Psalm 84 – How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! 2 My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God. 3 Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. 4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise! Selah 5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. 6 As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools. 7 They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion. 8 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah 9 Behold our shield, O God; look on the face of your anointed! 10 F or a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. 11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. 12 O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!
THEME OF THE DAY. A PSALM DESCRIBING CHURCH LIFE. What immediately comes to your mind when the word “church” is mentioned? There are at least two responses. First, the invisible body of believers around the world who form the body of Christ. Then, a physical place people go to for religious purposes. This second definition is broken down in two categories. First, there is a place some people go to frequently that they call “church” but Biblically-speaking, it fails the test. The landscape is filled with apostate “churches” who lack the Biblical structure and evidence of being a church in God’s eyes. The second category of a place people gather for “church” is a place where a group of Bible-believing people come together to fulfill the Biblical purposes and mission of the true church of Jesus Christ. It is a true church because it is defined by the Bible.
When it comes to church, it is the most glorious and beautiful of institutions God has created. And if properly understood by Christians, it will become a high priority in their lives in love, commitment and sacrifice. But how may we get there and really learn to love the church of the Lord Jesus, the local assemblies we attend weekly? Two ways. First, stop and think what it cost God to form the church – the blood of His Son. That alone should move us to shape our lives around the church, not allow church to be a part, perhaps even small part, of our lives. But there is a second way to help us see the beauty of the church and build solid lifelong commitment and service to her with love and delight. It is found in today’s scripture. I have labeled this Psalm in my Bible “church life” and allow me to share six “bullets” from this Psalm which will help us love the church and thus increase our commitment to her.
• The church is where the loveliness of God is revealed to His people: PSALM 84:1
• The church is where the living God meets with His people: PSALM 84:2
• The church is where the highest expression of worship to God occurs: PSALM 84:2
• The church is where our true happiness and contentment is found because God is there: PSALM 84:4
• The church is where the beauty of the Lord is experienced beyond anything else: PSALM 84:10
• The church is where we display the marks of belonging to Christ through humble service and love to one another: PSALM 84:10
Take time soon and prayerfully mediate through this “Psalm of church life”. There is a lot at stake. The world around us needs to see the glorious church of the Lord Jesus alive and well. The hurting souls looking for hope deserve our local assemblies to be beacons of light and love giving them the message of the Gospel. That can happen if we learn to see the church as the Lord does and fall in love with her as He does. After all, it is the most glorious and beautiful of institutions He made. Why would we not give our lives over to and for her?
PRAYER: “Father, I praise You for giving Your Son to form His church and making me a part.”
QUOTE: “When Biblically understood, the church of the Lord Jesus becomes a high priority in our lives.”