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Overview Of Munger’s Work: My Heart-Christ’s Home

Truly there’s a home in my heart for Jesus, a heart which He has cleansed from sin. Which I know with great comfort that my Savior abides within.

There exist a truly remarkable doctrine of Christianity, that Jesus Christ, through the presence of the Holy Spirit, will enter one’s heart, settle down and bet at home. This is the doctrine which informs us that Christ will the human heart His abode. Now just to take a moment, close your eyes, and Imagine what it would be like to have Jesus come to the home of our hearts and dwell. The very thought of such a dwelling should bring about peace and comfort to the soul itself.

Oh such a doctrine this is, that the body of the believer would be the temple of the living God and the human heart would be the home of Jesus Christ. which should be the great joy of all who are of the Lord. Now because of this great truth, we find that there lived once a Pastor known as Robert Munger, who formulated a certain sermon of his, which struck a chord with many Christians. This sermon was rooted in that great biblical message of Christ’s dwellings within our hearts. Thus we are given this work known to many under the title; “My Heart-Christ’s Home.”

The Work And Its Fruits Before Us:

In the sermon, the pastor relates: “One evening I invited Jesus Christ into my heart. . . . He came into the darkness of my heart and turned on the light. He built a fire on the hearth and banished the chill. He started music where there had been stillness and He filled the emptiness with His own loving, wonderful fellowship.”

As host, Munger describes leading Christ through the figurative library, dining room, drawing room, workshop, rumpus room and locked secret closet of his heart. The guest helps the host sweep away all the clutter keeping him from being a good Christian–trashy literature, worldly goods and gluttonous fare, unsavory friendships and sleazy amusements, ineptness and old hatreds. At the end of the sermon, the grateful host signs over the title of his heart/home to his guest for safekeeping and vows to remain with Christ “as houseboy and friend.” Simply by reading this sermon, one will see that it captures many of Munger’s lifetime beliefs and teachings.

In this small, but profound and practical work, Robert Munger writes for us a work that spiritually challenges the reader on Discipleship, challenges the reader on total surrender of one’s life to Christ. Sometimes it seems difficult for one to even think of a higher privilege than to make Christ a home in one heart, and Munger’s work reflects upon that great privilege in a way that has great impact upon the reader.

This work of Munger contain many themes which provoke the reader into contemplation. main theme is derived from the Apostle Paul’’s prayer for the Christians at Ephesus. A prayer that Christ, who was already living in their hearts, might ‘’dwell, abide, settle down and be at home’’ in their hearts. Now in the prayer, the word ‘‘dwell’’ which is used literally means ‘’to take up residence’’, coming from an old English word which means ‘’to establish a home’’. So as Paul was praying that the Christians might make their hearts the home of the Lord Jesus, so does this book cry out such a prayer. A prayer I feel is well needed in this world we live in.

It is clear that Munger conveys great wisdom for one to apply to one’s life. But truly we have all heard evangelists quote from Revelation: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me” Usually the evangelist applies this text as an appeal to the unconverted, saying: “Jesus is knocking at the door of your heart. If you open the door, then He will come in.” In the original saying, however, Jesus directed His remarks to the church. It was not an evangelistic appeal. Though this work of Munger is considered truly great, one can not allow it to stop you from proper judgement of the work itself.

One may wonder what exactly is the matter? What is wrong with using the Doctrine which Munger uses for an evangelistic tool to reaching out to others.  The point is simply that seeking is something that unbelievers do not do on their own. The unbeliever will not seek. The unbeliever will not knock. For how could they ever if they are truly dead in their transgressions.  Seeking the Kingdom of God is the business of the believer’s walk. Seeking is the result of faith, not the cause of it. And that is a truth that must not be forgotten. When we are converted to Christ, we use language of discovery to express our conversion. We speak of finding Christ. We may have bumper stickers that read, “I Found It.” These statements are indeed true. The irony is this: Once we have found Christ it is not the end of our seeking but the beginning. Usually, when we find what we are looking for, it signals the end of our searching. But when we “find” Christ, it is the beginning of our search.

The Overall Thought:

Overall, the readers will find this work to be short in length, which may cause the readers to overlook the implications which are instilled in the book’s pages. But if one looks past its length, one will find that it has such a great impact if one allows the truth of its message to work within one’s life. Truly this book shows us the desire which we should have, that the Lord strengthens our spirit and spread into one’s heart and make such home. That the different areas of our lives where it is difficult for one reason or another, to let Christ in, we may we open wide and welcome Him in. So that in the end, we may be filled with his Love, grace, and fullness.  For it remains true that the Christian life begins at conversion; it does not end where it begins. It grows; it moves from faith to faith, from grace to grace, from life to life. This movement of growth is prodded by continual seeking after God. May all continually seek the Lord in all the days of their lives.