Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Dwelling

"How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God. Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. Bessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise!. Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion............For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!" Psalm 84

To dwell- To live or stay as a permanent resident.

To live or to stay.... To stay. Stay is an action verb. It requires effort to stay. In this case staying requires not only physical action but mental as well. Being a Christian is not about the decision we make one day to follow Christ. It's about the decisions you make daily to walk with Him. Dwelling in His courts is part of walking with Him. We can decide one day that we want to dwell with and in Christ, but it doesn't end there. Dwelling with Him, in Him, is a choice that we must make each and every day. Are we willing to sacrifice what must be sacrificed to dwell in Him? We know that He is light and in Him there is no darkness. So, we must shed our darkness to dwell in Him. We must deny our flesh and take on His desires and His heart. To dwell in Christ is to have constant peace and joy. Peace and joy that are not affected by our circumstances or surroundings. On the contrary if we are dwelling in Christ we should have an effect, we should an impression, on the world around us. To have His peace and joy we must decide daily to dwell in Him. We must wake up every morning and put ourselves mentally, spiritually, and physically in His courts. Then throughout the day we must continue resolutely, we must stick to His side. We must not abandon that peace and joy for our own 'strength'. We have to give way to His desire, His ideas, His plans for us in that day. Dwelling in His courts not only makes perfect peace and joy available to us but it also gives us a clarity that we will find nowhere else. When dwelling in His courts becomes our focus and purpose everything else pales in comparison. His joy and His peace bring us spiritual clarity and a heavenly mindset. When our hearts and minds are set on heaven worldly problems become almost insignificent. Why? Because we know and understand that these do not affect eternity.
So make the choice with me today. Choose to dwell, choose to stay, in the courts of your King. Do not allow the world, it's people, it's problems to steal the joy and peace found in His courts. Be heavenly minded. Let your little light shine :)

1 comment:

  1. Like Timothy, don't let anyone look down on you because of your years, dear one. You are speaking wisdom of Christ.

    Missing you tonight. Meeting's at our house. I'm listening to Emily worship as she warms up to lead worship tonight. Thank you for inspiring her to be all she can for Jesus.

    Love to you!

    Laura

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