The Benefits of Belonging

‘Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; they are ever praising You’

Psalm 84. 4 NIV.

Did you hear about the man who was shipwrecked and discovered many years after on a desert island? He’d built three huts. When he was asked why, he replied, ‘The first one is where I live, the second one is where I go to church and the third one is where I used to go to church!’ You can visit many families – but you can belong to only one! Listen: ‘Obey them that have the rule over you … for they watch your souls’, Heb. 13. 17. Do you have a particular mechanic who knows your car well enough to keep it running? Or a doctor who knows you well enough to take care of your health? Then how about a ‘spiritual father’ who knows you well enough to help you grow your full potential in God? Paul says, ‘Though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father!, 1 Cor. 4. 15 NIV. Who’s your spiritual father? If you can’t answer that, you might be a spiritual orphan! After his failure, the prodigal son went back home to his father’s house, because that’s the only place where restoration can fully begin. He may have passed a lot of nice houses on his way back, but his father wasn’t there. Only one family could welcome him back, cover his nakedness, heal his wounds and restore him to his place as a son. Are you getting the idea? Only as you stay connected and committed to your spiritual family can you grow and fulfil your God-given purpose. And it doesn’t come by visiting; it comes by dwelling!