By John Thiel
Psalms 84:1 To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm for the sons of Korah. How amiable [are] thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts! 2 My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.
Who is the person that speaks like that? What kind of person utters such words?
Psalms 84:3 Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, [even] thine altars, O LORD of hosts, my King, and my God. 4 Blessed [are] they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah. 5 Blessed [is] the man whose strength [is] in thee; in whose heart [are] the ways [of them].
In whose hearts are thy ways. Who are the people who speak the words of verse 2? Who says things like that? The man whose strength is in the court. It is only a true spiritual person who expresses these kinds of sentiments. That he longs to be in the courts of the Lord. He cries out in agony, he faints even. Is this the case with you? I am spending this year in this meditation in the preparation to be in those courts. As we delve deeper into these things it’s going to test us whether we want to be there or not with all the preparation we require. If our strength is in the Lord and our hearts are after his ways then we will do everything that is needed to be in those courts.
Psalms 27:1 The LORD [is] my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD [is] the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
Psalms 27:4 One [thing] have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple.
The one who is bent on embracing the salvation of the Lord who desires the Lord, to see his beauty, his glory, this person is the one who yearns to be in the courts above. The question is, to come to such a state as we look at our contented life on this planet, all the things that we become absorbed in – the material things, we have to sometimes take account of ourselves. Am I too much attached and too dependent so that I am contented to enjoy myself on this planet when really there is nothing here to enjoy apart from the Lord and from the transactions we have to do? So that when we go into nature we are with the Lord as there is no nothing in nature alone that can satisfy without the Lord. It might be pretty but it shrivels tomorrow. When you see what we saw recently with the big storm, it is quickly destroyed by a hail storm. Only within thine eyes shall we see the reward of the wicked. What a dangerous storm that was yet we were secure by the Lord. There is worse to come and we need to find our security alone in that deep relationship with the Lord and preparation that is required to be with him needs to be considered very closely. Consider what it takes to come to such a state that our whole heart is yearning so intensely that we would even faint to be in the courts of the Lord.
The heart of man may be the abode of the Holy Spirit. The peace of Christ that passeth understanding may rest in your soul, and the transforming power of His grace may work in your life, and fit you for the courts of glory.. {AG 251.3}
If I’m going to yearn for those courts it is the grace and transforming power of the Lord that will fit me for those courts.
But if brain and nerve and muscle are all employed in the service of self, you are not making God and heaven the first consideration of your life. . . . {AG 251.3}
We need to know whether I’m really preparing to be in that place. If self is the first consideration there is no deep yearning to be there.
If the eye is single, if it is directed heavenward, the light of heaven will fill the soul, and earthly things will appear insignificant and uninviting. {AG 251.4}
We are to be single minded for eternity to be with the Lord. Where is my mind? Is it on people around me? Erring human behaviours? Is that is what is occupying my mind and blocking my joy? It means my mind is not heavenward. The things of this world will be insignificant and uninviting.
The purpose of the heart will be changed, and the admonition of Jesus will be heeded. . . {AG 251.4}
That is what has to happen for the eye to be in tune with the courts of heaven. The admonition of Jesus will be heeded. How I feel this is lacking to heed every admonition of the Lord.
Your thoughts will be fixed upon the great rewards of eternity. All your plans will be made in reference to the future, immortal life. . . . Bible religion will be woven into your daily life. {AG 251.4}
How many plans? All. To come to such a state that we will be able to express the words that we read in Psalms, my eye needs to be single and my thoughts fixed on that great reward and plans made in reference to that life. As we do these earthly things will appear insignificant and uninviting.
My Soul Longeth for the Courts of the Lord
Why?
The refining influence of the grace of God changes the natural disposition of man. Heaven would not be desirable to the carnal-minded; their natural, unsanctified hearts would feel no attraction toward that pure and holy place, and if it were possible for them to enter, they would find there nothing congenial. {AG 250.3}
The natural state in which we are in self, if suddenly I was taken into that place, would I get a shock? Would I get a queer sensation of am I comfortable here? I do this in my own meditation. There are things there that would be strange to me.
Congenial
What does that word mean? It’s not altogether, it can still be pretty and lovely but it doesn’t fit comfortably to my makeup. It’s not congenial.
The propensities that control the natural heart must be subdued by the grace of Christ before fallen man is fitted to enter heaven and enjoy the society of the pure, holy angels. {AG 250.3}
We are to be prepared to join the society of heaven. We like to have it. It’s like the wicked who surround the city after the 1000 years because they love its beauty. I want to live in heaven as its got beauty there but if I am going to want to be in the courts of heaven, I need to want to see his beauty and enjoy his society. That is what we need to prepare for.
