Acts 17:24 ” The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples buildt by hands.”

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.

John 13:8 ” ‘No,’ said Peter, ‘You shall never wash my feet.’ Jesus answered, ‘Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.’ “

The place is the Last Supper…Jesus is washing the disciples feet one by one when Peter refuses Him. In Jesus’s reply He did not say, “You have no part in Me.”…which would mean that Peter was unsaved, but rather Jesus said, “You have no part with Me.”…which means having no communion or fellowship with Jesus. The Lord was showing Peter the necessity of regular spiritual renewal or cleansing in order to remain in fellowship with Him…and that simple act of foot washing symbolized sanctification…
being set apart for God.

Malachi 3:10 ” Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house. Test me in this, says the Lord Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floorgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”

A while back, my friend and her son had a discussion one Saturday evening about tithing. She had quoted this scripture to him, and challenged him to test God by starting to tithe on a regular basis. Her son agreed and the next morning put his tithe in the offering at church. Later that afternoon their little daughter disappeared only to be found floating face down in the swimming pool. Miraculously, they were able to revive her at the hospital with no apparent brain damage, and they took her home the next day. Coincidence? Miracle? A blessing beyond measure because of obedience? Regardless of how you see it, there’s one very grateful Grandmother thanking God for the life of her little Granddaughter.

Ephesians 1:16 ” I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.”

The Apostle Paul always made a point of thanking those he was writing to. He showed his appreciation to the people who meant so much to him by thanking God for their faith and love. When we were first married, my husband and I decided we would not exchange gifts at Christmas, but rather write a letter to each other. On Christmas morning we read the letters to each other. Over the last 26 years these letters have evolved, but always include appreciation for the mundane and unnoticed things we both do for each other daily. The letters give us a chance to focus on just why God brought us together in the first place, reminiscing about the past year, and looking forward to the future. This Christmas Season, I encourage you to write a letter of appreciation to someone special, thanking them for their love and faithfulness.

I Corinthians 3:11 ” For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid which is Jesus Christ.”

What is your life built on? Maybe its education and career, or your family name, or self-made success. Conversely, it may be built on a shaky base, like a house of cards ready to fall at anytime. For our lives to be firmly established we need a “Jesus” shaped foundation. We are all part of God’s family, built on the precious saints that have gone before us, with Jesus as the solid foundation.