welcoming is my heart to Jesus? 

In a couple of weeks we are having a house guest visit our home.  As most women know, when we have guests, whether for a few hours or a few days, a lot of preparation goes into it.  Cleaning, making things sparkle and feel fresh.  For stay over guests, we get out clean sheets, fix up the guest area with things like the channel list for local tv stations, a place to put or hang clothes, fresh towels and toiletries.  Then there is food fixing, getting in some guest favorites.....We do what we can to make visitors to our home feel welcome and cared for.  

Well, this song got me wondering what I do with my heart to make the Holy Spirit feel welcome.  What makes my heart a sanctuary for Him?  As we study the Beatitudes on Sunday mornings I got the idea that a heart having the "attitudes of the beatitudes" is what is needed to make a welcoming home for our Lord.  It's not about perfection, but about a heart that seeks to follow Christ, a needy heart.  A heart that quickly seeks forgiveness for sin, seeks God's help to overcome and seeks to glorify Him in all things.  It's a heart that puts others first, a humble heart that lives peaceably with others, but not compromising the ways of God to fit into a world that we were never meant to fit into.  

5 One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around him, 2 and he began to teach them.

The Beatitudes

3 “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,

   for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

4 God blesses those who mourn,

    for they will be comforted.

5 God blesses those who are humble,

    for they will inherit the whole earth.

6 God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice,[b]

    for they will be satisfied.

7 God blesses those who are merciful,

    for they will be shown mercy.

8 God blesses those whose hearts are pure,

    for they will see God.

9 God blesses those who work for peace,

    for they will be called the children of God.

10 God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right,

    for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

11 “God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. 12 Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.

I want my heart to be a place the Lord feels comfortable.  And sometimes that's going to make me uncomfortable, sometimes that will require work on my part....giving up fitting in with the world, giving up giving in to my flesh, to ease and comfort.  Breaking sin's chains off our lives, putting God's desires over our own, maybe loosing a few friendships all can be difficult.  But to be a "man after God's own heart" (Acts 13:22...He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’)  requires change.  And we are not alone.  We are told in Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.  

I think that a heart that welcomes God is one that while not perfect, it is perfectly willing to come to Jesus.  

Thank You Lord that we don't have to be perfect to be a perfect home for You.  Thank You that You work with those who are willing, changing us from the inside out to be the kind of place You want to reside.  Give us hearts that are willing, hearts that seek You first and seek to do You will even when it's hard.  We are so blessed that we don't have to come all cleaned up and tidy, we can come with our messes and our hurts and our struggles.  Thank You that it's our desperation that brings us to the Cross.  And thank You that You work in us to make us people that have hearts for You.  Let us work with You to live lives shaped by the Words Jesus gave us in Matthew 5.  Lord, be glorified in our hearts and lives.  In Jesus' Name, amen.

Start a study in the Beatitudes.