“Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest. He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house. Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. “Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house,” bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future. But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory.” Hebrews 3 NIV
A new home is under construction. The foundation has to be laid solid before the frame or structure can stand on that foundation. After that, the electric, plumbing, and HVAC have to be installed. The roof is put on the home. Finally, interior and exterior finishes can be added. Building a home is a process that takes time.
You are under construction as you learn to love God and love others. Once you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit has to lay the foundation. One way that you build your relationship with Jesus is by reading your Bible. Through scripture, you build your personal relationship with God. You learn how to love yourself for who God created you to be because of His love for you. You also learn to be confident in who God created you to be. You begin to believe and feel confident about just how much God loves you. The gifts you have bring glory to God and demonstrate His love to other people.
Do you ever have days when you look forward to getting home so you can relax and unwind? Home is where you are comfortable. Building your relationship with God is exciting. You look forward to spending time with God as He reveals who He is to you through the Bible. If you have professed your faith in Jesus Christ, as a believer, the Holy Spirit lives in your heart.
And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Romans 5:5 NIV
As you read your Bible, The Holy Spirit speaks to you in a way that is personal to you, your circumstances, and your life experiences. He speaks to you when you read and hear His word. Prayer is how you communicate with God. As you develop a habit of spending time with God, you look forward to your time with Him. God begins to feel like home.
As a believer, you have to choose to follow God and allow Him to renew your mind. You have to let God prune the worldly thinking and ways. It’s a process. It doesn’t happen overnight. Enjoy the journey with God while you are here and look forward to your eternal home in Heaven with God. You want your relationship with God to be built on a solid foundation just as you want to know your home is built on a solid foundation.
It is my hope and prayer that you can find encouragement as you read this. I hope you are encouraged to grow in your faith by being consistent with the time you devote to praying, reading God’s word, worshiping, and applying to your life what He teaches you.
As you learn to love God and love others, ask God for his wisdom and discernment. The key is enjoying your journey as your faith in God is strengthened. You will mess up and make mistakes along the way, but always keep your hope and trust in God.
He knew you would face trials before you were born. Just as the roof on your home protects you from the elements that storms bring with them. He knew that you would have to weather some storms in life, but God is right there with you. Stay focused on God and not the storm.
Through the bloodshed of Jesus Christ on the cross and His resurrection, God made a way for all of us to learn from our mistakes and allow them to teach us valuable lessons and strengthen our character and faith in Him.
Rushing the process to get to where God wants you can cause you to become frustrated and lose hope. Trust God’s timing and lean on His understanding as opposed to leaning on worldly beliefs and ideas. You become spiritually mature as you apply God’s word in your life. The word of God becomes deeply rooted in you.
Enjoy your journey each day as God builds and refines your character so that you will be ready for God’s favor. Through the power of the Holy Spirit in you, you will learn to trust God and become aware of how much He loves you. You will learn to be confident in who He created you to be. You will be better equipped to use the gifts He gave you to draw others close to Him and be an instrument He works through to build His kingdom. Choose to let Jesus feel like home.
