“I’ve loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love." John 15:9 (MSG)
When folks come to our house we say to them, "Make yourselves at home." What does it mean when you tell someone "Make yourselves at home"? For us it means "Take off your shoes. Relax a while. Rest. Enjoy the warmth, love and protection of this place."
What it doesn't mean is that you can destroy the house, hurt the people in it and disregard the guidelines we've put in place.
Interestingly, when Jesus said "Make yourselves at home in my love" maybe he was saying the same thing. The next line is "If you keep my commands, you’ll remain intimately at home in my love." In other words, "Come, rest, enjoy but please be careful to not harm or destroy the house my Father has built. Our love is for your enjoyment and protection. Please be careful with it. Sharing it with you is important to us."
Do you make yourself at home in God's love? If not, what's stopping you?