Our Hearts, His Home

Company was coming, and our house was in a full-blown state of tizzy. My husband made the bed, and blew leaves off the walkway. I returned stray belongings, loaded dirty dishes, and vacuumed up countless beads and drifting dog hair. My children checked their chore lists, tidying cluttered corners and scrubbing toilets.

We finished with time to spare and everyone else reverted to their state of rest… except me. At every turn, my eyes fell on dust, smudges, and other imperfections it seemed no one else could see.

Walls calling for fresh paint
Baseboards needing scrubbed
Closets jammed with unaesthetic things requiring organization

In my calculations, it would take another week of around-the-clock cleaning before our house would be truly acceptable. Have you ever felt like this?

While we fuss and fret over preparations for earthly house guests, imagine how Moses felt— the man was responsible for making ready a tent of meeting that God himself, the Holy One, would visit!

God didn’t leave Moses to figure it out on his own. He gave him very, very specific instructions on how the tabernacle and its components should be made ready for His presence (Exod. 36-40). I don’t know about you, but I’ve always been prone to skip or speed-read through these ancient instructions because they don’t seem to be the most relevant. However this past year, as I read through, a fresh truth settled into my spirit.

God’s set-apartness is like none other. He is so holy that He cannot commune with even the slightest sin, so to be near Him requires an impossible clean-up. The prophet Isaiah once described man’s best deeds, in light of God’s holiness, as filthy rags (Is. 64:6). This means no matter how dirty our physical houses get, our spiritual houses are far more hopeless.

Yet through Jesus, “the true and better Moses,” our hearts are made holy— holy enough for God’s Spirit to dwell. If we pause to consider the preparation of the tabernacle, we get a sense of the weight of everything Jesus accomplished through His death and resurrection.

​Jesus became the New Covenant and the Lampstand. He offered up His very life as fragrant incense. He was the final Burnt Offering needed for our forgiveness. He is the Gate through which we enter. He is the Priest throughout all generations, standing at the right hand of God, interceding for us.

So, while Moses “...was faithful in all God’s house… Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory…” (Heb. 3:2-3 ESV, emphasis mine). 

Through Jesus, our hearts are made holy enough to hold God’s glory.

Friend, where are you still striving today? What perceived imperfections are keeping you from a state of rest? Are you pushing away God’s presence because of fear of what He’ll find inside?

Put away the fresh paint.
Set down the sponge.
Return to a state of rest— the work is finished (Jn. 19:30).

See, with eyes of faith, that through Christ you are good enough. He stands at the door, simply longing to spend time with you. Thank Him for the gift of holiness. Receive Him in, and let your heart be His home today.

Works cited: Keller, Timothy. Preaching: Communicating Faith in an Age of Skepticism. Reprint, Penguin Books, 2016.

“‘Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.’” Revelation 3:20 (NIV)

About the Author

Hi, I’m Katie Gibson! My incredible husband Craig and I have been married for 16 years and live in North Atlanta with our three big kids. My favorite things include black coffee, small group, date nights, and the Atlanta Braves. I'm passionate about teaching the truth of God's Word in a practical and encouraging way that helps others experience the abundant life Jesus promised.