It has to be totally presumptuous to think we could somehow contain God in a temple. The Creator of heaven and earth and everything in it, the God who gives us breath and life can not be contained in a building. His magnificence would far overshadow any building that could possibly be imagined by any feeble human mind. But there is one temple He fits in beautifully, there is one temple He desires to dwell in…it’s you, for I Corinthians 3:16 says, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?” You are that magnificently sacred temple where He choses to live.
Month: February 2013
Mark 9:41 ” I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward.”
The time was the early 80’s in Northern Idaho where I was working as a Charge Nurse at a large Nursing Home. We had just admitted a man who was dying, only to find out a day later that he was a hemophiliac…dying of Aids. Now back in the early 80’s there was not all the information out as there is today, let alone Universal Precautions in place to care for patients. We placed him in Isolation, which meant to go into his room you would have to gown, glove, and mask. Needless to say, you went into the room twice a shift to do vitals, and not much more. His family was intimidated and fearful of all the masks and gowns, and so stayed away, or stood in the doorway to talk to him. One particularly dark ,dreary day I was given report that he was slipping into a coma and would probably not live much longer. As I walked into his dark room to do my morning assessment, I felt overcome by saddness…sad because of his forced isolation through no fault of his own, since it was before blood for transfusions was checked for the HIV Virus…sad because of his uncomfortable, fearful family who couldn’t gather around him at this of need…and finally sad because I felt the entire staff had done a disservice to him by literally shunning him out of our own ignorance about the disease. He appeared to be in a coma, so I started to pray out loud softly, asking the Lord to grant him peace, and to tell him how much he was loved by his family. As I stood over his bed looking out the window at the dreariness suddenly bright sunshine completely filled the room..so suddenly that it startled me. I quickly looked at the man…his eyes were open, and he was smiling, this look of unspeakable peace on his face….He died a few hours later, with bright sunshine filling his bed… with that peaceful look still on his face.
Jeremiah 23:29 ” Is not My Word like fire,declares the Lord, And like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces? “
God’s Word…it’s alive, powerful, effective, and ever brand new. I dare say, that if we all read the same passage, we would all receive something different from it, which has to be the most amazing quality of His Word! God’s Word can convict us where we live, for nothing is hidden from Him. His Word can judge our most hidden thoughts and attitudes we think no one knows. God’s Word is like fire that burns away the “stuff” of the world, leaving behind what we’re really made of. His Word is like a hammer that chips away at our hard exterior until Jesus is exposed in us. God’s Word… a letter written just for you!
Luke 19:5 ” When Jesus reached the spot, He looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.’ “
Zacchaeus had the very loathsome job title in Jericho of chief tax collector. His great wealth had come from extorting money from the citizens, thus he was not very well liked by them! When Jesus invited Himself to his house, the people were outraged that He would even consider going into a home of such a “sinner”. But meeting Jesus face to face profoundly changed Zacchaeus forever…he pledged to give half of his wealth to the poor , and to repay anyone who felt they had been cheated four times the amount back. Zacchaeus didn’t realize when he climbed up into that sycamore tree that he’d have a divine appointment with the Lord.
Ecclesiastes 4:12 ” Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”
My son and his wife were ocean kayaking off the San Juan Islands with a group and their guide when a pod of Orca whales suddenly appeared. The guide instructed them to quickly maneuver the kayaks side by side and lock arms. By doing so, they were much more stable in the water, and less likely of capsizing as the whales swam around them. In ancient times, Roman soldiers would not only lock arms as they went into battle, but their shields locked together too. If a comrade was hit, they would carry the injured man along with them…not leaving him behind. Facing adversity alone is very difficult…there are times when we need to lock arms with a trusted friend and face the battle together. And when God is there also, we now have a three strand cord…one that is not easily broken.
Safetypinlove 