November 1

Jesus replied, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. — John 14:23 BSB

This idea of trying to achieve holiness on your own and then expecting Christ to reward you for it is not His teaching. No, Christ is the holiness. He brings the holiness and comes to dwell in your heart forever.

When a millionaire buys a plot of land with an old, rundown building on it, he doesn’t bother fixing up the old place. Instead, he hires someone to tear it down and then builds a mansion in its place. What you need is not to fix up your old life, but to give Christ the vacant lot of your heart. He will dig below the surface of your old life and build a new dwelling where He will live forever.

This is what we mean when we say Christ will prepare the way for the blessing and make the path clear for His own arrival. Like a great king marching toward a destination, He doesn’t expect the people to build the road; He sends His own workers ahead to clear the way. If we allow Him, Christ will be both the Coming King and the Author and Finisher of our faith.