Dwell: Live In (verb)
When I find myself dwelling upon the negative, the past, the unknown, and the injustices of the world, I discover my everyday joy, faith in the goodness of people, and overall demeanor slipping into an unhealthy place. I find myself dwelling in pessimism, loneliness, and regret.
The choice of who and what I dwell upon resides solely with me… it’s an individual choice. Despite the circumstances I find myself in, I must choose every single day where I plant my thoughts. Knowing and believing this to be true, I determined to explore where I have been dwelling and where I want to dwell.
Dwelling upon the past. I look at what scripture says about the past. Book after book in the Bible, I found stories of the people of God remembering their past. When the Israelites crossed the Jordan River (Joshua 4), Joshua had 12 stones placed as a memorial. He wanted the memorial to be a way for God’s people to share with future generations about how God miraculously led them through the Jordan River, as He had through the Red Sea. By reflecting upon their past, they would remember that God’s hand was mighty. In Acts 7, Stephen stood before his accusers who were eager to stop Stephen from sharing the gospel. He recounted the history of God’s faithfulness and the persecution of God’s prophets. He reminded them that there was a pattern of rejecting God, but that God always provided for His people.
They would summarize their history and remember the ways in which they stumbled and how God was faithful, They repeated these stories of history for a couple of reasons:
To ensure the next generation would know their history
To remind themselves of the faithfulness of God
To keep the promise of a future Messiah ever present in their minds (Old Testament)
To evangelize and disciple by sharing the past actions of Jesus Christ and what it means for our present and future
It appears to me that the people of God are not dwelling (living) in the past, but they are actually remembering the past. They reflect upon the mistakes, the successes, and the mercies of God, and they are choosing to take their remembrances and move forward. What happened when they chose to forget their past? They repeated it.
Learning from the Israelites, I need to make a choice to remember my past (the good, the bad, and the faithfulness of Jesus), but I should not dwell there. Instead of sitting in the past, I must choose to move forward towards Jesus, towards the future with Him. I share my past with others because I want them to see the goodness of the Savior. I should not dwell on my past. because that would keep me from being present and moving forward.
Dwelling upon the present. When the Israelites were wandering the desert for 40 years, they were consumed with their physical discomforts - water, food, and the familiar. Their grumbling consumed them because they were not using their past to encourage them in their preset. Paralyzed by their present desires and fears, they planted themselves in a field of discontentment and distrust. Dwelling in my present circumstances narrows my perspective to a point that hinders my ability to believe in a larger God’s purpose and plan. Perhaps instead of dwelling on my present, I should rest in the goodness of God and the knowledge that He is sovereign. I will share my present struggles, fears, and joys with others in such a way that they are encouraged by my faith. I should not dwell on my present.
Dwelling on the future. What does scripture tell me about living, planting my thoughts, in the future?
“Therefore I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing? Consider the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they? Can any of you add one moment to his life span by worrying? And why do you worry about clothes? Observe how the wildflowers of the field grow: They don’t labor or spin thread. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these. If that’s how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won’t he do much more for you—you of little faith? So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Why do I worry about a future that I have no control over? My Creator loves me more than the birds and He will provide for me. The more I dwell on the future and the series of what-ifs, the more anxiety and fear creep into my life. Consuming me. Keeping me from fully trusting in the One who designed me with purpose and for a purpose. When I dwell on my future, I want it to be with anticipation and hope of the goodness of God.
Coming to the conclusion that I should not dwell on the past, present, or future, I desired a specific list of the things that I should dwell upon.
“whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable - if these is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy - dwell on these things”
The Greek word for dwell in this verse is logizomai, and it means “to take an inventory”. Paul makes it very clear that I am to dwell, to take an inventory of what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, morally excellent, and things that are praiseworthy. Taking an inventory would require me to think about, remember, and recall. What would happen if I sat down in the middle of these things instead of my fears, insecurities, lies, shame, and my failings? How would my perspective shift from my narrow view to a great big God perspective? What would my overflow look like if I became less focused on self?
“and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
The Greek word for dwell in this verse is katoikeō which means “to inhabit, to live”. As a follower of Christ, I believe that the Holy Spirit lives in me. By faith, I trust that Jesus lives, inhabits, and dwells in my heart. If Christ dwells in my heart and if I am rooted and established in love, then I can rest in the truth that His love for me is so immense that I can not fully grasp its greatness. However, I am told that because He dwells in me, I may be filled with the fullness of God. What would happen if I lived in this truth? Would I experience the fullness of God in a new and beautiful way?
“Let the word of God dwell richly among you, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. ”
The Greek word for dwell in this verse is enokeō which means “to dwell, to live”. Paul encourages me to allow the Word of God to dwell in me. His Word should fill my days, my thoughts, my actions, and my words. I should run to scripture and plant myself in His truths. His promises, His loving story. What would my overflow look like if I dwelt in the Word of God? Would I make different choices? Encourage better? Love more like Jesus?
Instead of dwelling on the past, present, and the future that I cannot control, I will choose to take an inventory of what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, morally excellent, and things that are praiseworthy. I will choose to believe that Christ dwells in me and in that I am firmly rooted and established in love. I will choose to dwell in the Word of God - not the words of despair, fear, and shame.
I alone control
what I dwell upon
what I allow to dwell within me,
what I dwell on
And, I will choose Jesus. Only Jesus.
Oh friends, what are you dwelling upon? What new choices do you need to make? What steps must you take?
Once again, it starts with me.