Jo Bower's Blog

A builder recently recounted in all his time of building,
He had never seen a buyer not take possession of their home.

They spend so much time making sure the details are what they expect,
And put out so much emotional effort in choosing what they want,

The moving in is a no-brainer.
They begin to plan were furniture goes and finally, hang things on the walls.

We were reminded we repent and turn our lives over to God,
But we never let him move in.

Somehow God remains a weekend resident,
While our spiritual home remains mostly unlived in.

We let God visit it when we go to church,
Or even have our daily devotions.

But for the rest of our lives, we are the lone residents,
And wonder why we end up living defeated lives.

God wants to come in, help with the decisions,
Give guidance on careers, help in difficult decisions,

Be the guide in our most difficult of human living:
The relationships with the people we love and/or work with.

God is not so much about being in control of my life,
If I think that means giving up personal responsibility for my actions,

Not so much about just having the final say
If I think that means fighting tooth and nail before meekly surrendering.

God is about moving into our spiritual house,
Helping us color our lives,

Shedding light into the dark corners
That still hide the hurt and sins of the past,

And cleaning up the rooms of our lives with trust in him
So we are no longer held captive in our own emotional lives.

And I can see Him placing the furniture
Of our priorities around the rooms of our lives:

Then, configuring what people see as a reflection of who we have become,
God has hung the pictures on the walls of our spiritual lives.

God wants to be part of our whole lives, not just live in our vacation house.
He wants to live with us in the temple he created in the first place – our place of being.

He wants to be part of every part of my life, not shut up in the closet
And invited out when I’m engaged in religious activities.

God wants to be part of my life in every room of my spiritual house,
And as such, he becomes my companion through all my life.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit,
who is in you, whom you have received from God?
You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.