Elsewhere
Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.<o:p></o:p>
Psalm 84:10<o:p></o:p>
There are plenty of ‘elsewheres’ in life. These are places away from God where you can ‘dwell in the tents of the wicked.’ For the Psalmist the issue becomes one of quality, not quantity. You could spend a thousand days dwelling elsewhere and while you would have a quantity of experiences… eating, drinking, carousing… the quality would be less than standing at the door of God’s Presence for one day.
I think of the story Jesus told of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32). He knew how to party! When he woke up one cold rainy day in a pig pen, his friends and his money long gone, that’s when his thoughts went back to the dad he had left behind.
Running after a quantity of experiences is appealing, of course. It is often fun to be ‘on the go.’ Seeing and trying new things can be invigorating! When we do this spiritually, be careful! It will seem like the right thing, but it’s death. Any place where you’re not in the Presence of God is not where you want to be, regardless of how it seems.
There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.<o:p></o:p>
Proverbs 14:12; 16:25<o:p></o:p>
Better is one than a thousand. Better is knowing God than being elsewhere.
Father, thank You for the richness of this relationship with You through Jesus. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be! There’s no one else who had done what you’ve done! In You there is hope, forgiveness, righteousness and peace in the midst of this world that if void of all these things. Fill my life with You and be glorified through me this day…<o:p></o:p>
