Habitation part 2
The first time the word Habitation is used in the King James Bible is Exodus 15:2, "The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him." It is number 5115 in Strong's Hebrew Concordance and it means, "A primitive root; to rest (as at home); causatively (through the implied idea of beauty), to celebrate (with praises): - keep at home, prepare an habitation." Basically... home sweet home. And I'm telling you, without being too crass, home is where you can use the bathroom with comfort and ease. Home is where you know how the shower works. Home is where you can sleep soundly and safely in your own bed. Where you can rest. Recharge. Refill yourself. Because even though we are connected to the unlimited source of love... giving and giving and giving (loving and loving and loving) CAN make it feel like you're emptying yourself. And while, well, let me quote a memory verse to say what I'm trying to say. "Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work" (John 4:34). See, Jesus was hungry, and sent His disciples off to get some grub. But in the meantime, He found someone to minister to. To love. To give Himself to. And in the giving, He was restored. In the giving, His appetite was fulfilled. So while I DO see a lot of value in resting at home... Jesus would go away from the crowds to pray... you can't give everything you have to the point where you have nothing left. Because we ARE connected to that unlimited source. But I'm also saying, the love is in the giving. When you give, you experience love. Because love IS giving. Giving what you've got is HOW you fill yourself to overflowing with what you've already been filled with. Sharing the gift you've been given is how you experience it. So I guess what I'm saying is... give what you've got. Let what's inside come out. But don't be afraid to head home and rest. And I know rest is not inactivity. I say that all the time. Rest is Holy Spirit directed activity. And the Holy Spirit only ever directs us to love. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth that leads and guides us into all truth--the truth that God is love and He loves you. And I'm not saying you shouldn't go out of your comfort zone either. Sometimes you should. Sometimes you have to go out on a limb because that's where the fruit is. I'm saying God has prepared us as His habitation. His home. He has prepared Himself as our habitation. Our home. He--LOVE--is where we can be confortable. Where we know how the shower works (how to get clean). Love is our home base, if I can say it that way. Love is where we get filled up so that we can go empty ourselves out. Love is our strength to lay our lives down for our friends. Love is natural (I kept saying "atmosphere" yesterday, but I could have said) habitat. Love is where we live. Love is HOW we live. God is love. He lives in us as we live in Him. He is our dwelling place even as He dwells in us. And that's beautiful. That's something to celebrate. Not something we need, but something we have. Something--someONE, Jesus, love--that we are!