Synonyms stay - stand - endure - reside - dwell - remain - bear
WHERE DO YOU LIVE??
A call is going out to all who call themselves "Believers in Christ".
For too long we have neglected the truth and full meaning/invitation given by our Father.
It came in the form of the cross, and our RSVP was to be returned after the opening of the tomb. When the veil was torn in two in the temple, God opened up His front door to us!
And many have responded, but few have understood the invitation.
WE WERE NEVER MEANT TO BE VISITORS ! We were invited to abide IN Him, not just with Him. Oh how many miss the truth and the magnitude of what has been accomplished on the cross!!! Heaven was shut before us until Jesus extended His arms and welcomed us in. At the time the sword was thrust into Jesus' body, the veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom.
Exod 26:31-34 "You shall make a veil woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen. It shall be woven with an artistic design of cherubim. You shall hang it upon the four pillars of acacia wood overlaid with gold. Their hooks shall be of gold, upon four sockets of silver. And you shall hang the veil from the clasps. Then you shall bring the ark of the Testimony in there, behind the veil. The veil shall be a divider for you between the holy place and the Most Holy. You shall put the mercy seat upon the ark of the Testimony in the Most Holy."
That veil was 15 feet high, and 18 feet long. As to the weight of it, the Bible does not say.
Tradition says that two horses hooked to it would not have
been able to pull it in two, it was so thick, but the Bible
never says that.
The veil being torn in two speaks of the body of Jesus Christ being broken on our behalf to make access to Him possible.
The presence of God was uncovered and all are now
invited to enter through the way Christ opened.
Abide.
An active word, not a passive word. To abide requires a decision- a weighing of priorities.
Look again at the definition above. It includes endure-that is active-you cannot be passive as you are enduring, it necessitates a constant state of decisiveness. As you endure, you must repeatedly revisit that initial decision to "stay, stand, remain, bear". If that decision is upheld, then you are dwelling, choosing your residence.
We were invited IN, to stay, to remain in HIs presence.
Never were we invited to visit.
Yet, sadly that is what has been accepted as the norm. We awake, we might say a quick prayer, or better, spend a time in "devotions", yet we still leave! We don't realize what was given to us! His very presence- the door to the Holy of Holies was opened to us. Constant communion (fellowship, not bread and juice), wisdom, counsel, and friendship with the One who was, Is ,and Is to come is there waiting for us, not for a moment, not for a dedicated hour of "quiet time", and not for our gatherings that take place weekly. But 24/7, 365, FOREVER!!!! Forever began that day the sword entered, the veil was torn and the Front Door to God's Living Room was opened to us!
We MUST change our mindset regarding this. It is a paradigm shift in the way we think, approach and steward our lives. Those "saints" who seem to know the Lord in a deeper way, in a way that we might secretly desire, long for but have regrettably assigned that wonder to " a select few" are the ones who not only heard the gospel, believed it and responded, but they accepted the invitation to stay. They have learned how to abide in His presence.
They daily, CONTINUALLY practice His presence. They have developed the awareness of Him at all times. They know that He speaks softly but mightily, sense His gentle but sudden staff of guidance in even the smallest of movements. God is not confined to specific rooms in their hearts. They understand that He is too large to "come into their lives". Which is why HE extended the invitation to them/ us...
God is not someone they visit;
They moved in!!
They do not set aside a "time" or place for
Him. He is too grand, to limitless to fit into
their schedule, their lifestyle. They live IN Him.
So, what about YOU?
Are you ready to make that Change of Address?
HOW? you may ask?
* First ask the Lord to reveal this truth to you- to breath
upon it and make it rhema-and not just written (logos).
* Practice being aware of His presence
throughout the day.
* Rid yourself of preconceived notions of how God will relate
to you. Like any Father, He relates individually , personally and uniquely with each child.
* Understand that Bible Study, prayer time are vital, but don't relegate Him to those times alone.
This involves a shift in our expectancy.
As "Brother Lawrence" stated in his book Practicing the Presence of God:
"That in order to form a habit of conversing with GOD continually, and referring all we do to Him; we must at first apply to Him with some diligence: but that after a little care we should find His love inwardly excite us to it without any difficulty."
Begin to restructure attitudes and thought processes that once divided your time with the Lord
and your daily activities. IF you are living IN Him, you are with Him in the car, the store, the
laundry room, board room, bathroom and kitchen!
|
No comments:
Post a Comment