Through former CIA spy Edward Snowden’s revelations last year, U.S. citizens found out their
government is secretly watching them more than they knew. Every internet search, view, and purchase (even though in the privacy of our homes), along with every phone conversation, is not only
observed but is apparently being stored in cyberspace. Some might say this is a violation that is nothing short of a “home invasion.”
But if this “home invasion” makes you feel vulnerable, think
about the Spirit’s “holy invasion” [see yesterday’s post] of your heart. “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is
naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable”
(Heb. 4:13). How would it change us, I wonder, if we had a
greater revelation of the Holy Spirit’s ownership and occupation of our body
and spirit which are His dwelling place: “Do you not know that your bodies are
temples [homes] of the Holy Spirit who is in you… and that you are not your own?” (1
Cor. 6:19), a “home invasion” that began the instant you gave Jesus the key.
Two days ago, I wrote that Paul was a tent maker. Afterward, it
occurred to me that his spiritual calling was not so dissimilar. In writing to
the Corinthians, Paul said we are living in a tent (this body) that
will be replaced by a permanent spiritual house. Paul may have been a tent maker by day, but he taught house building by night.
Coincidentally, Jesus is called the architect of our faith
(Heb. 12:2). And our inner man is called God’s temple (1 Cor. 6:19). But more to the point of this post, Paul says we are God's ‘building,’
which is a verb (not a noun), meaning and emphasizing the “process of building.”
The basic idea in 2 Cor. 5:1 is that God is
building a completely new house for the believer’s spirit, “a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” What a difference it would make in our daily choices if we had a revelation of this truth: In cooperation with God, we are now building the house we
will live in forever.
In the last post, when I wrote about the sweetness of being
with family at Christmas, I realized that many people have such dysfunctional
families, there is no “Home Sweet Home.” For them, Christmas can be
one of the loneliest times of year. As I thought about this sad reality, I thought
it oddly contradictory, because the message of Christmas is “Emmanuel—God
with us.”
For the disconnected peoples of earth, this has to be the greatest
Christmas message: Jesus came to indwell us, and we will never be alone again.
And not only have the Father and Son made our hearts their home (John 14:23), we
have been raised up with Christ and are presently seated in the heavenlies with
them (Eph. 2:6). So, not only are we His dwelling place; His is ours. Think about that! We are living
in the fellowship of the whole heavenly realm. When Jesus departed this earth, His last words were,
"Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew
28:20). Alone no more.
There's something warm and sweet about the thought of being at home with your loved ones on Christmas. The words “at home” connote comfort, rest, contentment, love, intimacy, and familiarity, all captured in the phrase: “Home Sweet Home.” And the phrase “at home” is even used endearingly of the death of our loved ones who are “at home” with the Lord.
But being “at home” with the Lord is not only the privilege of the departed; it can be a present reality for living saints! The more conscious we are that He dwells within us, the more we shall be “at home” with Him. If anyone loves me... My Father will love him and we will come to him and make
our home with him (Jn 14:23).
Adam and Eve were more “at home” on earth with God than any of us will ever know. But then they sinned, and became homeless in a way we cannot possibly comprehend. Now Jesus has brought us home to our proper dwelling place (Eph. 3:17). Will you be “at home” for the Holidays?
Many people are starting to think, with joy, about the Holidays. Conversely, for many it's been a hard year, and they are looking forward to its end, with hope for a better one ahead. While looking joyfully to what comes after hard times may be normal, remaining joyful while in them is the measure of true spiritual maturity.
At the end of a life of suffering for Christ, Paul declared, “I have finished the race, with joy, and kept the faith...” (1 Tim. 4:7; Acts 20:24 edited). Recently, I read that, after being diagnosed with a terminal
illness, Bill Bright of Campus Crusade wrote a book called, “The Journey
Home, Finishing with Joy”—in which he gave testimony to the goodness of God despite pain and suffering he was about to endure in his final days.
