Yesterday, I went over to take a closer look at our essentially empty house; still in post-hurricane Helene condition. The flood water is long gone, but the house is void of life; it’s simply a shell. There are no good smells coming from the area that once was the kitchen. There’s no laughter ringing through the rooms; just an eery silence. It’s still a house, it is just completely vacant and no longer contains the evidence of energized life. (Note: Truthfully, there is still noise coming from John’s busy garage! lol!) I look forward to seeing God take this shell of a house and making it the Haley’s Home once again.
Our hearts are like a house. There can be a lot of junk occupying our hearts; stuff we know should be removed and stuff for which we are oblivious to the dangers. A clean heart/house is one aspect of the salvation Jesus offers. Yet, there is so much more to God’s plan. God wants a transformed heart/a house rebuilt in the nature of Christ’s righteous image, filled with life-giving characteristics and motives, and habitually producing the fruit of the Spirit.
If all it took was to be emptied of evil to guarantee salvation in Messiah’s Kingdom, we would not need further repentance or growth. Obviously, we need our hearts filled with God’s presence and we do that by sowing and living in his goodness. We cannot just be emptied of evil; we need to fill that void with God to prevent the return of evil (Matthew 12:43-45). Knowing the process of salvation does not bring eternal life. We must consistently LIVE the plan of salvation that God has put into place under the authority of Christ.
In our passage for today, a scholar of the Torah comes to test the knowledge of Jesus regarding Yahweh’s commands. This “expert” asks a question and the Creator of all cleverly answers this question with another question. Jesus knows the expert has the correct orthodoxy [right belief], but to have divine life we must, “Do it!” If you have taken the first step and asked Jesus to clean your heart, remember step two is habitually living life each day in the Spirit, so God’s goodness fills your heart. Then, evil has no place to set up his house. Not sorry…no vacancy!
Luke 10:25-28 NLT The Most Important Commandment
25 One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?”
27 The man answered, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
28 “Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!”
Prayer: Lord, thank you for the cleansing work salvation brings to our hearts. Thank you, as well, for the work of the Holy Spirit who helps us accomplish your purpose in our lives. Help us to put into practice your righteous acts of love—how we love you and others. By doing so, we will enjoy a taste of eternal life while on earth. In Jesus’ name. Amen.