From: "Beverly French" <frenchb@vcss.k12.ca.us>
To: "Heritage" <gheritage.ga@verizon.net>
Subject: Greetings to All
Date: Sunday, January 19, 2003 7:47 AM

"How lovely are Thy dwelling places, O Lord of hosts!
 My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the Lord;
 My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God."  Psalm 84:1-2

We sing these words in our Fellowship from time to time and, as often
happens, I keep singing them in my mind over and over again.  Using them as
our verse for today, let's see how Scripture leads us through them.

'How lovely'
Webster's Dictionary defines lovely as: exquisitely beautiful; having a
beauty that appeals to the heart or mind as well as to the eye; highly
pleasing.
The Greek word for lovely is: prosphiles (pro, toward, phileo, to love).
The people of God love His house.  In the Psalms we see this:
"O Lord I love the habitation of Thy house,
 And the place where Thy glory dwells." Psalm 26:8

"For a day in Thy courts is better than a thousand outside.
 I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God,
 Than dwell in the tents of wickedness."  Psalm 84:10

"I was glad when they said to me,
'Let's go to the house of the Lord.'"  Psalm 122:1

There we find blessings:
"How blessed are those who dwell in Thy house!
 They are ever praising Thee."  Psalm 84:5

There is that spiritual longing to dwell in God's house for to dwell there
is to dwell in His presence!
"O God, Thou art my God; I shall seek Thee earnestly;
My soul thirsts for Thee, my flesh yearns for Thee..."  Psalm 63:1

"Whom have I in heaven but Thee?
 And besides Thee, I desire nothing on earth."  Psalm 73:25

"I stretch out my hands to Thee;
 My soul longs for Thee, as a parched land."  Psalm 143:6

Let us continually hunger and thirst, for in the living God do we fine
satisfaction.
"For He satisfies the longing soul,
 And fills the hungry soul with goodness."  Psalm 107:9

"The Lord will guide you continually,
 And satisfy your soul in drought,
 And strengthen your bones;
 You shall be like a watered garden,
 And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.  Isaiah 58:11

As with the Psalmist, we can say,
"My flesh and my heart may fail,
 But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."  Psalm 73:26

And;
"Because Thy loving kindness is better than life,
 My lips will praise Thee.
 So I will bless Thee as long as I live;
 I will lift up my hands in Thy name.
 My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness (abundance),
 And my mouth offers praises with joyful lips."  Psalm 63:3-5

Hallelujah!  We are His and He is ours!  Amen.