February 22, 2020
Psalm 84:8-12 (NIV)
Hear my prayer, Lord God Almighty;
listen to me, God of Jacob.
9 Look on our shield, O God;
look with favor on your anointed one.
10 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.
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
from those whose walk is blameless.
12 Lord Almighty,
blessed is the one who trusts in you.
CONSIDER THIS
When I was a kid I remember asking my Grandfather (a.k.a. “Peepaw”) one day to tell me his favorite Bible verse. Without hesitating, he said,
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
My first job in the church was doorkeeper.
It happened like clockwork, every Sunday morning at the First United Methodist Church of Dumas, Arkansas. As the service came to a close and the choir prepared to file out of the choir loft, I would ease to the edge of my front row seat. As the organist struck the first chord of the postlude I launched like lion bounding toward the door through which they would exit. I eagerly swung the large oaken door and held it open, beaming with pride as the grateful choir passed through.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
My second job in the church was doorkeeper.
It happened like clockwork, every single night at the Central United Methodist Church in Fayetteville, Arkansas. As the last cars cleared the parking lot of the large church campus I would set my law books aside, grab my keys and make the rounds, shaking all the doors and making sure the alarms were set. Yes, I was the security guard.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
Jesus said it like this:
What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? Matthew 16:26
People who say such things, well, you know what I’m talking about. They don’t have priorities. They have a priority. When you think about it, isn’t it a little bit absurd to have priorities? I mean, isn’t the whole point of priority to be about one thing? Doesn’t making the word plural destroy the word and any meaning it could ever hope to have? Ponder that with me. There can only be one first, right?
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
I would rather be nothing with Jesus than something without him. Why? Because to be something without Jesus is nothing, and to be nothing with Jesus is still everything.
Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you.
THE PRAYER
Father, I want to be a person who says such things. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of the wicked. I would rather be nothing with you, Jesus, than to try to be something without you. Clarify my aspirations and intentions and give me an undivided heart that I might worthily magnify your holy name. Come Holy Spirit, and train me be such a person of faith. I pray in Jesus name, Amen.
THE QUESTION
What would it take to bring your priorities down to a priority? What would it be? And by the way, do you have a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord story?
For the Awakening,
J.D. Walt
Sower-in-Chief
seedbed.com