Ask my college roommates. I promise there was a legitimate reason I had 4 roomies in my first 2 years of school.
Ask my husband. That first year of marriage is a real eye-opener to many couples. I know it was for us.
Think about it, when someone comes to visit, we break out our best behavior, we fuss over the menu and we pull out all the stops to make sure everything looks the best.
But, when someone comes to stay, to move in and to live with you, you make some initial accommodations at first. Soon however the formalities fade and frictions arise as life falls into routines and normalcy. In the living together we really get to know each other. In the living together we can easily become complacent. In the living together the intimacy that drew us together at first can slowly slip away.
In John 1, we're told the Word became flesh to dwell among us. How better for us to learn and to know our God than for Him to live with us. The original language here gives the imagery of Christ pitching a tent in order to stay awhile. All this so we could do life together that we might have an unimaginable intimacy with our Creator.
In Romans 8, the same word is used by Paul to describe our relationship with God's Spirit. He dwells in us. We are His tent. . .
With God's Spirit dwelling within us, we have the best, the most incredible opportunity to know God. He is living in us, with us. We can pursue our relationship with God through the indwelling of the Spirit and grow in intimacy with God.
Yet, in the mundane, everyday tasks of life, I can easily become complacent. I take for granted that the Spirit of the Most High dwells within me. I relegate aspects of my life to Him and exclude Him from others. The first one I should go to with my problems and frustrations becomes the last.
In my efforts to be obedient and live out what I say I believe, I find myself doing things for God instead of living every aspect of my life with Him. Living like this, in my own effort, I become weary and tired. From outside appearances I seem to have it altogether, but inside I am overwhelmed and scared that someone will learn how weak and defeated I feel.
The relationship of my faith can quickly, easily slip into disfunction and it is all my own doing:
- It's so hard to believe and accept that Jesus loves me the way that I am.
- I feel like I need to prove to be worthy of my salvation.
- I want to be in control and determine what is best for me.
The list of ways I continue to try to sabotage my relationship with my Lord could go on and on - yet when I stop striving and simply just start to be with Him - allowing Him dominion over every aspect of my life -no matter how ordinary and inconsequential that it may seem- intimacy can once again be restored. It is in these everyday, common place moments He teaches me the most, grows my faith and prepares me for whatever lies ahead. Through this intimacy I can learn more about my amazing God and accept who I am in relation to Him...
For me it is all about learning to dwell with God as He dwells within me. I want the intimacy that comes with the familiarity of living with Him. But, I don't want to take Him for granted.
Just like I want to have a growing, vibrant married relationship with the man I share a house with - I want that kind of intimacy with the Savior I gave my life to because He gave His life for me.
As I live with Him I will truly come to know God. As I dwell with my Lord in this life I will get a taste of the life to come (the restoration of when He dwelt with the first man and woman of His creation in the Garden) and to experience full life now as He promised (the realization of His incredible faithfulness to keep every singe one of His promises to me).
This is the intimacy I want -no I NEED, to dwell in...
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