Heart Tracks - The Dwelling Place

"Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace in time of need." Hebrews 4:16....."The first call of God is never to go, it is always to come." Wade Taylor

I think to most who would call themselves followers of Christ, Hebrews 4:16 is a familiar verse. We tend to quote it a lot. I wonder though as to how we are living it out. How often do we tend to treat this promise in much the same manner as we do shopping at a convenience store? Over the years, I have come across two such store chains with the names "Stop and Go," and "In and Out." Both would be good descriptions of how we tend to "treat" the throne room of the God of all creation. The slogan for one of the stores was, "You're in, you're out, that's what it's all about." How close is that to being the reality of how we relate to Him? We have no problem coming boldly to the throne of grace in order to get what we see as the needs of our day. We just don't have any great desire to linger there. We want to get in and get out, because living out our life agendas is too often really what it's all about. The Father is little more than a clerk who takes care of our order, then sends us on our way. Beth Moore said that we leave the throne room far too quickly. She's right, but I think it best that we never leave it at all.

Is such a life possible? After all, we do have jobs, families, ministries, obligations. Those can't be ignored while we just live in some heavenly, other world hanging out with Him can they? If we think that this is what living in Him is, than it's small wonder that we so often live on only a portion of the power and life He makes available to us in Christ.

Paul said in Ephesians that "He is able to do exceedingly, abundantly beyond all we can ask or think, according to the power at work within us." Most of us are on board with the first part of the promise. We want the results, but we have little taste for the process. The power at work through us is the fullness of His Holy Spirit at work in us. This power can only be ours to the degree we dwell and soak in His presence. Jesus Christ walked and ministered in this power because He lived in all the fullness of His Father's life. He was always about His Father's business because He was never out of the Father's presence. This is why He could say that "I and the Father are One." It is a oneness that He calls us to come into. We are always very anxious to go out in His name, but too often we go out for Him without having really come to Him. Jesus made mention that He really had no earthly living quarters, but He was never troubled by this because He was fully at home in His Father. That was His dwelling place. It wasn't just a spiritual position, but a day by day reality. It can be ours as well. Like Jesus, we can dwell at all times in His presence, and yet carry on our day to day lives on earth. With Kingdom power. Is such a lifestyle really yours and mine?

No one would choose to live at a convenience store. Everyone would rather have a home. Yet which more resembles our relationship with Him? Is He our clerk, or our King? A Person to visit, or a Life to dwell in? How we answer these questions determines the amount of power at work within us. What amount of power is at work within us?

Blessings,
Pastor O