Finding a Resting Place

Written by Doyle DeGraw | 17 June 2010

God has always been willing to find his resting place in the midst of his creation. In fact, God delights in dwelling among men. One of the first signs of this occurred after Adam and Eve had sinned in the garden. God was walking in the cool of evening (whatever that means) in the garden seeking Adam. He has always been willing to bring His presence to us in a way to bring heaven to earth.

That is why Jesus came to the earth. Because sin had created a breach between man and God, Jesus came to reestablish a place for God’s presence to rest among men and women. John 1v14 says that Jesus became flesh in order to dwell (or tabernacle) among us. Hebrews 3 tells us that Jesus was faithful as a Son in God’s entire house. Then it says, “We are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast.”

Why do we need courage and hope to be God’s house? We need courage and hope because it takes work to build his house. Paul says we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. It is in this temple (or house) that we are to work out (build) our salvation with fear and trembling. To do this takes planning, labor, and perseverance to reach the goal. How do we do this? We look to Jesus who came from heaven to us as an exact representation of the Father (Heb 1v1-4). As fully God and fully human he was tempted at all points as we are and he is able to sympathize with us, (Heb. 4v14-15). He has come to us in our flesh so that we may approach him to find strength to be a place upon which God can rest.

Out of the Red, Into the Black

Written by Doyle DeGraw | 13 February 2010

Nobody likes to come up short. There is nothing worse than discovering at the end of the month, there is not enough left to pay the bills. How many of you have stood in line at the grocery store with a weeks worth of groceries only to realize you did not bring enough cash and forgot your checkbook? Maybe you went to purchase tickets for a concert you have looked forward to for months, only to find out that it just sold out! Anybody out there ever get those notices from the bank that tell you that your checking account went into the red when your checkbook showed you were in the black. Even worse, you find out the bank is right!!!

Nobody wants to be in the red. Sometimes we can feel like we come up short when serving God. That isn’t His intention you know. That is what the Cross was all about. Jesus went to the cross to take our name out of the deficit column and move us to the surplus side of the ledger. The core of the Story of Redemption is that God wants to move us out of the red into the black. It is illustrated over and over again throughout His Word. Moses was afraid to lead because he could not speak. God find a way to use him anyway. Joshua had to be reminded to stay encouraged. David put himself in the red, and confessed his way back into a place where he could gain his inheritance. Gideon almost brought God’s plan to a halt with the paralysis of analysis. However, through learning to worship God, he was able to tear down the strongholds that weighed him down. Instead of the deficit of defeat, he conquered kingdoms as one powerful in battle.

That is what you would like in your life, isn’t it? What are you going to do to move from the red into the black? Where should you begin? I want to suggest something simple, yet profound. The move from less to more always begins with an encounter with God in worship and intimacy with Him. There is no other way. To get where God wants you to be means you must spend time with Him. Don’t struggle to find something to say, just tell Him you want to spend some time with Him and watch what happens.