“The one thing I ask of the Lord — the thing I seek most— is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in his Temple. For he will conceal me there when troubles come; he will hide me in his sanctuary. He will place me out of reach on a high rock. Then I will hold my head high above my enemies who surround me. At his sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy, singing and praising the Lord with music.”
Psalms 27:4-6 NLT David, the author of Psalm 27, proclaims his hearts deepest desire: to abide in the Temple. The Temple was, to a Jewish man, the most significant place on earth. There, the worship of God was done. There, the presence of God was found. Like David, we should desire to worship God, live in His presence, and fashion our lives accordingly. The distinct differences between he and the New Testament believer is simple. Our bodies are God's Temple and we have the Spirit of Jesus living inside us (see I Corinthians 6:19). With this in mind, we should allow God to shape the way we think and act. Often, I have seen people associate with God by verbal acknowledgement but not live a life of commitment to Him. Lifestyle choices have consequences. Simply claiming to be a child of God doesn't help us to push back the darkness that is trying to destroy us. Implementing the principles of the God we profess will place is in a position of practical righteousness. Practical righteousness protects our lives from the awful consequences of sinful decisions. Sin does three things. 1. Takes us further than we wanted to go. 2. Makes us stay longer than we wanted to stay. 3. Makes us pay more than we wanted to pay. What is your desire? Do you want to live in the presence of Jesus and do you want to practice His principles? Remember, Consequences follow. Prayer for today: Father, in Jesus name, I truly want Your presence to permeate every fiber of my being. Help me order my steps according to Your Word. Then, I will be protected from the awful consequences of sin and will see the fulfillment of Your promises. Victory is only truly experienced when I am surrendered to You.
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March 2020
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