Thy mercy, my God, is the theme
of my song. This world in which we live is
full of many substitutes for true spirituality. We see a veritable
smorgasbord of doctrines and orders from which men might make
their religious selections according to what will fit in with their
lifestyles and desires with the least bit of interference. There
are churches for cowboys and Indians, modernists and traditionalists,
sports lovers, motorcyclists, those who like to hoop and holler,
and those who are more sedate. Yet that man in whom the Spirit
of God dwells cannot be satisfied with any of these religious masquerades,
nor is he interested in fitting in a bit of religion into his
busy lifestyle. He can only find true peace and
fulfillment as he is given grace to dwell in the presence of the
Lord. Job confessed the weakness and emptiness of his former religiosity,
contrasted with that vision which he had been given of the true
and living God when he said, I have heard of thee by the hearing
of the ear, but now mine eye seeth thee, wherefore I abhor
myself and repent in dust and ashes. Paul confessed the same
thing, saying, yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss,
for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for
whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them
but done, that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having
mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which
is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of
God by faith, that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection. The awakened child of God is
not content with anything less than a close communion and fellowship
with his Lord. This is his meat both day and
night, as the Spirit of God works in him both to will and to do
of his good pleasure. It is clear in the Scripture
that the dwelling place of the Lord in the earth is with those
who are of an humble and broken heart, who tremble at the mention
of his name. But to this man will I look,
even to him that is poor and of a contrite heart, and trembleth
at my word. The beauty of the Lord's dwelling
place is not in the shade of fabric from which its walls were
made, or the type of carpet on its floor. None of the things
which men can make or perpetuate add anything to the beauty of
the Lord's dwelling place. He alone is the light of that
city which needs neither the sun by day nor the moon by night,
and it is his beauty and not those external trappings which
make this a place where the freeborn sons of God delight to have their
own dwelling with him. Religious men will always prefer
those places which are designed according to the standards of
which they approve. They will ultimately choose those
places in which they can exercise control, even as the Pharisees
rejected Christ because he threatened their seats of authority. They
love being able to point with pride at their seats of power
and spheres of influence and of the distinctives which set
them apart from others or fit their lifestyle. The Lord, however,
is in the midst of his people. This is why John said, we know
that we have passed from death unto life because we love the
brethren. He that loveth not his brother
abideth in death. The reason the true children
of God love one another is because the Lord is pleased to dwell
in them. If we look at one another and begin to magnify each other's
faults, we would soon depart from one another. Yet because
the Lord is in the midst, then that place where God's people
are gathered is a most delightful place to be, prized above rubies
and more precious than gold which perishes. One of the greatest
mysteries to me in all of the world is how some can profess
to love Jesus Christ and live quite content without assembling
themselves together with God's people. or how they can continually
pursue after other interests without regard to this assembling?
How can a man love one whom he has not seen, if he does not
love those whom he has? By this shall all men know that
ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. How pleasant,
how divinely fair, O Lord of hosts, thy dwellings are! With
long desire my spirit faints to meet the assemblies of the
saints. Blessed are the saints who sit on high round the throne
of majesty. Thy brightest glories shine above,
and all their work is praise and love. Blessed are the souls
that find a place within the temple of thy grace. There they
behold thy gentler rays, and seek thy face, and learn thy
praise. Blessed are the men whose hearts
are set to find the way to Zion's gate. God is their strength,
and through the road they lean upon their Helper, God. If you would like a free transcript
of this broadcast, email us at forthepoor at windstream.net.