“His Pleasure”

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe….

"His Pleasure"

   

      Salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ provides to the recipient a new heart, the heart of God Himself in the Person of the Holy Spirit dwelling within our innermost being.

    "I will dwell in them… Christ liveth in me…. Ye are the temple of the Holy Spirit… Christ in you, the hope of glory" (II Corinthians 6:16; Galatians 2:20; I Corinthians 3:16; Colossians 1:27).

    God made human beings to serve as His spiritual home.  He delights to inhabit us, just as we would expect of Someone who loves us to the measure He sacrificed His Son into order to redeem us to Himself - "the Lord taketh pleasure in His people" (Psalm 149:4).  Indeed of all the wonders we can ponder regarding His indwelling presence, perhaps the most awe-inspiring involves the blessed truth that we matter so much to our Lord that in Christ He draws as near to us as He possibly can.  This involved pouring out His wrath and abandoning the Lord Jesus to die alone on the cross of Calvary -  "we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God… My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" (Isaiah 53:4; Matthew 27:46).  The holy result of such grace?  "I am with you always… "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee" (Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13:5).  This is how much our Heavenly Father loves our hearts, and how dear they are to Him as His spiritual home.

    Let us make this personal.  God loves your heart and mine so very much that in the moment we trusted Christ, His Spirit rushed as a mighty wind into our spirits no less than He indwelt the 1st century disciples on the day of Pentecost.  Moreover, He came to stay in your heart and my heart. Such realization changes everything when we embrace the truth as a matter of general belief, and even more, when we apply it to the specific aspects of our lives.  Indeed, when "in all thy ways acknowledge Him" becomes in this particular way, acknowledge Him, the presence of God in our hearts becomes by faith the presence of God in our minds, hands, and feet (Proverbs 3:6).  The realization that our Lord loves His presence within us far more than we love His presence within us goes far in establishing and securing a more consistent experience of the wonder that He "taketh pleasure in His people".   Again, let us make this personal.  He takes pleasure in you and me because are hearts are so dear to Him that He dwells within them as the very Life of our lives.

"He that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit."

(I Corinthians 6:17)

Weekly Memory Verse

   In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength. 

(Isaiah 30:15).

5843