davidbowerkingwood

A God Given Opportunity that Shouldn’t be Missed!

As Christian men and women, we are given some very spectacular gifts from our heavenly Father. Under the New Covenant, God’s children, at the time of the new birth, are adopted into a new family which will remain together for all of time and eternity. As a guarantee of membership in this new family, each believer is given God, the Holy Spirit, to live in them forever!

In addition, each believer is given the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ and full justification before the Father in heaven; “there is therefore now, no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” This is spiritual reality, our mortal bodies of clay can have no part in our resurrection and must be totally transformed by the power of God, into a new, heavenly body, in order to participate in the heavenly promises, we have been given.

Our situation is clearly described in 2 Corinthians 5:1-8 where it is written:

“5 For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. ² For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, ³ if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. ⁴ For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. ⁵ Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

⁶ So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. ⁷ For we walk by faith, not by sight. ⁸ We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.”

Verse 7 is a key point to the whole thing, walking by faith and not by sight; this is a pattern of life to be coveted by all who love the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. That verse is in the forefront of my thinking all day long, yet I seem to fail so often in its practical implementation; I truly want to walk by faith and not by sight but so often do just the opposite!

Wilderness Lodge, Disney World

Wilderness Lodge at Christmas

With only one exception, we have always stayed at Wilderness Lodge when we visited Disney World. Wilderness Lodge seems to have a very strong appeal for our entire family and we have enjoyed many happy times in the big room pictured above.

I can recall one time, as we were checking into the Lodge, I stepped in the front door and the music being played was a selection we had played at our wedding; the sound of the music, that welcoming room and the beautiful Christmas tree at its center overwhelmed me and tears started streaming down my face; I had a wonderful feeling of being home again at Christmas! I will never forget the intense emotion I felt at that time, it was not at all logical but, nevertheless, very intense.

I was somewhat embarrassed by the obvious emotion on my part and did my best to conceal it from the rest of the family; after all it was not a very manly thing to do to start crying when you entered a place like this. I only mention it because it is such a perfect illustration of walking by sight and not be faith; the physical circumstances had produced a powerful emotional response in me which I will never forget!

David and Adele by the big Christmas tree

Walking by Faith

In retrospect, I’m disappointed with myself when I think of my experience at Wilderness Lodge and realize that the spiritual realities of my relationship with Almighty God do not consistently produce the same reactions. The fact of the matter is, God has done infinitely more for me than Disney World and Wilderness Lodge could ever do, but I don’t seem to react to this fact with appropriate feelings and behavior. It is somewhat amusing to remember that I must pay money to enjoy Disney World and Wilderness Lodge while God has paid the admission price for me to enjoy heaven and eternity with him!

When I read of the blessings God has bestowed on all those who believe, I’m overwhelmed at an intellectual level; I believe all that God has done and will do and look forward to experiencing it in person, but it seems to be difficult for me to translate that knowledge into a consistent and appropriate emotional reaction. The only explanation that presents itself to me is I’m too inclined to walk by sight and not by faith.

I earnestly desire to let spiritual realities have the same dramatic impact on me that certain physical realities have had; why can I not have the same feelings of being home when I remember I’m constantly in the Lord’s presence? I truly believe that home is a person, not a place but seem to have difficulty in applying that principle to the indwelling presence of God, the Holy Spirit.

I have come to believe that a life of joyous, happy, fulfillment is available to all who will fully commit themselves to walking by faith and not by sight. It is important we remember the indwelling presence of God, the Holy Spirit, within us and learn to rejoice and delight ourselves in this great gift we have been given. By God’s grace, we walk with God every moment of every day; let us recognize that fact and let it be a constant source of unfailing joy to each of us!

Holy Father, by your grace may we, as your children, fully embrace your loving presence in each of us and let your joy and your peace be our constant companions as long as we shall live! May our lives reflect you and be a sweet-smelling savor to you now and forever. I ask this in Jesus name, amen.

⁷ For we walk by faith, not by sight.