Who Lives With You?

 My oh my, how time flies!  We only have a few days left in the year 2021.  There is still plenty of time to end the year on a good note by being of some service to our Lord and Savior.  

Let’s remember to be thankful to God, for He is the one who gives us all our days.  We owe our very lives to Him. 

Who Lives With You?

When we meet someone for the first time, we often ask all sorts of questions.  We want to find out as much as we can about the other person.  Humans are curious beings, so we ask questions about their work and where they are from.

We also ask questions about their family.  Are you married or single?  Do you have children?  If the person is younger we might ask about their parents and how many brothers and sisters they have. 

We are basically asking who lives with them – who do they share a home with. Why do we ask all these general questions?  Like I said we are curious and we just want to know. 

Asking general questions helps break the ice and allows people to become comfortable with one another.  It gives us a framework to build upon over time. Who someone lives with is indicative of who has an active influence on their life.  We gain insight into the person we just met.

The most important thing about a person is not who lives in a house or apartment with them – but who (if anyone) lives inside them.  Does anyone reside in their heart and mind?   

There are many uses of figurative or symbolic language throughout the Bible. Christ used symbols from everyday life and made spiritual applications for His followers.  It helped them better understand His teaching.   

Let us consider Ephesians 2:19-22.  

“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, ²¹ in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. ²² In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”

Wow!  Those three verses are jam-packed with lessons for us today!  First of all, the Ephesian Christians were primarily Gentiles.  He wanted them to know Christ meant for both Jews and Gentiles were to be brought together as one body through Him (Christ). 

The Gentiles are now part of the household of God – joined together – and meant to grow together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. 

As members of the church – we are where God lives.  The Jews used to go to the temple to be in God’s presence.  Now, we are God’s dwelling place – or we should be.

Can people tell by the way we conduct ourselves that God lives within us?  If we told them that, would they be in shock because we even claim such a thing? 

Or would they smile and say, “Oh THAT’s why she is such a good person.  God lives within her.”  Saying God lives inside us means nothing if we aren’t living the life His word tells us to live.

Christ above all things - Robin