May 6

Morning

By this we know that we remain in Him, and He in us: He has given us of His Spirit. — 1 John 4:13 BSB

Do you need a home for your soul? Are you wondering what it costs? The price is less than proud human nature would like to give. It’s available “without money and without price.” Ah! Perhaps you’d like to pay a respectable rent for it? Maybe you want to do something to earn Christ? If so, then you cannot have this home, for it is “without price.” Will you accept my Master’s home on a lease for all eternity, with nothing to pay for it—nothing but the simple ground rent of loving and serving Him forever? Will you take Jesus as your dwelling place and “live in Him”?

Look at this house—it’s filled with everything you need. It’s stocked with riches beyond what you could ever spend. Here, you can enjoy intimate communion with Christ and feast on His love. Here, you’ll find tables full of food to sustain you forever. When you’re weary, you can find rest with Jesus, and from this house, you can look out and catch glimpses of heaven itself.

Will you have this home? If you are spiritually homeless, you might ask, “Can I really have it?” Yes! The key is right here—“Come to Jesus.” But you might say, “I’m too unworthy for such a home.” Never mind; there are garments waiting for you inside. If you feel guilty and condemned, come anyway, and though the house may seem too good for you, Christ will make you good enough for the house in time. He will wash you, cleanse you, and you will soon be able to sing, “I dwell in Him.”

Believer, how blessed you are to have such a home! You are greatly privileged, for you have a “strong habitation” where you are always safe. And by “dwelling in Him,” you not only have a perfect and secure home but an eternal one. When this world fades away like a dream, your home will stand, more solid than marble or granite, for it is God Himself! “We dwell in Him.”

Evening

When a man dies, will he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, until my renewal comes. — Job 14:14 BSB

A brief stay on earth will make heaven even sweeter. Nothing makes rest more delightful than hard work; nothing makes security more cherished than being exposed to danger. The bitter trials of this life will only add to the joy of the new wine that sparkles in the golden cups of glory. Our worn-out armor and scarred faces will make our victory even more glorious when we are welcomed to the places of those who have overcome the world.

We wouldn’t experience full fellowship with Christ if we didn’t spend time on earth. He was baptized with suffering among men, and we must share in that suffering if we are to share in His kingdom. Fellowship with Christ is such a great honor that the heaviest sorrows are a small price to pay for it.

Another reason we remain on earth is for the sake of others. We shouldn’t wish to enter heaven before our work is finished. We may still be appointed to bring light to lost souls in the wilderness of sin. Our extended stay on earth is certainly for God’s glory. A tried saint, like a finely cut diamond, shines brightly in the King’s crown. Nothing brings more honor to a craftsman than a work that endures long and severe trials without falling apart. We are God’s workmanship, and He will be glorified in our afflictions. It brings honor to Jesus when we endure trials with sacred joy. Let each of us lay aside our own desires for the glory of Jesus and say, “If lying in the dust for a while longer will elevate my Lord even an inch, then let me remain here. If living on earth forever would make my Lord more glorious, then that would be heaven to me, even if I were shut out of heaven itself.”

Our time on earth is fixed by God’s eternal decree. Let’s not be anxious about it but wait patiently until the gates of heaven are opened!