8 Minute Read
Be Still
To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a couple of minutes to breathe deeply, to quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, prayerfully ask the Lord to speak to you in this time and let Him know that you will be listening and will make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.
Today’s Bible Reading:
Jeremiah 23:21–25:38
2 Thessalonians 2:1-17
Psalm 84:1-12
Proverbs 25:15
Listen to the Lord
Slowly and reflectively read the following verses and listen to what God will say to you through them. Then, consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.
Psalm 84:1-4, 10 (NLT): “How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of Heaven’s Armies. I long, yes, I faint with longing to enter the courts of the LORD. With my whole being, body and soul, I will shout joyfully to the living God. Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow builds her nest and raises her young at a place near your altar, O LORD of Heaven’s Armies, my King and my God! What joy for those who can live in your house, always singing your praises. … A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked.”
Reflections from Scripture:
I loved reading Psalm 84 and other psalms like it. Even though we cannot see the facial expression or hear the author’s tone, the words are sufficient. We can feel the passion he had for knowing and enjoying his God. He was not satisfied with a dull, lifeless religion. He wanted to enjoy more of the relationship with his Lord.
Which leads me to ask each of us the question: Do we have this kind of desire to know and enjoy our God? Or have we settled into a dull, lifeless religion that has never satisfied a single soul?
Salvation is ultimately about a soul-satisfying relationship with our God. The Trinity has enjoyed a perfect relationship for all of eternity. The moment we place our trust in Jesus to save us is the moment God open His arms and welcomes us into that relationship.
John 17:3 (NLT): “And this is the way to have eternal life – to know (Gr. to know experientially) you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.” (emphasis mine)
Are you satisfied with your current knowledge of and happiness in God, or do you want more? There’s always more. I read the psalms and pray that God would give me a desire to match many of those authors who had a passion for knowing and enjoying their God.
But there’s one last thing I want to draw your attention to. If you go back and read Psalm 84, the psalmist was longing for a location. He knew that God was experienced and worshipped in the Tabernacle, and he wanted to go there to enjoy his God.
For those of us in the New Testament, we don’t have to long for a location. We are told that when we get saved, our physical bodies literally become the Temple of God.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NLT): “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.”
The very place that the Old Testament psalmist longed to experience his God is now the physical body of every believer. Do you know what that means? We take our place of worship everywhere we go! So we can enjoy our God and worship Him every moment of the day!
Spend Time in Prayer
Lord Jesus, help me to grow in my desire to know and enjoy You more. I also pray that You would enable me to live with the conscious awareness that my body is my place of worship, and I take it everywhere I go. So, help me live my life, moment by moment, as an act of worship to You. I pray this in Your Name, Amen.
Matt Ellis is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Polk City, Florida (fbcpolkcity.com). His latest book is God’s Grace in the Real World. Connect with him on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.
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