Divine Love
When man dies to sin and is quickened to new life in Christ, divine love fills his heart; his understanding is sanctified; he drinks from an inexhaustible fountain of joy and knowledge, and the light of an eternal day shines upon his path, for with him continually is the Light of life. {AG 250.3}
Did you know there is a big difference between divine love and your natural human love? It’s as different as chalk and cheese. It is a totally different set of mind. I had an experience of that this week. The human love is selfish. It wants a fair treatment. The divine love doesn’t care how it’s treated, it only wants to treat others nicely that’s all. Drink of an inexhaustible fountain when you are affected by negativities around you. Go and drink of an inexhaustible fountain of joy and knowledge. We often read these things so rapidly, very fast. As I have taken time to read this, what it is to be fitted for those beautiful place up there in the courts of heaven? We are not just talking about the gold, the pearls and those precious things. We are talking about the society we must be prepared to live with and that is the path that gets a bit tedious. I am becoming anxious that the coming of Jesus is so close and we are not quite ready yet. The intensity of the time in which we are living, we are being prepared to knuckle down and get ourselves ready. Are people annoying you? Getting under your skin? Do you get sinful responses from others?
The thought that God can take a poor, sinful, sorrowful human being, and so transform him by grace that he may become an heir of God and joint heir with Jesus, is almost too great for our comprehension. {AG 250.2}
We can’t comprehend it. If I can’t comprehend something I need to be prepared to be able to comprehend.
Christ takes upon Him the sins of the transgressor, and imputes to him His righteousness, and by His transforming grace makes him capable of associating with angels and communing with God. {AG 250.2}
Without this grace we are not capable of associating with angels. When sometimes I get a glimpse of the society of the heavenly angels and what we are naturally like it gets me in the throat and I think, would I really be comfortable with them or would I be backing off from them? I must be made capable of associating with angels and communicating with God. This is something incomprehendable that Christ could take my ugly self with all its sins and takes them upon himself and imputes to me his righteousness and then by his transforming grace he continues to mold and fashion me. He is transforming and making me capable of associating with those angels. In the light of this transformation he is trying to achieve so I will be able to have that deep sense of I want to be with him and be submissive to his mentality and to the society of those surrounding him.
What to Do?
You may read the bible but not follow it.
Some who profess to have true religion sadly neglect the guide-book given by God to point the way to heaven. They may read the Bible, but merely reading God’s Word, as one would read words traced by a human pen, will give only a superficial knowledge. . . . {AG 251.5}
Superficial Knowledge
I catch myself frequently reading fast and I have to stop again and say to myself I have missed what was said. I had to do more than accepting what is written on the page.
If we do not receive the religion of Christ by feeding upon the word of God, we shall not be entitled to an entrance into the city of God. Having lived on earthly food, having educated our tastes to love worldly things, we would not be fitted for the heavenly courts; we could not appreciate the pure, heavenly current that circulates in heaven. {AG 251.6}
Just to read and know the truth is not going to enter me there. It is to feed upon it so I will be conditioned by it so the word will condition my mind so I understand the mentality of that society. We are to feel what is uttered. Our souls are too long and faint for the courts of the Lord. We are to really have that deep inside, I am not fitted yet to do that. I need to be fitted for this heavenly court. I have heard people uttering something about people who love to be in the mentality of heavenly mindedness. They say these people are too heavenly minded to be of any earthly good.
The voices of the angels and the music of their harps would not satisfy us. The science of heaven would be as an enigma to our minds. We need to hunger and thirst for the righteousness of Christ; we need to be molded and fashioned by the transforming influence of His grace, that we may be fitted for the society of heavenly angels. {AG 251.6}
If I’m not heavenly minded the science of heaven would be as an enigma to my mind.
In order to be at home in heaven, we must have heaven enshrined in our hearts here. {AG 251.7}
What must I do to ensure that? I must not merely read the word of God as words traced by a human pen. I need to digest and live on those heavenly descriptions. As I do it will entirely change and transform my own way of thinking. I am becoming very distressed as different individuals that I have been labouring with after a period of time communicate with me in this nature – I don’t want to be under any man, I just want to be under God. I have just been sharing a thus saith the Lord but the mind of the listener has done a funny thing, they thought it was me telling them what to do. We need to be very very careful as to what spiritual food we are actually absorbing. Whether it is feeding of the thoughts of heaven or my own opinion of what I’m reading on the page. When people read what’s on the page they put their own construction on it. We must be transformed. What must I do? I must absorb the mentality of heaven by feeding on what I’m reading so it alters my psyche so I will be comfortable and fitted and congenial with the mentality of heaven. Let us continue to level our focus heavenward. Don’t be embarrassed to be so heavenly minded that the human mind will judge you as being of no earthly good. If you are heavenly minded you will still be practical here on earth.
Amen.
