Sweden Church
  • Home
  • Listen
    • Sunday Services
    • Real Time >
      • Incompatible With Life
      • Heroes of Faith
      • Matthew 9 Series
      • Where We Find Jesus Series
      • Temptations of Christ Series
      • Sermon on the Mount Series
      • Prodigal Son Series
    • Revival 2022
    • Sweden Celebration 2020
    • Revival 2019
  • Sermon Series
    • Revelation Series
    • One Thing Series
    • Deuteronomy Series
    • 1 & 2 Kings Series
    • Titus Series
    • Jonah Series
    • What Kind of Man Series
    • Advent 2019
    • Ten Commandments Series
    • "No More" Sermon Series
  • Pictures
  • Our Blogs
    • The Pastor's Pen
    • The Layman's Pen
  • Upcoming Events
  • Contact Us

One Thing I Desire

2/21/2021

0 Comments

 
         King David’s life was a series of triumphs and tragedies.  God anoints him king of Israel as a boy, he whips Goliath and King Saul tries to destroy David.  David flees for his life.  Saul dies and David becomes king.  Good things and bad things happen, some of which is David’s own making.  Then a son of his rapes his only daughter and that son is killed by another son in retaliation.  That son tries to usurp the throne from David and David flees once again.  That son is killed and David returns to the throne.  It’s no wonder he felt surrounded by enemies, he was.
          In the midst of this life of turmoil David never lost sight of his God.  Acts 13:22 states that God raised up David to be king and said, “I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart which shall fulfil all my will.”  A man ‘after my own heart’, God’s heart.  Think about that.  God saw in David something that we can only read about and try to understand.
          Psalm 27 was written by David and the very first words are “The Lord is my light and my salvation.”  The rest of the first verse is timely, too.  As the Psalm progresses David speaks of his enemies and how trapped he must have felt during difficult times. 
          Then, David makes a declaration.  Verse 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.”  All the days of my life; he’s speaking of the here and now, in the middle of all the mess and challenges of his life.
           He says “that will I seek after.”  Even David realizes that he can be so easily distracted from the light and salvation of the Lord.  Focus is important.  It’s easy to be distracted.  There’s the news, politics, the pandemic, weather, nuclear holocaust, artificial intelligence, health care, religious freedom, and the list goes on.  It takes faith to keep your focus on God.  Faith comes by hearing (Romans 10:17).  Part of a verse that stresses the importance of listening, listening to other believers and their testimonies, listening for what God has to say.  Not just his Word but by the power of God in our lives and others’.
          The conclusion of verse 4 is to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.  Look for God’s beauty.  Nature has an abundance of it, but think of  what beauty has been created in relationships, the beauty of Scripture, the inner beauty of the saints around us, and the beauty of goodness.  Inquire in his temple—modern translation, go to church.  Beauty is there.  God is there.
          “One thing have I desired” says David.  And he’s willing to do what it takes to “dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.” ​
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Linda Johnson

    Linda Johnson moved to Douglas County with her husband Tom 12 years ago after retiring from teaching. Following Tom's death in 2016, Linda began facilitating a grief support group called GriefShare through Sweden Church.​ She serves as the Sunday School teacher for our High School class. Her "Layman's Pen" articles are also published in the local paper, The Douglas County Herald. 

    Andrea Strong

    Andrea is Pastor Joshua Strong's wife. She also serves Sweden Church as Church Secretary, website administrator, and Sunday School teacher to the Intermediate Class.

    Archives

    October 2022
    September 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    February 2015
    November 2013
    October 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012