Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (vs. 6)
Every day - all the days of my life - His goodness is available to me. It covers me, guides me, corrects me. Remember when Moses asks God to show him His glory? Yahweh's answer was: "I will show you my goodness." That sums up the great I AM. Goodness. As His precious child, I am smothered in that goodness and can count on the fact that whatever is happening, God's goodness is not in question. That was the trick the serpent played on Eve that caused her to sin. The serpent questioned God's character. Just why would God not let her and Adam eat from the tree? Answer: God did not want them to become like Him. He had an unfair agenda.
Accusing God of being unloving - unkind and unfair - is at the root of sin. Something perplexing or even catastrophic happens and we point the finger at God. "How could He let this happen?" Indeed. It seems a fair question if you don't turn your back and flip Him off before you have lived awhile down the road and are possibly offered an explanation. However, you are not entitled to such an explanation given the nature of God is that He is God. Since all things work together for the ultimate good for those who love the Lord and all the called according to His purposes, we can trust that our good is at the center of His agenda. But so is His glory, which is His goodness. If His goodness is how He receives glory, then we can be certain that we will be partakers of it. All the time.
"If you, then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him." Jesus in Matthew 7.
What joy to know you are loved!! There is nothing the human heart yearns for more than significance. And nothing more significant than being loved by the Creator God. Christ showed His love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8. You were STILL SINNING ALL THE TIME when Christ found you in some pit and went to hell to bring you out of it!! He did not love you in some perfected state. His love looks past all the crud in your life and sees your heart - your need! He loved you at your worst! Terrifyingly, He SAW what you were doing at your worst! And He loved you! That is the kind of love that is available to me now daily! It follows me around, overtakes my path, rocks my world.
The steadfast love of the Lord NEVER CEASES! His compassions NEVER FAIL! They are new EVERY morning! GREAT is Thy faithfulness!! Lamentations 3
On top of all this love and compassion in my life right now, I have a heavenly dwelling to abide in forever. The word for house here means family dwelling place. Interestingly, but not surprising, the word for house in John 14 means the same thing. "In my Father's house there are many dwellings." Heaven is an actuality, and I am going there when my days are over with here. I know we think that sounds corny. Like we are just trying to make heaven look like earth. But what if God made earth to look like heaven? Just to give us a taste of what it will be like? After all, He walked for a short while with Adam and Eve in the garden. It is very similar to the garden and river described in the Revelation. God will one day bring the entire "family" home to live in His house. To swim in His river and eat from His garden. To paint on heavenly canvases what no man could imagine. To sing to the accompaniment of angelic instruments songs unimaginably beautiful. To reign with Him. To worship Him. To join in with myriad angels and saints in chorus after chorus of praise! To put to my new lips a cup of new wine, handed to me by my Shepherd Savior and celebrate the joys of the New Jerusalem into which He purchased my passage!
And so shall I dwell in the house of the Lord....forever!!
Every day - all the days of my life - His goodness is available to me. It covers me, guides me, corrects me. Remember when Moses asks God to show him His glory? Yahweh's answer was: "I will show you my goodness." That sums up the great I AM. Goodness. As His precious child, I am smothered in that goodness and can count on the fact that whatever is happening, God's goodness is not in question. That was the trick the serpent played on Eve that caused her to sin. The serpent questioned God's character. Just why would God not let her and Adam eat from the tree? Answer: God did not want them to become like Him. He had an unfair agenda.
Accusing God of being unloving - unkind and unfair - is at the root of sin. Something perplexing or even catastrophic happens and we point the finger at God. "How could He let this happen?" Indeed. It seems a fair question if you don't turn your back and flip Him off before you have lived awhile down the road and are possibly offered an explanation. However, you are not entitled to such an explanation given the nature of God is that He is God. Since all things work together for the ultimate good for those who love the Lord and all the called according to His purposes, we can trust that our good is at the center of His agenda. But so is His glory, which is His goodness. If His goodness is how He receives glory, then we can be certain that we will be partakers of it. All the time.
"If you, then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him." Jesus in Matthew 7.
What joy to know you are loved!! There is nothing the human heart yearns for more than significance. And nothing more significant than being loved by the Creator God. Christ showed His love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8. You were STILL SINNING ALL THE TIME when Christ found you in some pit and went to hell to bring you out of it!! He did not love you in some perfected state. His love looks past all the crud in your life and sees your heart - your need! He loved you at your worst! Terrifyingly, He SAW what you were doing at your worst! And He loved you! That is the kind of love that is available to me now daily! It follows me around, overtakes my path, rocks my world.
The steadfast love of the Lord NEVER CEASES! His compassions NEVER FAIL! They are new EVERY morning! GREAT is Thy faithfulness!! Lamentations 3
On top of all this love and compassion in my life right now, I have a heavenly dwelling to abide in forever. The word for house here means family dwelling place. Interestingly, but not surprising, the word for house in John 14 means the same thing. "In my Father's house there are many dwellings." Heaven is an actuality, and I am going there when my days are over with here. I know we think that sounds corny. Like we are just trying to make heaven look like earth. But what if God made earth to look like heaven? Just to give us a taste of what it will be like? After all, He walked for a short while with Adam and Eve in the garden. It is very similar to the garden and river described in the Revelation. God will one day bring the entire "family" home to live in His house. To swim in His river and eat from His garden. To paint on heavenly canvases what no man could imagine. To sing to the accompaniment of angelic instruments songs unimaginably beautiful. To reign with Him. To worship Him. To join in with myriad angels and saints in chorus after chorus of praise! To put to my new lips a cup of new wine, handed to me by my Shepherd Savior and celebrate the joys of the New Jerusalem into which He purchased my passage!
And so shall I dwell in the house of the Lord....forever!!
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