The Church in My House

Barbara Ann Dudley

Let me build my house
Upon THE ROCK, today. [1 Cor. 10:4]
A house worthy of peace,
And a house where all can pray.

We are “lively stones,” [1 Pet. 2:5]
CHRIST’S “spiritual house” are we.
And our “spiritual sacrifices”
We offer up to Thee.

I must provide for others,
Especially, for my own.
If I “have not charity” in my heart, [1 Cor. 13:1]
My house is not His home.

The Church in my house,
Like Aquila and Priscilla’s time, [1 Cor. 16:19]
Welcoming “our fellow soldier” [Philemon 2]
With “The Doctrine of CHRIST,” we bind. [2 John 9]

Let me build my house
Where CHRIST abides, today.
And invite my neighbors
To know THE TRUTH, THE LIFE, THE WAY. [John 14:6]

The Never-Failing God

BY OSWALD CHAMBERS

God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” — Hebrews 13:5

What path do my thoughts take? Do they turn to what God says or to what I fear? “God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’” If I am listening to God, I won’t simply take his comforting words and leave it at that; I’ll build upon them, adding words of my own: “So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid’” (Hebrews 13:6).

“Never will I leave you.” God has promised that he will never leave us—not for all our sin and selfishness and stubbornness. Have I truly let God say to me that he’ll never leave me? If I have, let me listen again. “Never will I forsake you.” Difficulty isn’t always what makes me think God will forsake me. Sometimes it’s the tedium of the day-to-day, of living with no great challenge to meet, no special vision to pursue, nothing wonderful or beautiful to urge me on. Can I hear God’s promise when life is uninspiring?

We have the idea that God is going to do something exceptional with us, that he’s preparing us for some extraordinary feat. But as we grow in grace, we find that he is glorifying himself through us here and now. If we hold fast to God’s promise, we will find that we have the most amazing strength, and we will learn to sing in the ordinary days and ways.

2 Chronicles 21-22; John 14