His Dwelling Place

"How lovely is your dwelling place,

O LORD of Heaven's Armies."

Psalm 84:1 NLT

I long for the dwelling place of God where I will be blessed and find peace and security.  Where is this blissful place?  In heaven on high, in the mansion Jesus is preparing for me?  Must I wait until this life is over to enter into His courts?  Or does the psalmist speak of the here and now, that I can enter into such a wonderful place in this moment?

Submit.  "Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise." (v 4 ESV)  Growing up, there were rules for those who lived in our house.  We were expected to clean up after ourselves, to share the load of daily chores, and to each take our turn in cooking and cleaning up the kitchen.  As children, we also were to submit to the decisions our parents made with the understanding that they were acting on our behalf, looking out for our best interest.  It was a pretty good system and I don't ever remember questioning whether or not my needs would be met or if I was protected.  I lived at peace under my parents' roof.

As a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ, it is no different (1 John 3:1).  I live in His kingdom, in the here and now (Luke 17:21).  With God as my Father, it is my duty as His child to let Him have His way, to trust Him with the details of my life and to agree to His best for me.  Instead of running after things that are outside of His dwelling place, I can learn to be content with Him and what He provides for me (Matthew 6:31-33).

I live in God's wonderful dwelling place when I submit to my Father in all my ways.

Strength. "What joy for those whose strength comes from the LORD. . ." (v 5 NLT)

Living in this world throughout my life, I have learned to depend upon myself, to lean on my own understanding about how the world works, and to do for myself.  I've become quite independent and am too proud to ask for help and let someone else do for me.  With such a mindset and way of living, I often feel pooped out and discouraged.  It's hard to live by my own strength.

As a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ, there is a better way (Isaiah 40:31).  God never runs out of steam or feels depressed or downhearted.  In contrast, no matter how positive my attitude is, I will at some point reach the end of myself, but God has no borders.  He is without parameters nor does He have limits.  His power is unequaled and the end of it can never be found.  Therefore, when I trust in Him for my strength, I'll never run out and I'll find joy in such abundance.

I live in God's wonderful dwelling place when I let Him be my strength no matter what I face in life.

Value.  "A single day in your courts is better than I thousand anywhere else!" (v 10 NLT)

Throughout my life there have been many other places for which my heart has yearned.  I wanted success, notoriety, someone to love me, purpose, all the things that I thought would make my life meaningful.  I ran after them with gusto, sure that once I reached my goals I would finally have peace and contentment.  I never saw the value of God and the place He had prepared for me in His presence.

My Father has been drawing me toward Himself for my whole life, challenging me to taste and see that He is good (Psalm 34:8).  Now that I have seen the great plan He has for me and the security that comes from buying into His purposes for me, I want more of Him and no longer see what was so great about those other foolish pursuits (1 Peter 1:1-3).  What once held great value to me now means nothing (Philippians 3:8).  Finally I can see that His courts are better than anything else this world has to offer, and there is no place I'd rather be than sitting at His feet.

I live in God's wonderful dwelling place when I appreciate the value of living in His presence.

This world is dark and evil, and its hard to go on living in such a place.  I long for something better, and it overjoys me to realize I can enter into His dwelling place right now.  I can find His blessing in the here and now when I submit to His best for me, lean on His strength, and come to appreciate the value found in His presence.  In these ways I will find His dwelling place right here on earth, and my heart will sing His praises!

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can receive this wonderful dwelling God yearns for me to enter.

When do I insist on having my own way, which turns out to be much inferior to God's best?

How am I leaning on my own strength and growing weary?  

    

Jars of Clay

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay

to show that this all-surpassing power is from God

and not from us.

We are hard pressed on every side,

but not crushed;

perplexed, but not in despair;

persecuted, but not abandoned;

struck down, but not destroyed.

. . .Therefore we do not lose heart.

Though outwardly we are wasting away,

yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

For our light and momentary troubles 

are achieving for us an eternal glory

that far outweighs them all.

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen,

but on what is unseen.

For what is seen is temporary,

but what is unseen is eternal."

2 Corinthians 4:7-9, 16-18

The fire-proof lock-box containing all our important papers and other valuables sits in our bedroom closet.  It is heavy, making it difficult to move.  When I want to access it, I must use a special key kept securely in a secret place.  This box is designed with the intent of keeping those special items safe from fire, theft or water damage.  My husband and I have agreed that if there was some kind of natural disaster or catastrophic event, that box would be one of the things we would take with us.

While I have a certain way of protecting valuables, God has a different method.  His approach lies contrary to mine.  Instead of placing His precious Light in a container of great integrity worthy of it's importance, He entrusts His power to our frail and fragile bodies.  

It's from God

"Please take this away. . .the pain is too great. . . I can't handle the torment. . .please, Lord, take it away so I can serve you freely."  God, however, did not remove this thorn in Paul's side.  Instead, He left the unknown infirmity there to keep Paul humble and reliant on Him for the strength needed to get through each task. (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)

As a result of this difficulty placed in Paul's life, he grew to appreciate the weaknesses, hardships, persecution and insults, for that is when God's power is best displayed.

There are circumstances in my life against which which I am fighting,  wanting instead to be free from them.  God wants me to know that the freedom will come not through removal of the difficulty, but in trusting Him through the trouble.

