Not long after I moved to PA, I was at a lunch meeting and the special at the restaurant was pot pie. Growing up, I loved pot pie so I decided to get it. When our meals came, they placed in front of me this large wide bowl filled with noodles, gravy and pieces of meat, but I didn’t start eating right away. Someone asked me if everything was ok and I said, well I think they got my order wrong. You see, I grew up in CT and in New England, pot pie is meat, vegetables and gravy in a nice little pie crust. That’s what I thought I was getting, but what was in front me was a beige lumpy mess.
Everyone laughed and said, Andy, this is real pot pie. This is PA Dutch pot pie. So I started eating. For 30+ years I had eaten pot pie and it was always good, I liked it. I liked the crust and gravy, but this pot pie was BETTER. Real pot pie is BETTER. PA Dutch pot pie is BETTER. I still like those little pot pies that come with a crust, they're good, but real pot pie with noodles, meat, potatoes and gravy, that lumpy looking mess is BETTER.
Too often in life we settle for what is good because we don’t know there's anything better, or we don’t step out and try it. For over 30 years I didn’t know about real pot pie and when they gave it to me I could have said no thanks, send me a burger, but I tried it and found something better.
Today we are starting a series where we will be looking at different passages in the Bible that show us how to live a better life. God tells us how to experience what is better, but we have to be willing to let go of what we know is good. Last week we heard that when God calls us into the future He has for us, it requires us to leave something behind. Often what we leave behind is good but what God has for us, the life God has for us, is always better.
For the next four weeks we are going to look at scriptures that contain the word better, and I hope you will take some time to memorize them. They aren’t long, and learning them can help reshape what we think is good and help us see the better way God has for us. Our first verse comes from Psalm 84
Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. Psalm 84:10
Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere. The psalmist isn’t talking about living in the Temple courts, or in a church building, the courts of the Lord and the house of God is symbolic of living in the presence of God. Better is one day living with the constant awareness that God is with us, than a thousand days lived anywhere else without God. Better is one day with God than anything else, but do we really believe this?
Too many people have the idea that living in the constant presence of God or walking with Jesus in life means never having any fun. The picture that too many people have of Christians is that we are unhappy, judgmental, and gloomy people. Why do they think that way? What have we done to give them the impression that living with God is such a horrible life? If that is all they see in us and if that is all they have experienced and heard from us about living in the courts of the Lord, then we can’t blame them for wanting to live anywhere else. Who wants to live like that? That isn’t a better life, but being unhappy, judgmental and gloomy is not what it means to live with God.
Think about all we have and what we can experience when we live in the presence of God. In the presence of God there is forgiveness. Jesus took our sin to the cross and forever destroyed the power of sin so that we aren’t separated from God but can actually live in the presence of Almighty God. With God there is forgiveness. With God there is freedom from guilt and shame. With God all the things that hold people back in life are wiped away. We are forgiven. We are loved. We are children of God.
Think about that, we are children of God. This means we can be secure in knowing that the God who created the world knows us by name, loves us and calls us His own. As God’s children, there is nothing that can separate us from God. There is no height nor depth, no problem or pain, no fault or failure that can separate us from God because God’s love is victorious over all those things. God’s love is always there which should fill our lives with unspeakable joy.
With God there is forgiveness, there is love, there is joy, and with God there is power and peace and a sense of enduring purpose. What changed my life when I began to experience the fullness of God was having a sense of divine and eternal purpose. I wanted my life to mean something, I wanted my life to make a difference and I knew that simply living with God would not only change my life but could forever change the life of those around me. You don’t have to be a full time pastor or missionary to change the world for God, you can do it right where you are, doing just what you are doing. With God we can make an impact. With God we have the power to transform the world. With God there is a life of adventure and power just waiting for us and it is far beyond anything that the world can offer.
Living in God’s presence every moment doesn’t mean that there won’t be problems, there will be. Living in God’s presence doesn’t mean there won’t be disappointments and pain, there will be. Living in God’s presence doesn’t mean things will be easy, it won’t be, but the world can’t offer a life without problems, pain, disappointments and discomfort either. So we will go through these things either way, but with God we have a sure foundation to stand on. With God we have strength in the storm, a rock to stand on.
Jesus said that when we follow His word, when we live in the full presence of God, we are like a house built on a rock. When the storms come, and they will come, when the destruction of hurricane force wind and rains come, and they will come, we will not be destroyed. We might be shaken, but we will find strength to stand strong. The Apostle Paul said, We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 2 Corinthians 4:8-9
This week we have seen the destructive power of a storm and even when we go through that physically, or if that is what we think our emotional or spiritual life looks like, we can find hope and strength and peace in the presence of God.
Walking with Jesus isn’t a life of limitations but freedom, it’s not a killjoy but a source of joy, it’s not a life defined by problems and pain but the ongoing power and peace of God. Living in the courts of the Lord really is better, so how can we begin to experience this better life? Let me share two habits that can lead us into the presence of God and a better life.
#1 Maintain constant communication with God.
If we can stay in constant communication with God, we will experience God’s presence at all times. Constant communication with God has to be possible because the Apostle Paul said, Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.1 Thessalonians 5:16-18,
Pray continually. Pray without ceasing. Never ending prayer, praise, rejoicing, and giving thanks will lead us to the presence of God and a better life, but how do we do this? Are we supposed to lock ourselves away and pray all day, every day? Clearly that is not an option. And I don’t think God is calling most people to join a convent or monastery where significant times of prayer and worship fill every day.
