“David was unwilling to move the ark of the Lord into the city of David with him; but David took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. Thus the ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-edom and all his household” (II Sam. 6:10ff.).
Christianity is sacred company. Everyone becoming intimate with Christianity will prosper from Christian influence. Yet many flee from Christianity because they perceive that they will forfeit life’s pleasures as a result of the association. Scores flirt with Christianity yet never close with Christ because they are concerned that living the Christian life will rob them of life’s fun.
Could following the Lamb of God deprive a follower of life’s fullness? Is it possible that God designed Christianity so that Christians would have less joy than non-Christians? Would God Himself create a “religion” preventing happiness?
Those taking up residence in and near the heart of God shall be blessed even as “the house of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, on account of the ark of God” was blessed (II Sam. 6:12). Spiritual disciplines benefit the sons of God. The practice of Christianity rewards its practitioners and those with whom they associate.
The benefits coming to Christians do not include freedom from the hurts of the world. The advantages do not include being insulated from the wickedness of evil men. But the gains far exceed all costs, for Jesus says, “Truly I say to you, there is not one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, but that he shall receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life” (Mk. 10:29f.).
If you follow the King of kings you shall travel with a peculiar people. They will come from every point on the globe, yet they shall walk with quite similar steps. They all feed on the hidden manna, they drink of the water that flows from the rock and they look for the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night.
These people called Christians pursue the glory of the Lord God whether it leads them into life’s wildernesses or into the courtrooms and boardrooms of the leaders in business and industry. They are seeking a land beyond this land for the place they seek is described as flowing with milk and honey.
Do you live in the comfort of the Holy Spirit? Is heaven your home? Have you answered the call of God to place your trust completely in the Lord Jesus Christ?
“But you have come to Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel” (Heb. 12:22-24).
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