Lord, remember David
And all his afflictions;
How he swore to the Lord,
And vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob:
“Surely I will not go into the chamber of my house,
Or go up to the comfort of my bed;
I will not give sleep to my eyes
Or slumber to my eyelids,
Until I find a place for the Lord,
A dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
— Psalm 132:1-5
When we see what the psalmist is describing, we must admit that we feel very inadequate. The psalmist was truly a consecrated person. To most of us, our consecration is always in the principle of an “exchange.” When we give something to the Lord we expect that the Lord will reward us. If we offer something to the Lord then He must give us something back in return.
Not many of us can say, “My house is God’s tabernacle.” To say this means that there is no other motive. There is no thought of an exchange. A mature person’s consecration is like a marriage. There is no thought between a husband and wife, “Whatever I do for you, I must get something back in return.” Yet this is often our concept in the church life.
Adapted from The Journey of Life, pages 99-100.
Tomorrow: “My House and God’s House are the Same” (3)