is your temple good enough?

Is your temple good enough? That was the question ringing in my mind when I read the account of the dedication of the Lord's temple by Solomon in 1Kings 8. The Lord came to dwell in the temple as a cloud and the priests were not able to continue with their service. Solomon was elated that indeed he had built a magnificent edifice for the Lord to dwell in.

Paul, in 1 Corinthians 6:19 (NLT) stated : "Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You don't belong to yourself." Our bodies are temples for God to dwell in.

How do we prepare this place? Can we, like Solomon say that we have a magnificent temple? Today, may we be more careful of what we think, say or do. May we desire to keep this temple fit for the indwelling of the Lord. May our temples be good enough.

PROPELLANT

The desire to preach the gospel was a propellant in all Jesus did. This desire can also be seen in the life of Paul, exclaiming; "woe to me if I don't preach the gospel..." - 1 Corinthians 9:16. Their love for the salvation of men, drove them to do this. In 1 Corinthians 9:19, Paul again said " I make myself a slave to everyone to win as many as possible"

Even as we serve the Lord in one way or anther, what is our driving force. What moves us to work for the Lord? What is the motive for you wearying yourself for the Lord? Today, may we look deeper into our lives and judge for ourselves, whether our motives have been right. Today may our service to the Lord be from a sincere heart driven by the desire for the salvation of others.

May the love for His work and the love for lost souls be our propellant. AMEN.

PRIORITY

At the beginning of the reign of King Solomon, in 1Kings 3, he went up to the most important high place and made a thousand burnt offerings. This sacrifice was said to have gone on continuously for days! This was just before the Lord appeared to him, granting him his request for wisdom.

Who/What takes the priority in your life? Is it your job,relationship, academics, career, reputation, etc...? All these things can crumble in a short time. But the Lord is steadfast, from generation to generation. It is indeed tough placing God on top of our list, especially when the world is making so many demands on us. However, we must do this, if we desire to be closer to Him.

May the Lord be our priority. May the thirst for more of Him in our lives, never be quenched. May we continue to apprehend, till we are consumed by what we are after; JESUS.

"come near to God and he will come near to you..." - James 4:8

WHAT ARE U NURSING?

Why will anyone reject the offer of owning half of a kingdom and rather request for the head of a man?! In Mark 6, Herodias advised her daughter to do such. This intense anger all stems from the fact that she "nursed a grudge against John"(Mark 6:19)(emphasis mine).

We associate with other people everyday, with both new and old contacts. The likelihood of being offended in one way or the other is always high. But then, what do we do with that feeling of hurt? Do we keep it in our hearts, watering it with negative thoughts day by day? or do we prune it out of our lives. Herodias was able to demand for the head of a man because her nursed grudge was now fully developed.

What are you nursing?

LION AND LAMB

Refiners fire (malachi 3), piercing sword, falling and rising of Israel, a sign spoken against (Luke 2). These are some of the phrases used in reference to our Lord! Why should our all loving, kind Jesus,be called such names? Doubts about our Lord's nature arise when stories from the old testament about God's punishments to Israel and other nations; Isn't this the God of love?

Certainly He is!! However, He is also the God of judgement. Jesus is referred to as the LION of the tribe of Judah and at the same time, the LAMB of God. As Christians we must come to terms with this fact. We must not be biased towards one side (usually the "lamb" perspective). Our Lord is also a judge, exacting His justice.

BE DIFFERENT

In Mark 6, Jesus went back to His hometown. As usual He taught in the synagogue, but He was not accepted because they knew His roots. The Bible even stressed that the "people took offense at Him"(NIV). Consequently, He was not able to perform any miracles there, and was amazed at their lack of faith. However, He laid hands on some few sick people. Why were they the exception? What made them stand out to be seen by Jesus and acknowledged in the Bible?; their faith and trust.

In our world today, we are constantly being bombarded with statistics about the difficulties of our societies economy, how grim situations will be, how difficult your supervisor is etc. There is always a constant stream of negativity into our lives. But like these sick people, in Mark 6, let us be different. Let us continue to keep faith in the Lord who provides. Let us continue to hold unto Him, assured that regardless of the issues of life, we have in Jesus, a steadfast and sure anchor.

CHAIN REACTION

A chain reaction occurs, when a reactive product or by-product causes sequential and additional reactions (hope the chemistry is not too much for you). But this was what came to mind when I was studying about the lady with the issue of blood in Mark. This lady thought that if she just touched Jesus' clothes, she will be healed. What made her think in such a manner? Why did not think that her case was hopeless for she had tried many doctors and spent all she had. Why did she not isolate herself due to her condition? She rather found courage to join the crowd. The only reason possible; faith in Jesus. This faith, nested in her heart and sparked a chain reaction; her faith caused a thought and the thought provoked an action (touching Jesus' clothes).

Many of us profess our faith in Jesus and speak of our trust in His omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence. However does our faith spark a chain reaction? Does our faith lead us to act?
Don't just keep the faith, act on it, for faith without works is dead.

If you believe, then proceed.