1 How lovely is your dwelling place,
lord Almighty!2 My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God.3 Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may have her young-
a place near your altar,
lord Almighty, my King and my God.4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.
The writer longed to get away from the bustling world to meet God inside his dwelling place, his holy temple. We can meet God anywhere, at any time. But we know that going into a church building can help us step aside from the busy mainstream of life so we can quietly meditate and pray. We find joy not only in the beautiful building but also in the prayers, music, lessons, sermons, and fellowship. While that's true, the center of our faith is not going to church but belonging to and living for Jesus. Lots of people go to church for their own self-centered reasons. Having a church where you can really meet with God is a real blessing. Verse and commentary above is copied from the Life Application Study Bible Reading Plan on YouVersion. Check it out at http://www.youversion.com/ .
Any Dr JOE comments will be in BLUE :0)
John 1:19-28
John the Baptist Denies Being the Messiah
19 Now this was John's testimony when the Jewish leaderst in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was.20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, "I am not the Messiah." 21 They asked him, "Then who are you? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not."
"Are you the Prophet?" He answered, "No."
22 Finally they said, "Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?"
23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, "I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way for the Lord.'"t 24 Now the Pharisees who had been sent25 questioned him, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?" 26 "I baptize witht water," John replied, "but among you stands one you do not know.27 He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie." 28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
The pharisees and scribes, the religious elite of the day, didn't know what do make of this crazy guy preaching in the desert. Many of them were not really devoted to God, but devoted to the organized religion and set on maintaining and advancing their power within that organization. John the Baptist did not fit with their idea of a messenger from God. Jesus most especially did not fit with their idea of the long awaited Messiah. Our God awesomely does what He does. Expect that you can't know what He's about to do with you next. The only thing for sure is His Love. If we let His Love flow through us then His will is done in our lives. |
