When Christ dwells in our hearts, we fulfill the command in John 15 to abide in Him.
John 15:4 says, "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me." In order to bear fruit worthy of the kingdom of heaven, Christ must dwell in our hearts through faith. When we place His image within us, He completes us.
This is my prayer for my life and for yours. But how do we really apply this verse? How does Christ dwell in our hearts?
Here are a couple of practical suggestions:
-Pray continually. When we are in a continual spirit of prayer, Christ is dwelling in our hearts, and abiding in our minds. We cannot pray without thinking about the One we are praying to. Prayer places our thoughts upon the King of kings.
-Have a song on your lips, one of praise to God. When we are singing Christ's praises, we are kind of forced to meditate on His character and think about Him.
-Meditate on Scripture. Scripture reveals the character of our King. They speak of His love, His grace, and His mercy. When we meditate on these verses, we meditate on the very character of Christ, and place His image within us. Isaiah 40:11 is a great starting point on the character of our good Shepherd.
-Pray continually. When we are in a continual spirit of prayer, Christ is dwelling in our hearts, and abiding in our minds. We cannot pray without thinking about the One we are praying to. Prayer places our thoughts upon the King of kings.
-Have a song on your lips, one of praise to God. When we are singing Christ's praises, we are kind of forced to meditate on His character and think about Him.
-Meditate on Scripture. Scripture reveals the character of our King. They speak of His love, His grace, and His mercy. When we meditate on these verses, we meditate on the very character of Christ, and place His image within us. Isaiah 40:11 is a great starting point on the character of our good Shepherd.
-Talk about Him and share His truths with others. When we express something with our mouths, it helps it stay in our heart. I have found that when I share a principle of God's character, I am more prone to think about it and ponder it myself. Conversing about Him will help Christ dwell in our hearts as well.
-Start off your day by making Him your first thought. If you begin on the right foot, it will make it a ton easier to keep Him in your heart throughout the day. Spend one-on-one time in His presence. Learn of His heart.
-Study His character. The more you learn about Him, the more He becomes your one and only passion, and the more you want to think and talk about Him.
This will have to take a conscience effort. In Matthew 26:41, Jesus tells His disciples to watch and pray, let they enter into temptation (have their minds taken off Christ). I believe this is applicable to almost all of our lives as well. We must pray for the Holy Spirit's guidance, for without Him we can do nothing. But we must also watch--be alert of our selfish nature which wants to creep in and make itself the center of our hearts. Let us claim these two tools as we seek to dwell with the Lord Jesus Christ today.
I pray that He dwells in your hearts today, through faith! May you bear much fruit, for without Him, you can do nothing.
-Start off your day by making Him your first thought. If you begin on the right foot, it will make it a ton easier to keep Him in your heart throughout the day. Spend one-on-one time in His presence. Learn of His heart.
-Study His character. The more you learn about Him, the more He becomes your one and only passion, and the more you want to think and talk about Him.
This will have to take a conscience effort. In Matthew 26:41, Jesus tells His disciples to watch and pray, let they enter into temptation (have their minds taken off Christ). I believe this is applicable to almost all of our lives as well. We must pray for the Holy Spirit's guidance, for without Him we can do nothing. But we must also watch--be alert of our selfish nature which wants to creep in and make itself the center of our hearts. Let us claim these two tools as we seek to dwell with the Lord Jesus Christ today.
I pray that He dwells in your hearts today, through faith! May you bear much fruit, for without Him, you can do nothing.
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