How do we value the presence of God? Do we consider it the most holy way to live on earth? Doing so will enable us to examine our existence, integrity, righteousness and truthfulness before Him. God has made it possible for man that heartily acknowledges Him to live in His presence. It is His awesome mercy that He availed man such a privilege. Yet, as men with inadequacies, weaknesses and iniquities we ought to always examine our hearts in order to dwell in His presence. David having done that said, “O LORD, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill?” (Ps. 15:1). He also knew the answer to it which he reveals in the following verse (2).
God values integrity, righteousness and truth so highly that anyone with those can dwell in His presence unhindered. He becomes very intimate with such people. However, the important point is to realize what kind of Person God is for us to dwell in His presence and then act on it. Asking ourselves the question that David uttered is allowing our hearts and minds to check our inner man. As believers in Christ, we should always call to mind who we were and what we have become by the grace of God. This helps us to understand the kind of God we walk with. No doubt we cannot walk with Him while in sin. Yet, by checking ourselves and being truthful before Him we can continue dwelling in His presence. The best thing to happen is claiming His promise – “Say to the righteous that it will go well with them, for they will eat the fruit of their actions” (Isa. 3:10).
Wherever we live and whatever we do, whether as in profession or otherwise, it will certainly go well with us. God blesses our actions so that they bear abundant fruit and we rejoice. That He blesses our actions means He intervenes in our every effort and adds glory to them. Therefore, we can be undaunted regarding any area of our life. The righteous have never ultimately failed in life. For their focus was always on how to dwell in God’s presence. The intimacy they acquire with Him allows them to see their life as well as the working nature of the world from His viewpoint. And they are quickly able to please Him.
As those who would love to dwell in His presence every moment of our life and receive all the things He reserved for us, let us look at the course of action we ought to take.
- Keep charge of our purpose. God gives us (or has given) us a purpose so that we can abide with Him at all times. Without having it there can be no opportunity to walk with Him. Through the purpose He gives He calls us to conduct ourselves for Him on the earth. We ought not to neglect it. For He has made all things available to us according to the purpose appointed to us. Whatever we need they are with Him. He makes provisions so that we keep charge of that which He asked of us. He has appointed us for His glory and His purpose is the means to it. And He called on the prophet to say, “He said to me, ‘this is the chamber which faces toward the south, intended for the priests who keep charge of the temple” (Ezek. 40:45). Are you keeping charge of that which He gave you?
- Make Christ our strength. To keep charge of that which God gave us we ought to make Jesus our sole strength. Do not lean on man or the things of the world to accomplish His work. For the power of Jesus is immense to set us off and take us to the end. The Word testifies concerning it. “They were utterly astonished, saying, ‘He has done all things well; He makes even the deaf to hear and the mute to speak’” (Mark 7:37). The stumbling blocks and the negative signs that appear before us are ineffective before His power.
- Believe in God’s way. “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). To be born again is to be renewed by grace through faith and not of any work. If we are born again, His purpose to us is not empty. Because we are born again, we have been promised to see the great activities that take place among or in us by His power. His kingdom is full of opportunities to serve Him and rejoice. By being born again we are in His kingdom and so, will certainly receive of those opportunities; His power lingers in them.
- Keep up our obedience. Paul and his associates in keeping up their obedience were able to do the following. “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5). One of the key things to dwell in God’s presence is being able to destroy that which is against His knowledge. We ought also to imprison our thoughts so that they are well scrutinized by our obedience to Christ. In other words, we should not let our thoughts quickly drift us from one position to another. By mere obedience to Christ we can turn or prove meaningless the things that are against God’s knowledge.
- Be with “common faith.” Paul in writing to Titus said, “To Titus, my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior” (Tit. 1:4). Such is the faith that is required to dwell in God’s presence. The faith that was first found in Abel and continued on to the early church must also be in us. In other words, our emotions, thoughts and wisdom should indicate the faith that has long been there. The grace and peace we receive from the Father and the Son is a sign for the kind of faith we possess.