The Dwelling Place

To encounter something, you have to go there.  There's no getting around it-you have to move.  


Last night in our Life group we discussed briefly the busyness of life.  In fact most of us were very tired.  I know that I was after having put in a full day of physical work (not my day job) following minimal sleep left me very fatigued. Fatigue was evident in the others as well.  I could see it in their eyes.  We talked about the Sabbath, sabbaticals...rest.  We talked about the things we should be doing and what we are called to do but our hands are so full of junk that to grasp the important things means to release the junk we cling to.  We can't hold everything in the palm of our hands and so choices have to be made in order to grab on to that which is good.


Our weariness isn't limited to our physical being but our inner-being, our spirituality in spite of the fact that God's dwelling place is with you and me.  This is His choice; it always has been His desire to dwell with man and yet we can't seem to hear Him.  


I look at my phone's calendar app and it's loaded with "do this and do thats."  I can schedule time for even the dumbest of things but where in November have I set aside time with God other than church; I mean real quality time?  Quality time-not the kind where I squeeze Him in but where I actually plan an encounter, a day where I decide the "to-do list" isn't going to make the cut...or anything else for that matter.


The scripture that is working on me this morning are these:


Revelation 21:3~"Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.


Revelation 3:20~"Behold, I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to Him and eat with Him, and he with me."


A true encounter happens when we leave our laundry list at home.  It happens when we set aside a time with God that has no agenda but to just be in His presence without one peep from a cell phone, the kids-from everything.  The encounter happens when nothing else in our life matters than being alone with Him and that is probably the highest form of worship we could ever give.