Scripture:

1 Chronicles 13:14

The ark of God remained with the family of Obed-Edom in his house three months. And the LORD blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that he had.

"Your Presence" 

Here is kind of an interesting story; there is an incident early in this chapter where a man named Uzza reached out to hold the ark when the oxen stumbled, and because only the priests were allowed to touch the ark, and at that with very specific instructions, with reverence, as it is Holy.   I think as a church we must get back to the place where we understand the Holiness of God and we hold Him in reverence.  Here the Lord struck down Uzza because he touched the ark, and David decided to leave it at the house of Obed-Edom.   Imagine that scene: the King of Israel knocks on your door, "Mr Obed, I would like to leave the ark at your house for a bit."   Obed must have been like, "What? Ok!"   What you should catch is what happened here: it says that Obed-Edom and all that he had was blessed.   What the presence of the Lord brings into our lives is blessing. When the Lord is with you, "YOU ARE BLESSED!"   The Lord was with Joseph, and everything in Potiphar's house was blessed. When you carry the "PRESENCE" of God, you will experience blessing (1 Corinthians 3:16); you will experience freedom.

The application here is to walk in reverence, to seek the presence of God in all that we do, to live our lives as though God were living in our house, as the presence lived in the house of Obed-Edom.  Think about it, if He lived in one of your rooms, watched TV with you, ate at your table, did life with you in your home, you would be different, right, not only would you change by the words He shared, the peace that He brings, the power, the strength, all of those things would affect you, but you would be different because His presence would change you, transform you.   Well, if you live in 1 Corinthians 3:13, then He lives in you; you are His temple; you should begin to walk and be blessed like Obed-Edom.

Lord, I pray that we would live with reverence and in awe of your presence, that we would live differently because of your presence, live differently because of your transformative power in our lives, that our lives and those around us would be blessed because of you, that we would have favor in all that we do and like Joseph that we would walk different, talk different, that we would avoid evil at all cost, that we would step into the plans you have for us today, in Jesus name, Amen!