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"He who has my commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."

"Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?" ...

"If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him,

and We will come to him and make Our home with him."

-John 14:21-23

My parents have since moved from the homes in which I grew up. Two homes, in particular, are special to me, reminding me of memorable experiences and events throughout most of my childhood, adolesence, and part of my adult life. I would love to visit those places now and see what the current owners have done to them.

This thought of Jesus making His home inside of me is baffling. I have heard countless times that my body is God's temple, but to really ponder Jesus residing within me is quite humbling. And it causes me to wonder what He thinks about His dwelling - is it clean or cluttered? Inviting or insulting? Does it reflect His beauty or ruin it?

In this passage, Jesus clearly indicates the kind of home in which He resides - one filled with obedience and love for the Master of the home. Is it time to clean the closet or perhaps the bedroom? Maybe the kitchen floor is sticky and full of crumbs. Is your home the kind of dwelling in which the Master resides? No need to panic - Jesus is the only One who can clean it and effectively maintain the kind of cleanliness fit for the Lord of the home. All we need to do is let Him.