You may not be a “St. Paul” or a “Bill Bright” attempting to finish well at the end of your life, but still, your hard times are bringing you to the end of your self (you won't be finished until they do). The question remains, will you be able to say “I kept the faith, finished the race, and counted it pure joy?” (Ja. 1:2)
It seems like everyone Altha and I know is experiencing
severe distress: physical, financial, relational. Is it possible these increased troubles are evidence the Lord is
pruning, purging, and purifying His church for His eminent return (1 Peter 4:12-13; 1 Cor.
11:31-32; Heb. 12:5-11)?
After all, isn't it the purpose of the Holy Spirit to prepare the Bride for the return of her Bridegroom? So He can present her to Christ, without spot, wrinkle, or blemish (Eph. 5:27).
If, in the end times, the love of many will grow cold (Matt.
24:12), doesn't it make sense He will do everything necessary to increase the longing of our heart for “home” and for “Him” (Phil. 1:21-23)? Is it possible the severity of our trials means His Return is near? Do you find yourself more often than you used to, looking at each other at the end of one of those hard days, and saying, “Is He coming soon”(Rev. 22:7, 20)?
The first Christians were persecuted and driven from their homeland.
Thus they became pilgrims (homeless wanderers) in this world (1
Pet. 1:22). The Old Testament forefathers were called pilgrims “looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland” (Heb. 11:15). Is it even possible that we who are so settled on earth can have the attitude of a homeless wanderer?
Not easily. But there is another meaning of ‘wanderer’ we can understand. It
is the wandering heart. We all struggle to resist earth’s
gravitational pull toward comfort and security, to feel at home here. It seems the more we have, the harder it is to keep our wandering hearts in check: to love not the world (1 John 2:15).
In the 18th century, 22-year old Robert Robinson penned
the renowned hymn “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” with those pained
words, “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love.” But one day we will arrive at our heavenly homeland: homeless wanderers
and wandering hearts no more.
I saw one of those home-made posters taped on the window of a store front the other day, with the photo of a cute dog and the words “Found.” Since it was a neighborhood with a lot of foreclosed homes, I wondered if the animal had been abandoned. With increased numbers of people losing their homes, more pets have become homeless too. I hoped the ‘finders’ would keep him.
Our God stands alone, in a world of man-made gods, as the only One Who promises He will never leave or abandon us. The bible says He finds us and keeps us. Then He keeps us from sin and evil, and keeps us from stumbling. (Heb. 13:5; Ps. 121:5; 17:8; 1 John 5:18; Jude 24)
Then, paradoxically, God asks us to be keepers too—keeping his Word, keeping the faith, keeping a good conscience, keeping ourselves free from the love of sin, and keeping ourselves in the love of God. Considering the challenge of “keeping” all these things, Peter assures as that they can be kept by the power of His word. (Jn 14:23; 2 Tim 4:3; 1 Tim 1:19; 1 Tim 5:22; Jude 21; 1 Pet 1:5)
Now I know this sounds too good to be true. But even if we prove to be poor keepers (God forbid), our God will never leave or abandon us. But the other side of finders and keepers are losers and weepers: those who suffer loss, lose rewards, and forfeit intimacy with Jesus. So, if we are those who want to keep everything, we must be willing to lose anything (2 Cor. 7:9; Mark 9:41; Phil 3:8).
One of our friends sent me an email earlier this week to tell me a dear friend of hers had died that morning. My immediate response was: “he’s AT HOME with the Lord.”
While reading through the Gospel of John yesterday, my attention was drawn to the familiar words:
If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him and WE will come to him and make our HOME with him (John 14:23).
I realized that being “at home” with the Lord is a present reality. The words “at home” connote comfort, rest, contentment, love, intimacy, and familiarity. The phrase “Home Sweet Home” comes to mind! The more conscious we are of His internal dwelling presently, the more we will be “at home” with Him.
The original man and woman were “at home” with God in the Garden of Eden. But they sinned against God and became homeless! Through Jesus, God has brought us home to Himself, to His presence, to His love, to His Fellowship. And amazingly, we have become His dwelling place (Eph. 3:17).
"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me" (Rev. 3:20). Are you “at home” with the Lord?
