Have you ever stood in empty house?
What do you hear?
What do you hear when you speak?
What do you hear when you stand still and say no word at all?
Knowing or unknowingly we walk everyday in and about as a spiritual
house.
Our spiritual house lives in the world but if we are
Christian it isn’t suppose to echo the world -in fact I find it is suppose to
echo back something entirely different.
Mystifying and perplexing
enough it does not fire back hatred for hatred, vengefulness for vengefulness,
bitterness for bitterness but for hatred it returns grace, vengefulness it
returns mercy, bitterness it returns kindness and even pity. It says to the world, “I
respectfully have to be disobedient to the ways and rules of the world.” It’s identity is not the world
but in God.
“Therefore, since we
have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that
contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.” 2
Corinthians 7:1
“But you are to be
perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:48
“Follow God's example,
therefore, as dearly loved children” Ephesians 5:1
Have you and I really taken a good look, “spiritually,” at
what music plays in our house?
What kind of recordings do we keep on our voice mail? What company walks in our halls and
sits in our living room? Are they
mummers, complainers or motivators?
Do they bring out the best in you?
But putting all that aside for a moment… let’s look at this
spiritual house as a new house. It
is a new day in this new house. You
have just stepped into its blank space.
You stand completely still.
You have moved nothing inside yet.
What would you decide to bring into this new space? What and who would you be drawn to and
invite to in as company to your spiritual house?
Jesus says, “Look!
I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will
come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.”
Revelation 3:20
If you don’t invited Jesus daily into your life, what then
will be exalted in your life?
Psalm
46:10 says:
Be
still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!
If the things that are being exalted in our spiritual house
are not from God, but the world then what bondages, burdens, and freedoms are
we giving up as we allow those things to live in our spiritual house? If we allow things and people to be
exalted over the Lord in our spiritual house then we become ineffective
Christians because they become the gods of our life.
“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from
it flow the springs of life.” Proverbs 4:23
"The good man out of the good treasure of
his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure
brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his
heart.” Luke 6:45
One might ask, is that to be ignorant to
the sinful things around us or in the world…. such as human trafficking, the
slaughter of the unborn, the slaying of innocent Christians, the wrongful
imprisonment of Christians, the legalizing of homosexual marriage and drugs,
lack of support for Israel, and the disregard for amendment rights that are to protect
our freedoms? The answer is simply…
no. We should not be ignorant of these things, realizing
these are not just offenses to us as Christians but to GOD as well. I am reminded to be angered as God would
be angered but not let it become a fester of sin.
“In
your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the
devil a foothold.” Ephesians 4:26-27
“Blessed are those who
are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Mark 10:14
We must not let the harsh reality of
circumstances of this time be our god but God be our God. For God is not ignorant of what is here
now and is to come. Nor was he
ignorant of what has happened in the past. And even though history seems to be repeating itself
in many ways and manners, God does not ponder what to do next and have his
hands tied behind his back.
He is not uncaring or unjust.
He is not unaware of the difficulties in our life…if we can even call
them so considering the reality of other Christians worldwide. But in all these things our spiritual
house is suppose to be a house of prayer.
“Be
anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all
comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6-7
We tend to think our life is in our circumstances in life
but are they? I have known people dying of cancer who have more life, hope, joy,
and faith in them then those perfectly healthy. We all have “not so good” things happen in our life but does
that mean God loves us any less? Are those “not so good” things suppose define
our life where we start to act upon those things in a negative fashion? Life is more about living, mind, heart,
soul, in Christ. Ever hear the
saying “It’s not getting something done that matters but it’s in the manner in
which you get something done that matters most”? It the way we live life that matters. It’s the spiritual richness and
empowerment of God that enables you and I to do something successfully in a
manner in which God approves. We
are called to do many things in this life but if do them in a grudgingly
manner, what does that say about us?
Who really is or is not empowering us? God wants us to realize the importance of Him in our life.
“Being
confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to
completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6
“Therefore, if you have
been raised with the Messiah, keep focusing on the things that are above, where
the Messiah is seated at the right hand of God. Keep your minds on things that are above, not the things
that are on the earth. For you
have died, and your life has been safely guarded by the Messiah in God. When the Messiah, who is your life, is
revealed, then you too, will be revealed with him in glory.” Colossians 3:1-4
I find being out of step with Christ just a little bit can
make us feel miles away from Christ who is our rock and our anchor for our
thoughts and emotions but when we surrender to God, all which is burdening
about a situation, something awesome happens in our spiritual house.
“And
they remembered that God was their rock, And the Most High God their Redeemer”
Psalm 78:35
“Come
to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach
you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your
souls. For
my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
“In him was life, and
that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and
the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:4-5
People can have the tendency to love what they focus on even
if it is negative. They can love
resentment, hatred, fear, anger, bitterness, vengefulness, pride, the opinions
of others more then God and have consequences for the love of those things such
as health problems, unrest, striving for and putting their hopes in what is
temporal and sadly spending eternity in hell.
“Like a city whose
walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control.” Proverbs 25:28
God tells us to trust in Him, love Him, surrender to Him,
learn from Him and the life giving things of God will be breathed and lived in our
spiritual house.
“But
the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no
law.” Galatians 5:22-23
“With joy you will draw
water from the wells of salvation.” Isaiah 12:3
“Anyone who believes
in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, 'Rivers of living water
will flow from his heart.'" John 7:38
Let’s pray that God help us be mindful of what we allow to
roam around in our spiritual house.
May we trust God with a surrendered heart that blocks emphasis of the
things of this world out. May we
surrender to Him who is our source of encouragement and daily renewal. And as He guides and directs, may touch and
speak to those who need to know the awesome reality of our LORD Jesus
Christ. Amen.
“Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor is in
vain. And unless the LORD watches
over the city, the guards watch in vain.”
Psalm 127:1
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