If you will go with me into a possible narrative, image the household of a normal family, one:

• where everyone lives together under one roof,
• where they share meals at the same table, a household
• where they leave from and return to at the end of each day.

Now, see the family members within your mind.

• See the parent(s),
• See the children, and maybe even
• See within the household generations that share the same bloodline.

Let’s stroll for a moment through a typical day and night within this household.

First, see the arising from the night’s slumber.

• Each family member stumbles out of bed,
• Sleepily walks toward the kitchen to break his fast,
• Prepares himself for the day,
• Grabs his baggage, and then
• Heads off in the direction he needs to go.

Next, see the midday.

• Each family member works at the task he has been assigned,
• Each child attempts to obediently follow the rules that have been placed before him, &
• Then breaks for his midday meal (lunch).

Before long, the day as passed, and the family member is ready to head home, returning to the household from which he came.

Finally, see the evening meal.

• See the preparation of the fare,
• See the calling of the “family” to the table,
• See the sitting together, side-by-side, and then
• Hear the intermittent conversation that occurs between bites of food, between text messages, emails, and social media posts that have also been invited to their table.

In comparison, consider the “family of God.”

• Our Heavenly Father is the head of His household.
• As believers, we belong to our Father, and as such, we belong to God’s household.
• God expects for His children to remain in a close, intimate relationship with Him.
• Our Lord walks with us, talks with us, guides us, & leads us as He protects us.

All of these profound blessings do not just occur by happenstance.  We cannot just pull up a chair at God’s table and passively expect God’s generous blessings of knowing Him in a personal relationship.  Sure, it is quite possible that Almighty God could dispense His blessings as such, but God is our Father, and because He is (our Heavenly Father), we are to remain in communion with Him, talk through life situations with Him, allow Him to guide our path, and continually allow ourselves to be directed by His sweet Holy Spirit.

Truly, it is unfortunate that a child of God—

• Could sit together at the same table & not fully communicate.
• Could stay together and be so distracted that we listen to the voice of God through the reading of His Word but not allow ourselves to “fully” hear God’s teachings.

The psalmist wrote of God’s household:

“One who dwells in the shelter

of the Most High . . .”

To “dwell” is to sit, to remain, to stay in close proximity to our Savior.

Mary demonstrated this action for us when Jesus came to dinner at Lazarus’ house.  Rather than scurrying around, “doing” all the things that needed to be done, Mary knew the importance of remaining at the feet of Jesus.  We need personal, private time at the feet of our Savior, every day we are given to live—learning from Him & praising Him for all that He has done.

It is so possible to live within the same family, to pass one another in the “hallways” of living, to even sit together at the same table—&—TO NOT INTERACT WITH A COMMITTED FOCUS—BUT TO BE DISTRACTED FROM THE FATHER.  Not only can we become so distracted from the Father with the “things of life,” but we can also NOT even see the two most important groups of individuals:

• Those who are also seated with us at God’s table (our brothers & sisters in Christ) &
• Those who have not yet given their hearts to Jesus (those who have not yet received the Father’s salvation).