Be Present: DWELL

Encounter the Word:

For a day in your courts is better
    than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
    than dwell in the tents of wickedness.  –Psalm 84:10 [ESV]

We get to choose where we spend our days.

Some of us DWELL on Yesterday.  We get hung up with regrets, and wishes that things had been different.  We remember hurts, and heartache.  We hang on to hatred and harbor resentment that all that could have, should have, would have been didn't turn out right.  We feel guilt, and shame, and unworthy, because our past record declares us guilty.

If we are not careful, we can be imprisoned by the past.  We feel coerced to dwell in the tents of wickedness.

But GOD had other plans, and through his Son, GOD gives us another place to dwell.

“So now anyone who is in Christ Jesus is not judged guilty.” –Romans 8:1 [ERV]

“So if the Son sets you free, you are free through and through.” –John 8:36 [Message]

GOD claims us as His own, forgives us, and offers us Himself as our refuge.

Yet there are others who DWELL on tomorrow.  We fret about the forecasts.  We are nervous as the newscasts are filled with naysayers calling for impending doom and despair.  We believe in murphy's law and predict things going wrong before anyone even has a chance to do anything at all.  We get frozen because of our fear of what's around the corner.
 

If we are not careful, we can be so anxious about the future, that it consumes us. We feel coerced to dwell in the tents of wickedness.

But GOD had other plans, and through his Son, GOD gives us another place to dwell.

Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. –Matthew 6:34 [Message]

Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. –Philippians 4:6-7 [Message]

As opposed to squandering our days in the tents of wickedness, let us DWELL with the LORD.

If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
    and you make the Most High your dwelling,
no harm will overtake you,
    no disaster will come near your tent. –Psalm 91:9-10 [NIV]

Choose today to make GOD your refuge, the source of your strength.  Today, let GOD make His dwelling place your life.  Abide in Him, and let GOD abide in you, calling you His very own.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. –Revelation 21:3 [NIV]
 

Encounter Prayer:
May today be yet another day I fully experience life as you intended.  I choose right now to rely on You GOD, as my strength.  May if find refuge in You, my Savior and Friend. Amen.

Encounter:

• How have the tents of wickedness been working out for you?
• Where do you want to dwell?  What steps you taking to move in?
• What might you experience if you decide to spend time in GOD's courts?  What are the benefits of His being your refuge?