12/16/2008
it is what
I desire:
to dwell
in the house of the LORD
all the
days of my life,
gazing on
the beauty of the LORD
and
seeking [Him]
in His temple.
===
Do you remember the show “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous?” Robin Leech would showcase the lavish cars and homes of the wealthy. I’ve seen homes with a living room big enough to fit my entire house. Swimming pools bigger than my yard. Homes with amenities, maids, butlers, robots, you name it. One of my wife and my favorite things to do early on in our marriage was to go look at home we could not afford and dream. We didn’t look at million dollar homes, although we did see a few. Most of the homes we looked at were those just beyond our reach – our “next step” home, so to speak. And it is easy to get caught up in this thinking that: “If I could live in a house like that…”
Our earthly minds imagine that things can bring happiness – a new car, a bigger car, a bigger house, a bigger yard, a bigger shed to hold the bigger mower we need for the bigger yard, and so forth. But if we think a little bit, perhaps we will see more or better things really isn’t what we need. I would imagine that where you live now is much nicer than your first apartment. Although you do have more room and more stuff to fill it, are you “happier?”
King David seemed to know which house would bring real happiness. Not any house that he could build, but the House of the Lord. Now, we know this is a figure of speech, but there is truth in it. Look at Solomon. In his old age, Solomon had built a magnificent temple, a huge palace, had more wives than you could shake a stick at, but as we read in Ecclesiastes, he was not happy with all his “things.”
Now God made all things for our enjoyment, but truth be told, we cannot experience the fullness of that enjoyment outside of one thing. Jesus said that He came to bring life and to bring it with abundance. But when asked the secret to life, he answered: “Seek first the kingdom of God” and all the rest will become more meaningful.
Dwelling in the “House of the Lord” is a place of the heart. Are you staying in His house all the time, or are you venturing out to see if material things can satisfy?
Jeff Justus
Cleff Publishing
www.cleffpublishing.com
©2008 Cleff Publishing, all rights reserved.
Terms of Usage: This devotional may be copied or forwarded for personal use without permission, but must include the author, publisher, web link, and copyright notice. Use in another published work must obtain permission first.