How is your “Dwell?”

Before electronic ignition systems, you had to fine-tune the timing of your car to control the firing of the sparkplugs, and the “dwell” was the tiny screw you turned to accomplish this. The “dwell,” a small component inside of the car’s distributor, would cause the very powerful engine in a very large car to run smoothly and well or else harshly or not at all. All it took was a fraction of a turn of a small screw. Have you considered that you have a “dwell” too? The Bible says so (John 5:37-39; Eph. 3:17; Col. 1:9-14; 3:15-17; Rev. 12:12)!

What dwells in you when your life has its ills? What controls your thoughts and rules your will? What are your responses and attitudes? If you are a person created, bought and paid for, forgiven, and then saved by Christ, you should be extremely grateful. A deep-seated gratitude should be the central theme of your life, flowing from Christ's love, principles, and character and the Holy Spirit's leading. What comes from us in good times and bad should be indicated by what goes in us. Being led by God and His Word and motivated by our appreciation of His work will enable us to be more filled with the Spirit of God to do the work of God. God’s principles and our reverence and thanks are all needed and essential for the healthy Christian and church; they all go together. One cannot be an effective Christ-follower without gratitude or without His lead. You cannot say the Spirit fills you by being emotionally ecstatic while you ignore God's Word or move closer to Him or lead others when you are a person who is ungrateful. Christ must be our “dwell;” our indication gage will be our thankfulness.

Think this through: what (or who) gives you hope, reason, purpose, meaning, and motivation in life? This will be what you plant, cultivate, and grow in your mindset that influences your attitude, outlook, and actions. This will be your theme in life. You will either have a life filled with hope or one of despair; either joy or dissatisfaction, and either contentment or dissatisfaction will spew out from us—all dependent upon how you respond and resound to His giving. Is it gratitude or ingratitude? A real Christian is someone who is being filled and managed by Christ and not by apprehensions, selfishness, turmoil, damaged past, or uncertainty. These things will be a part of our past and we may face them now and/or encounter them later in life; the question is, how will you deal with them (Acts 2:4; 4:8, 31; 6:3; Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 12:13; Eph. 5:8-6:9, Col. 3:19-4:1)?

This Thessalonians passage concludes Paul’s remarks in a letter to a church where he reminds them of what is important and how one should be in order to live a life that reflects our Lord’s life as He desires and calls us to magnify. In so doing, joy and thanksgiving can be our “dwell,” our life themes, for these are essential for us to express our faith and hone our attitude. This does not mean we wear a fake smile and/or pretend to be happy when our world falls apart; rather, it is a mindset and a reminder to keep us centered on our Lord (Psalm 28; John 11:35-38).

We are to have Christ as our Supreme Lord, living in us so He can also guide us, tune us, and help us run smoothly. Otherwise, we would run roughly—or not at all. This helps us comprehend our abundance in Christ and His promise to reside in and guide us. We need to know that when we realize that Christ Himself is dwelling in us, we are then motivated by Him to bear and take Him and His precepts of fruit and character, joy and contentment wherever we go. This is a powerful, convicting tool and is to be our prime motivation as we realize He is our blessing. Then, we can better live out our Christian walk with His power, conviction, clarity, and truth, because He is not in heaven, aloof, or just watching. He resides in us now (Psalm 119:11; Matt. 13:9; Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 1:30; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 3:17; 5:18-19; Phil. 2:16; Col. 3:3; 2 Tim. 2:15)!

How do we do this? Set our “dwell!” As Hebrews tells us, fix our eyes on Jesus; we are to look to Him, concentrate on Him, and focus on Him. When we concentrate our prayers, thoughts, and attitudes on Jesus and not wander from Him, He becomes our goal and reason for all we do in life. Just like in any sports event, we have to keep our eyes on the ball to play well. For Christians, Christ is the target; He helps us persevere and gives us the empowerment and encouragement we need to do so. He is our main trainer and equipper. His is far greater than any mere encouragement from either outside or inside the church—after all, He is God who loves and lives in us. Thus, when we look to Him as our motivation and not circumstances or obstacles, we become grateful. If not, we become bitter (Isa. 53: 10-12; Phil. 3:10-14; Heb. 1:3; 2:10; 12:1-3).

Where is your “dwell” set; how does this affect your thanksgiving?


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