God has a house

Tonight as we were meditating on Psalm 23 as part of our school, the very last sentence of that Psalm hit me:

"I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever"

God has a house! What does that mean? What does it look like? What is the purpose of a house? Of course God doesn't need a house. He is the creator of the whole universe. This is more for us. Humans understand the picture of a house. A house, or a home, is a safe place where you can come and rest, where you can be yourself, where family happens, where food is served and needs are taken care of.

But God wants to have that kind of fellowship with us, humans. He is not looking for servants. He doesn't need anything from us (Ps 50). He is looking for friends and family, a place where he can come and rest, where he can be glorified and have fellowship with us. He desires us! We can find a home in him, in his love, and live with him forever. He is inviting us to live in his house, to be a part of his family, to enjoy his presence. He in us and we in him. This is not only about after this life, it is also here and now, a spiritual reality. And God's house is a good place to be! It is a place of abundance, pleasure and delight! I was actually surprised when I looked up these scriptures on the house of God and saw how GOOD and rich it is!

"This is my resting place for ever and ever, here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it. I will bless her with abundant provisions;
her poor will I satisfy with food."

Ps 132:14-15

How priceless is your unfailing love!
Both high and low among men
find refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house;
you give them drink from your river of delights.

Ps 36:7-8

"Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man whom You choose and cause to come near, that he may dwell in Your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house."

Ps 65:4

St Patrick's day

I bind unto myself today
The strong name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.

I bind this day to me for ever,
By power of faith, Christ's Incarnation;
His baptism in the Jordan River;
His death on cross for my salvation;
His bursting from the spiced tomb;
His riding up the heavenly way;
His coming at the day of doom;
I bind unto myself today.

I bind unto myself the power
Of the great love of the Cherubim;
The sweet 'Well done' in judgment hour;
The service of the Seraphim,
Confessors' faith, Apostles' word,
The Patriarchs' prayers,
the Prophets' scrolls,
All good deeds done unto the Lord,
And purity of virgin souls.

I bind unto myself today
The virtues of the starlit heaven,
The glorious sun's life-giving ray,
The whiteness of the moon at even,
The flashing of the lightning free,
The whirling wind's tempestuous shocks,
The stable earth, the deep salt sea,
Around the old eternal rocks.

I bind unto myself today
The power of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, His might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need.
The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, his shield to ward,
The word of God to give me speech,
His heavenly host to be my guard.
Against the demon snares of sin,
The vice that gives temptation force,
The natural lusts that war within,
The hostile men that mar my course;
Or few or many, far or nigh,
In every place and in all hours
Against their fierce hostility,
I bind to me these holy powers.
Against all Satan's spells and wiles,
Against false words of heresy,
Against the knowledge that defiles,
Against the heart's idolatry,
Against the wizard's evil craft,
Against the death-wound and the burning
The choking wave and the poisoned shaft,
Protect me, Christ, till thy returning.

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

I bind unto myself the name,
The strong name of the Trinity;
By invocation of the same.
The Three in One, and One in Three,
Of whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
salvation is of Christ the Lord.

~~~~~~ St. Patrick's Breastplate Prayer


Patrick succeeded in converting almost the entire population of Ireland to Christianity in the 5th century. It is said Patrick taught the doctrine of the Trinity by using a shamrock. Hundreds may have been baptized on a single day as Patrick would travel to an area where many would gather to hear what he had to say. Some report Patrick built as many as 300-600 churches, baptized 120,000+ individuals, and built countless schools and hospitals. He died on March 17 in 461. Imagine leaving a legacy like that!

New clothes

I have been searching the Bible lately on the subject "clothes". Clothes are a symbol for our identity and who we are. It is not just for looks but it carries a much deeper meaning, when the Bible talks about clothes and what we are wearing, so to speak. Of course it is a metaphor for deep, spiritual realities.

I have heard that anything that is very important and foundational about human life and God you can find in the first three chapters of Genesis. If it is not found there, it is probably not that important. Well, I had a look for "clothes" in the first chapters of Genesis and I was struck by what I found in Gen 3:7.

Adam and Eve sewed fig leaves together and made coverings (aprons) for themselves.

We have all seen cute paintings of Adam and Eve dressed in their fig costumes like fashionable bikinis but once I read that the actual word for those clothes were "aprons" it all made sense! When do we wear aprons? When we are working! This is all about our own striving! We try to cover ourselves by good works, achievements, titles etc etc. This is universal! This is a profound truth about mankind and our fallen state.

God on the other hand has a better option. He sees that our coverings that we try to make for ourselves are sort of ridiculous.

Gen 3:21 The LORD God made garments of skin /long coats (tunics) for Adam and his wife and clothed them.

"Garments of skin" implies that he had to kill an animal to create these garments - the first sacrifice for our sin - which points forward to the eternal sacrifice of Jesus Christ that was already planned at this point! This is the kind of clothes that God has for us! We get to put on the righteousness of Jesus like a splendid coat that covers us from top to toe. It is not about us anymore and what we can or cannot achieve. It is about who we are in Him. This coat is a beautiful, shining, splendid, pure, royal garment, the garment of salvation. It is the "best robe" that the prodigal son received from his father when he returned home battered and bruised from his long, dishonoring journey (Lk 15:22).

As I realized this, all of a sudden this verse in Deut 29:5 made sense:

"I have led you forty years in the wilderness; your clothes have not worn out upon you, and your sandals have not worn off your feet."

I have always marveled over this verse and I am sure God does supernatural things like that but now the significance of these clothes that never wore out made sense - it is a picture of the righteousness of Christ!