No 35

(A Dwelling for Our Soul)

In our past studies, we saw the different stages of the abode of God go to www.profzebulon.org and click on the Abode of God tab. We shall now look at the abode of the souls who repented of their sins and trusted Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour; I am speaking, of course, of the abode of true Christians.

“We dwell in him.” (1 John 4:13) Do we want a dwelling for our soul and do we ask what does it cost? It is without money and without price. Would we like to pay a respectable rent or would we love to do something to win Christ? In other words, do we want to earn our salvation? If such is the case, we cannot have the house, because it’s for free.

Will we lease the Master’s house for all eternity with nothing to pay for it, nothing but the basic task of loving and serving Him for ever? Will we take Jesus and “dwell in him?” This house is furnished with all the riches that we will ever need or desire. Here we have intimate communion with Christ and feast on His love. In this house, are tables overflowing with food for us to live on for ever and in it when we are weary, we can always find rest with Jesus.

Do we want to have this house? If we are homeless, we might say – I should like to have the house; but may I have it? Yes; there is the key—the key is to come to Jesus. But, we may say that we are too shabby for such a house; never mind; there are garments inside. If we feel guilty and condemned, come and though the house is too good for us, Christ will make us worthy enough to live in the house by and by. He will wash us and cleanse us and we will yet be able to sing, “We dwell in him.” As believers we ought to be overjoyed and to look forward to such a dwelling place! We are greatly privileged because we have a strong habitation awaiting us in which we will be safe. And, dwelling in him, we not only have a perfect and secure house, but an everlasting one as well. When the world that we live in now will have melted as Peter describes in his second epistle chapter 3 verse 10 : “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up”, our house will live and stand more imperishable than marble, more solid than granite, self-existent as God, for it is God himself—“We dwell in him” This is the message that we, as believers, must tell to anyone who wishes to listen and may we be “….ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:” (1 Peter 3:15)