What we have to do is figure out how to communicate with God on a consistent basis all through the day. One way we can do this is to simply reach out to God in short bursts of prayer all day long. Watching the weather this week I often said, God watch over those in need. When our church members in Florida came to my mind I prayed for them. Praying for people doesn’t have to be long articulate messages filled with holy sounding words. It’s ok to just say, God watch over them. God take care of them. God help them.
I remember when prayer started to change for me. I was a freshman in college and as part of a small group Bible study we had prayer partners. Dave was my first prayer partner and he came over to my room during the week and we sat and talked for a while and then he said, let’s pray. I said, you mean now? He said, sure. But I didn’t have anything written out. I didn’t know how to put all we had just talked about into a prayer. He said, it’s ok, just talk to God. That was the first time I ever just “talked to God.” I’ll be honest, it felt kind of awkward, especially when it was my turn to talk to God out loud, but what started that day was a life of prayer and learning how to be in constant communication with God.
Another practice that helped my prayer life was when I took a month to pray for an hour every day. I literally shut my door and told myself I was going to pray for an hour. So I started and prayed for our fellowship at school, all my family and friends, the campus, all the issues in the world and for God’s name to be lifted up. I prayed for it all and then looked at my watch, it had been 5 minutes. I still had 55 minutes left to pray. So I did it all over again and then I had 50 minutes left. Then I just sat there in silence and started talking to God about how I was going to do this. I heard God tell me to listen, I heard God tell me to get a map and pray for countries. I heard God tell me to just think and dream and lift my thoughts to him. I learned during those long hours how I could just lift my thoughts to God and be in connection with Him. I then learned I could do this without sitting alone in my room.
We can train ourselves to pray without ceasing. Send your thoughts to God. Talk to God. Have set times of prayer, set times to praise, set times to give thanks. Keep a prayer journal. Pray as you drive to work - just keep your eyes open. Pray during the news. When someone comes to mind, pray for them. Pray with others. Pray out loud. Praying continuously is possible because prayer is more a lifestyle than an activity. It is our breath and heartbeat.
#2 Practice instant obedience to God.
Another habit to help us live in the house of the Lord is to learn how to instantly obey God when He moves in us or speaks to us. Sometimes this comes after reading God’s word and we are challenged with an idea or teaching. Sometimes instant obedience comes when we feel the need to do something. We have all been blessed by someone who reached out to us with a note or phone call or visit because they felt God calling them to reach out. Sometimes those visits are God ordained and happen at the right moment to change our lives. Instant obedience to God can help us experience the power and the joy and the adventure of God every day.
It’s important to make sure that our instant obedience to God comes after we have learned how to have constant communication with God. It’s that constant communication that allows God to speak to us and tell us what He wants us to do or where He wants us to go, but once God speaks we have to be willing to obey.
I am always moved by the third verse of the hymn trust and obey. We never can prove the delights of God’s love until ALL on the altar we lay. For the favor He shows for the love He bestoys are for them who will trust and obey. We think of obedience as a burden that can only lead to unhappiness and pain, and we think that obedience to God will certainly kill any fun we might have, but obedience to God leads to joy. Obedience to God leads to that better life.
Constant communication and instant obedience help us experience life in the presence of God and one day of that life is better than a thousand days lived anywhere else. The more we live in the courts of the Lord, the more we will want to live there. The more of God’s presence we experience the more of God’s presence we will want. A better life with God leads us to desire a better life with God. Psalm 84, it begins like this,
How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty!
My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
she may have her young— a place near your altar,
Lord Almighty, my King and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in your house,
they are ever praising you.
This kind of longing doesn’t come from a casual commitment to God, it comes from constant communication and instant obedience. The closer we walk with God, the closer we will want to walk with God. The more joy and peace we find with Jesus, the more joy and peace we will want to find with Jesus. The more purpose and meaning we find living in God’s presence, the more purpose and meaning we will want to find in God’s presence. The better life of living in the courts of the Lord develops a deep desire and even desperation for this better life.
The psalmist has experienced this better life and now all he longs for is the better life found in the courts of the Lord. It is so good that he can say with boldness, better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere. Can you say that? Will you say that with me:
Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere.
Next Steps
Better is One Day
Memorize this week’s “better” verse:
Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. Psalm 84:10
How does knowing you are a child of God make life better? Life with God can lead to the following experiences: Forgiveness, Freedom, Hope. Joy, Love, Peace, Purpose,
● Which of these mean the most to you?
● What else does it mean for you to be a child of God?
● How can you focus on them more each day?
Develop the following habits to live in the courts of the Lord.
#1. Constant Communication with God.
● Read 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
● Is this type of prayer life possible?
● What new prayer practices can you start this week?
● What challenges you the most about prayer?
#2. Instant Obedience to God.
● Have you ever acted with instant obedience to what you believed was God’s will? What was the outcome?
● What has God been calling you to do recently that you have been putting off? What would instant obedience look like this week?
Read a Psalm a day to develop a heart desperate for God and to learn more about this better life.
● Monday: Psalm 42
● Tuesday: Psalm 46
● Wednesday: Psalm 62
● Thursday: Psalm 63
● Friday: Psalm 121
● Saturday: Psalm 139
