Good morning everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Peace”
Our Bible verse for today: “Lord, You have been our refuge in every generation. Before the mountains were born, before You gave birth to the earth, from eternity to eternity, You are God.” Psalm 90:1-2
Our thought for today: “We must choose to dwell with God.”
More than 100 years ago Hannah Whithall Smith wrote the devotional classic “The God of All Comfort”. The reason she wrote it was because it seemed to her that the majority of Christians she knew were living lives characterized more by defeat and despair than by victory and joy. As she surveyed that sad scene she realized the problem was that they were looking in the wrong places for peace and joy. She realized that even Christians – good Christians, were largely preoccupied with material concerns rather than spiritual. She wrote:
“The comfort or discomfort of our outward lives depends more largely upon the dwelling place of our bodies than upon almost any other material thing; and the comfort or discomfort of our inward life depends similarly upon the dwelling place of our souls.”
If you’re living in a cardboard box under a bridge you probably will not feel as safe, secure, comfortable and peaceful as you would if you were living in a warm, dry, well furnished house. Likewise, if your soul is wandering in barren and empty spiritual places you’re not going to be at peace like you would be if you were seeking and finding your refuge in the God of eternity. Hannah continues:
“It is of vital importance, then, that we should find out definitely where our souls are living. The Lord declares that He has been our dwelling place in all generations, but the question is, are we living in our dwelling place? … We shall always hunger and faint for the courts of the Lord, as long as we fail to take up our abode there.”
So, where is your soul hanging out these days? Have you developed the habit of beginning each day in prayer and Bible reading? Throughout the day do you listen to Christian music, engage in additional short periods of prayer, and talk to others about the Lord? Are you a regular and active participant in the life of a good church family? Where is your soul living? Are you dwelling with the Lord, or in the spiritual equivalent of a cardboard box under a bridge?
Many professing Christians live the lives of a spiritual hobo and then wonder why they’re not experiencing deep joy, a sense of security, and real peace. The problem is that they’re not really living with God. They do have a passing relationship with Him, and they do stop by to see Him every once in a while – for a sort of sp ritual hand-out, but they’re not really living with Him.
God will be your dwelling place, your place of refuge; and with Him there is peace, but you do have to choose to make His presence your home.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 