The only way God will get the glory in my life is if He places His amazing power in this weak, broken vessel that is me.

Inward Renewal

Every day my body falls apart a little bit more.  Not only is my appearance showing my age with the progression of wrinkles and gray hair, but my joints feel the effects of arthritis, my flexibility is diminishing while stiffness increases and my strength is not what it has been in the past.  Some days, I just feel my age more than others.

Thankfully, even though my body is falling apart, God renews my spirit each and every day.  For this reason I can keep going despite the heartaches and physical pain.

Whatever outward challenges I face today, I can take encouragement from knowing my inner self is always in the process of being renewed and remolded into the image of Christ.  (Colossians 3:10)

The only way I can keep going through the sorrow and anguish of this fallen world is through the constant inward renewal process God supplies.

Eternal Glory

We saved up our money, pinching pennies and temporarily forgoing certain pleasures in order to have enough funds to pay for our vacation.  We looked forward to the day when we could experience Disneyland together, knowing it would be an enjoyable time together as a family.  Because of this great hope, we sacrificed gladly in the now in order to reap the benefit in the future.

In a much more powerful way, this is how I can withstand momentary troubles, knowing it will pale in comparison to the everlasting reward waiting for me in Eternity.  Keeping my focus on what is to come in the future instead of on the present suffering will give me an eternal perspective.

I can either live in the now and wonder "why me?" or I can press forward for what is to come and accept my lot in this life.

God places His very power within my weak and fragile body.  Why would He do such a seemingly foolish thing?  So He can get all the glory for the things He does through me, showcase His power by restoring my spirit day by day, and give me an unseen goal to keep me going.  In this way I can see the purpose for placing such a treasure in jars of clay.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God through all the hard times, knowing He has a purpose.

When do I feel discouraged about the state of my physical condition?

How can I draw strength from knowing I have much joy awaiting me in eternity?

Treasure

"For where your treasure is,

there your heart will be also."

Matthew 6:19 

"Okay, let me get this straight.  You want me to turn off your satellite TV service, but you are not dissatisfied with the product and you're not trying to save money, but you simply don't want it any more?  Are you sure I can't offer you a lower rate with less channels?"

This is how the conversation went with the customer service representative of our former satellite TV provider.  He would not let me go without giving us a 6 month temporary suspension so I could easily restate our service once we realized we couldn't live without TV. He just couldn't fathom how we would be able to survive!  Well, it's been over a year and I have yet to make that phone call.

Confessions of a TVaholic  I would have never called myself an addict, but once we got rid of the satellite dish, I realized that I had been hooked on TV.  It took up alot of my time and determined our family schedule each evening.  "Hurry up and finish dinner because our favorite show is on in 5 minutes."  I rationalized that we were spending time together as a family, but what kind of quality time is spent watching mostly mindless entertainment?  Or I'd think, I'll just watch the news while I'm getting ready.  Fine, until I got to the point where I couldn't stand being in a quiet room with only my thoughts and God!  TV has always been important to me, so when God challenged me to let it go, it took faith. . and time to get used to the idea!  Now that I've done without, I can clearly see that I prized that small screen.  If I want to know what I treasure, all I need to do is take note of how I spend my time, and my money.

Time  When Paul wrote to the believers in Colosse, he told them that his goal, ". . . is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."  True treasure comes from God in the form of wisdom and knowledge through faith in Jesus.  How do I show that I value my relationship with God?  Many times I would much rather be entertained than be challenged intellectually and spiritually with life-changing scripture study.  Spending time with God in His Word will unlock the mysteries of Him and His kingdom, but it takes time and effort.  I have never experienced such fulfillment than when I have taken the time to spend with my Father.  It sure beats an hour or two of mindless television programming!

Money  It's easy to fritter away my money, spending it on a pack of gum here, or a magazine there.  But are these things really needed, or could my money be better invested in God's Kingdom?  There are many Christian organizations whose missions are to provide needed items and the message of the Gospel to a suffering world.  If I say that I care about those who are suffering, but would rather spend my money on things that would increase my comfort, do I really care?  It is my challenge to spend my money in ways that show I love my neighbor as myself, not so that I can make myself look good, but so that I can glorify God through my finances.  When Jesus sent the twelve out to the lost sheep of Israel, He instructed them to tell the people that the Kingdom of Heaven has come near, to heal, raise the dead and cast out demons, but also that, "Freely you have received; freely give." (Matthew 10:8b)  I am called to be willing to let go of what God has generously given to me in order to benefit others.

Christmas  This is a challenge during the Christmas season.  So much of what I do and spend at this time of year is based on fulfilling the American image of Christmas.  What if I spent more time focusing on other's needs instead of my own?  Who is alone this Christmas and could use a little time with a family?  Do the people on my list really need another book/sweater/gadget, or could that money be better spent helping someone with real needs?

Don't Just Talk About It  "Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.  If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?  Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." (I John 3:16-18)  It is often said that actions speak louder than words.  Jesus gave his very life, thus revealing what He treasured: restoring my relationship with my Father.   Do I treasure this as much?

As I begin this day, it is my prayer that I will treasure my relationship with God.

On what do I place higher value than I place on my Father?

How do I cheapen my relationship with God in the way that I spend my time and money?