Temple of God - Application

God gave specific instructions for the construction of both the Tabernacle in the wilderness and the Temple built by Solomon. Interestingly, the individual items in the Temple relate to our walk and calling in Christ.

As Born Again Believers, we are the Temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16; John 2:21 Psalm 139:14). We are the church of the Living God, who is our pillar and the foundation of all truth (1Timothy 3:15).

We start with the door of the Temple. We cannot enter God's Temple without first coming through the door of Jesus Christ (John 10:7, 9). He is our way, truth and life; and no one comes to God except through Jesus (John 14:6).

Next is the slaughter on the brazen altar (Exodus 39:39). An innocent, unblemished animal is sacrificed for sin, just as Jesus is our ultimate sacrifice (1 Peter 1:19).

With Christ's blood on our hands, we come to wash at the laver, which typifies washing in the water of God's Word (Ephesians 5:26). Once we are cleansed from our sins, we can enter the Holy Place.

We grow in our relationship with God in the Holy Place. We learn to pray at the altar of incense (Exodus 35:15; Revelation 8:4). We come to the candlestick, for light in this dark and dying world (2 Chronicles 4:7).

We also feast on God's Word, and with Jesus who is our bread of life (Exodus 25:30; John 6:25-59; Matthew 4:4). Jesus gave His life for us to open up our fellowship with God in all of His glory (1 John 5:20; Hebrews 9:3).

As we mature in our walk with God, we can enter into the Holy of Holies. This symbolizes our spirit and is the place of God's very presence in our life.

The clay tables of the Ten Commandments is housed in the Ark of the Covenant. This is covered by the Mercy Seat, giving us full access to God's mercy and grace, as well as His presence residing between the wings of the two cherubim (Exodus 25:17; Hebrews 9:5).

Prayer:

Father God, if we enter the Most Holy Places in your temple with any sin hidden or blatant in our life, we will "die" in Your presence (Leviticus 16:2-34).

Remind us about the stages of Your tabernacle and that we can only enter into Your presence through Jesus who is our door, our sacrifice, our cleanser, our bread of life and our high priest.

Thought for the Day:

It is only as we cleanse our sins by the blood of Jesus and dedicate our life to Him, regardless of our vocation, that we can survive in the presence of our holy God.

God's Wondrous Love

There is nothing in the created world or in the supernatural world, which can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:38-39). God's love is not one dimensional; it is four-square.

It has height, depth, width and length, and is an abundance of all-encompassing love. God's love fulfills our life and endows us with non-paralleled, unfathomable gratification (Psalm 107:43).

We not only know about His love in our mind, but we can also feel it and experience it through His wondrous gifts and blessings, which He showers on us each and every day.

God's love accompanies His presence within our Born Again spirit. We bask in His fullness each moment of the day, and we walk in His Spirit throughout our lifetime (Galatians 5:15-25).

Even though our King Jesus sits on His throne at the right hand of our Father God, He also lives in us by His Spirit (Mark 16:19; Colossians 1:27). His love frees us from fear and anxiety (1 John 4:18).

We maintain our faith in God's faithfulness, and we look for the seed of a miracle in the midst of every trial. We know without a doubt that He will work out everything for our ultimate good (Psalm 118:1; Romans 8:28).  

We prove our love for God by obeying His commandments (John 14:21-23). They are not constructed to restrict our life, but to keep us healthy, joyful and in the center of His love.

The fruit of our obedience is an open door between us and God, so that His love pours over us like a waterfall every day of our life. Our joy is full, because Christ dwells within us (Psalm 16:11; Colossians 1:27).

Prayer:

Father God, in the abundance of Your love for us, we live in contentment regardless of our circumstances (Philippians 4:11; Ephesians 5:20). We gratefully count our blessings, which never end, rather than taking them for granted (Psalm 103:2).

We surrender to Christ in us and enter into Your rest. We resist the human tendency to interrupt our joy, shatter our serenity or rush the fellowship of our time in Your presence (Hebrews 4:10). We effortlessly float in the river of Your love and allow Your Spirit to move us along according to Your will and purpose for our life.

Thought for the Day:

When we realize that nothing this world has to offer is more fulfilling than the gift of love from Calvary's cross, we fall on our face in repentance and then rise up to worship our living God.  - John 3:16-17