HEART ROOM, HEAVEN MANSION
“The worst prison would be a closed heart” by Pope John Paul 11
When Jesus was born, there was no room to house Him. He was born in a sheep pen [Luke 2:6, 7]. Those who could afford the price – the wealthy and merchants had the inn fully booked. A room in an inn is a place where travelers stop over for rest over night, for days, weeks, months etc, as long as you can pay the cost. They were concerned with themselves but didn’t care about the son of God, Most High, the King of glory, the Lord of life and Redeemer of the entire world. Could it be a case of being unaware of the coming of the Son of man into the world? That may sound an excuse but not tangible because the Jews knew the laws and signs of the time. They simply had no heart for the Lord. Notwithstanding the Lord was born, wrapped and laid in the manger while the kings of the world slept in a billion dollar beds and enjoyed the comfort of their suites. There was no room for the righteous and holy God but earthly suites were let out to immoral sinners who committed atrocities and iniquities there in. There was no room for the Savior, who came to take away human sins but had enough rooms for those who increased immoralities and worldliness; that had private pursuits – for examples: Politicians, their sponsors and supporters; financial preachers [money theologians] and corporate executives, who may have booked for the inn in advance.
From time immemorial people built and lived in mansions on earth but had no room for God. They have no place to set up family altars: to worship and praise the Lord. For example: King Ahab built a temple to house the Baal of Samaria. He also put up an image of the goddess Asberab [1 King 16:32-33]. The widow of Zarephath built a house and provided a room upstairs for God, where Elijah, God’s servant stayed [1 King 17:19]. Even though King Solomon built a magnificent temple for God, he allowed his foreign wives to bring in and built altars for foreign gods. Funny enough, his foreign wives had no room [place of worship] and did not join the king in his worship for the Lord of life; God is the creator of all the universe and mankind. He created us with a vacuum only He can fill. Our bodies become the temples of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit does not live in a house made by woods, bricks or zincs; He lives in our hearts. Little surprise we sing a song, “Come into my heart, come into my heart, come into my heart, Lord Jesus; come in right now, come in to stay, come into my heart, Lord Jesus.” When we put our trust in Jesus, He comes into our hearts in the power of His Spirit to renew and restore us unto God. We become born again and new creation. Apostle John put it right, when he wrote from a revelation of the Holy Spirit, “I am standing at the door, and if you let me in, I will dine with you.”
In Mark 3:13, Jesus went up to the mountain and called up to Himself the men He wanted. And they came unto Him and out of them He chose the twelve Disciples. From the numerous at the bottom, Jesus called some numbers up and among them He chose the twelve. There must be some criteria for the choice Jesus made. It is not unlikely that those Jesus chose had rooms for Him in their hearts. There is a crowd at the bottom but selected few to the top. Little wonder that it’s written that many are called but few are chosen. Our desire is to always be among the outstanding few at the top. Even among the twelve, they were three in the inner circle. Perhaps it was for the same reason that the sons of thunder asked Jesus to go with him and sit with Him at His heaven’s mansion. Jesus said, “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone unto myself” [John 12:32]. Jesus is always calling people upward; there are enough rooms in heaven for everyone but would you be qualified? It does not depend on where you are now, the place of birth, how rich or poor you are because God can call anybody upward. Jesus calls nobody to somebody, a poor beggar to sit and dine with princes, sinners to become saints; an ordinary person to extraordinary. God turn around a lame man at the beautiful gate, a leper in Galilee and blind Bartimaeus in Jericho, etc and took them to new levels of meaningful life.
Heaven mansion is the aspiration of everyone but the truth remains that not everybody shall make it to the top. Even in our earthly government, it’s the desire of many to be among power brokers and decision makers in the corridors of power but in reality not everyone gets there. The road to the top is rigorous, narrow and sacrificial. There are so many distractions at the bottom. Not everybody can discipline themselves and survive the hassles at the bottom, to make it. It involves conscious surrender to the will of God and accepting Jesus Christ as the son of the living God. Also living and running the race according to the rules of God as contain in God’s manufacturer’s manual. God will reward those who diligently seek Him in faith irrespective of their short comings, errors, misgivings and status in life; God sees and knows their heart’s aspirations and what they are struggling with. God looks at the heart than the outward appearance. Also those who wait unto the Lord shall renew their strength.
Unfortunately we are living at a time and era that many Christians allow their minds and hearts to be filled with idolatry, pride, greed, gain, lust, covetousness, bitterness, grudges, jealousies and stress of this life, etc. This is why we can’t hide but speak filthiness and vain things and behave a like too. These are part of old self with its habits. But the scripture admonishes us to think heavenly and seek those things that are above, so that the message of Christ in its richness may live in our hearts. It also urges us to put our treasures in heaven, where it’s eternally secured. Where our treasures are, our hearts are there also. If we then think and put our riches in heaven, then our hearts are filled with things above and we become anxiously expectant to make heaven. No man who is busy chasing riches on earth can say he is waiting to make haven.
It then makes sense to listen to what Jesus said to His disciples and every heaven-bound believer, “There are many rooms in my Father’s mansion and I’m going to prepare a place for you. I would not tell you if it were not so. And after I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to myself, so that you will be where I am [John 14:2-3]. Jesus also promised, “I will ask the Father and He will give you another Helper, who will stay with you forever. He’s the Holy Spirit who reveals the truth about God….but you know Him because He remains with you and is in you [John 14:16-17]. A heart for Christ is what we need. Both the word and His Spirit do not live but in our hearts. Until we make a room for Him, He will not come in. When we make a room for Him, He will fill and renew us and we treasure heaven; invest and have a place there in.
Reach: Evangelist Ogbonnaya, Godswill at: weefreeministries@yahoo.com or P. O. Box 720035, Houston, Texas, 77272.