Imagine being in a new place and getting in your car headed home only to realize you have no idea how to get there because you never got directions. Imagine you don’t know any of the roads. How difficult would it be for you to get to your location without a map? Maybe somewhere along the way you get some directions from someone, but you don’t write them down or really think about it, you just leave and go about your way. You’ll get there eventually, but it will probably take you way longer.
We are all on our way home. Do you know where that is? Do you know how to get there?
I am sitting in a new place, exhausted, no not out of the country yet.. Things are changing and I am actually pretty chill about it. It is time to move on with my life and go where God leads. Time to let go of a lot my belongings and even friends for a time. Although I am a little sad that the time went so quickly, I know that my true home lies with God.
“Dwell” is the word that has been on my mind lately and it keeps popping up when I am reading scripture and I am totally feelin’ it. The most common way we hear this word is in the sentence, “don’t dwell on it.” What should we dwell on, if not this life that is full of struggles? Psalm 91 talks about dwelling in the shelter of the most high. He will be our fortress and we luckily don’t have to depend on our own faithfulness, but His, which is a shield and buckler. Isn’t that grand? His faithfulness is unending ya’ll! (Psalm 100:5)
In 2 Corinthians 5 The Bible says that our dwelling place is in heaven with God. So how on earth (literally) can we dwell in His presence? If you grew up in church you should be tapping your mind buzzer to lock in the answer of reading the Bible and Praying, but is that all? These are components of your relationship with God that cannot go undone or sped through. We need to take time. We need to dwell on it. We need to ponder the things we read and then read further. What happens from there? You drive and pick up friends because your destination is so incredibly awesome and road trips by yourself are lame. Check out this groovy verse in Colossians 3:16
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thanksgiving in your hearts to God.”
Ya’ll. You cannot just sit in your car reading the directions all your life. Neither can you drive around aimlessly. You have to understand the directions, and you gotta go for it. Even if you have to go through some sketchy parts of town, take a few detours, get a flat tire, and lose the directions, you will know exactly who to call when a problem arises. And you need time to memorize the map so you can give it out to others later.
Translation:
- Don’t JUST go to church.
- Take time to dwell on the glory of God.
- Life might be a little difficult and things might go a little different than you expected, but if you have been dwelling in God and His word, getting back on track won’t be so difficult.
- Dwelling helps when you need a scripture or when you need to tell someone else about God.
Lastly, remember to do everything for God and not yourself. To dwell is to immerse yourself deeply. To connect with God and surround yourself with His presence. And I get the chance to spend 11 months dwelling on The Good News.
Side note and update: God recently blew my mind on a different level. To the point where excitement weld up in the form of tears in my eyes. One of my squad mates recently shared how the word “Dwell” was also on her heart. I just love when God speaks to me, I couldn’t imagine sharing the same experience with someone else. If I wasn’t stoked about the Race before, this definitely got me going. It felt unreal before this moment. I cannot wait to spend the next year immersed in God’s presence.
