Temple Of God

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Nehemiah 13:11 Don’t Forsake The House Of God

So I contended with the rulers, and said, “Why is the house of God forsaken?” And I gathered them together and set them in their place. Nehemiah 13:11

Things tend to get abandoned and forsaken by people over time. They get busy with other things in life and forget about what is needed to be done. Many want to just relax and have fun and not take care of the necessary things. As that occurs, many of those things begin to fall apart, breaking down, being unable to accomplish what they were intended to accomplish.

Nehemiah noticed the house of God was not taken care of properly. He got angry with the rulers and asked them why they had forsaken the house of God.

It is easy in life to get so busy with life that one will either forget or just put to the side some of the more important things. People get busy in survival mode or trying to have fun and not wanting to work. Doing regular maintenance is not something that many desire to do, because it can be costly and takes time and effort.

Most people will never be in a position to have to take care of a physical church building themselves. Yet, there is a house of God that each one is directly responsible to take care of maintain. It is each individual believer’s personal soul and body. Every believer is a temple of God–a house for God dwell in.

In order to take care of the house of God, one’s own body and soul, one must not forsake it and maintain it on a daily basis. Maintenance of the soul takes time in prayer, studying and apply God’s word, times of worship and praise, repentance of and fleeing from sin. Believers must not forsake these activities.

As a believer, you are the temple of God, the house of God in which He can dwell. Do not allow His temple to fall into ruins and disrepair by living in sin.

Begin every moment with constant communion with God in prayer. Take time to study His word, memorize it and apply it to your life. Keep His temple clean from all the corruption of sin in this world.

Make your life one that God dwells in so closely that the world can see Him in you and in everything that you say and do.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will be the temple of God; that God will strengthen you in maintaining your life as clean and holy before Him; that the world will see God dwelling in you; and that you will never forsake the Lord your God in anything you say or do.

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Ezra 6:16 A Time To Celebration

Then the people of Israel–the priests, the Levites and the rest of the exiles–celebrated the dedication of the house of God with joy. Ezra 6:16

People all over the world love to celebrate special events. It is very common for there to be some type of celebration when a building project is completed. This can be with just a simple house all the way up to some large commercial structure. There is a high level of excitement due to the hard work and difficulties often needed to be overcome to bring the construction to a completion.

Once the temple was rebuilt all the Israelites and exiles celebrated the dedication of the rebuilt house of God with great joy.

The level of celebration of the completion of a building will vary depending on the value and importance of the building. The higher the value and importance, the greater the celebration will be. Some buildings will bring about a national level of celebration. However, the celebration is always for something that is temporary. No physical building will last forever.

Believers are to always be in the process of building a temple that will last for eternity. That temple is making new disciples–new believers and followers of Jesus.

Every time a person chooses to turn away from his old sinful past, repent and believe in the saving work of Jesus upon the cross, there is a new temple built for God. The new believer becomes a dwelling place for God that is dedicated to Him. This occurs due to the hard work of prayer and being a witness to someone by other believers.

As soon as one becomes a believer, all heaven rejoices. It is a time for great celebration for all believers with the dedication of a new temple for God.

You most likely have times or events that you like to celebrate, some on a regular basis, some on a one time only basis. One time to always remember and celebrate is when you became a believer, when God gave you a new life and began to dwell in you.

Other times that are equally important is when you hear of another person choosing to believe in Jesus and be saved. Think of the great joy there is in knowing someone will no longer be condemned and heading to hell but is now a fellow brother/sister in the family of God–a new temple of God.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will make disciples for Jesus; that you will celebrate when one becomes a follower of Jesus; that you be a temple for God to dwell in; and that you will know the joy of the salvation God has given you.

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Ezra 1:2 Building God’s Temple

This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: “The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah.” Ezra 1:2

All throughout the world buildings of various sorts are constantly being built by someone. Most of those buildings being built have been commissioned by someone else to get them built. A group of construction workers work together to build what is desired by the owner, whether it is a house, storage building, commercial building or any other type of building.

While the Israelites were in exile in Persia, Cyrus, king of Persia, said that God had appointed him to build a temple in Jerusalem.

The majority of people throughout the world will never have their hands on building a physical building, despite the hundreds of thousands of buildings being built on a daily basis all over the world. Neither will most people be one of the people commissioning someone else to build a building.

Even though most cannot build a physical building, every person can have the opportunity to be a part of building a temple for God. This temple being built for God is not a physical one, such as a church building, but a spiritual one in their own hearts and lives and in the lives of other people.

Every believer is a temple of God that is a building block in the larger church of God worldwide. Individually each believer is growing and maturing in Christ Jesus, being built up into the temple of God. At the same time, every believer is to be a witness to others and are to disciple others, training them in holiness and righteousness, to be a temple of God for all the world to see.

God has called you to believe and be a part of His holy temple here on the earth. Jesus commissioned you to go out and make disciples wherever you go and to all that you meet.

Begin by allowing your life to be a temple where God can dwell by being holy and righteous as Christ enables you. Regardless of where you live, there are thousands of people around you who need to know Jesus as Lord and Savior. They need become a temple of God. Go out and make disciples so that others can be a temple where God can dwell.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as Lord and Savior; that you will know you are temple of God; that you will be a witness of Jesus to the world; that you will make disciples for Jesus of those around you; that the Holy Spirit will guide you in building His temple on the earth; and that others will become a temple of God because of your testimony and work for God.

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2 Chronicles 33:7 What Image Is In God’s Temple?

He took the image he had made and put it in God’s temple, of which God had said to David and to his son Solomon, “In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my Name forever.” 2 Chronicles 33:7

Images have a lot of meaning. They give people a physical vision of what something is or what that something is all about. This can be used on things or even on people to cast that vision. It can also show the truth of something or cover up the truth.

Manasseh had made an image and placed it in the temple of God that was supposed to have only God’s name upon it.

The world is often focused upon self-image. People are absorbed with having the right clothing, makeup, hairstyle, tattoos, jewelry and much more. Billions of dollars are spent every year in every nation to bring about a certain image, often covering up what is not desired or does not look just right.

Believers, as the temple of God, are also to have an image on them. Many follow the ways of the world and put on the physical images of the world. The false gods of this world are taken up and placed in the temple of God.

Rather than allowing the images of the false gods of this world in their hearts and minds, believers should have the image of God stamped upon their lives. As the temple of God, every believer has the image of God upon them and in them.

Everything about the believer, both inside and outside, physically and spiritually, should reflect who God is. All sin should be repented of and cast out. The holiness and righteousness of God should be worn on the inside and the outside.

You are the temple of God, if you consider yourself a believer in God. As the temple of God, you are to bear His image for all the world to see.

Do not allow His temple to be defiled with the sinful things, thoughts and actions of this world. Jesus took away your sin and is making you to be holy and righteous. Do not allow sin to be placed in your life to defile His holy temple. Repent and cast out the false images and gods in your life and show the world who God really is.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that God will reveal false images in your life; that God will give you strength to cast out false images in His temple; and that you will be the holy temple of God that Christ has called you to be.

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2 Chronicles 29:5 A Cleaning Out Needed

and said: “Listen to me, Levites! Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the temple of the Lord, the God of your ancestors. Remove all defilement from the sanctuary.” 2 Chronicles 29:5

On a fairly regular basis, at least once a year, most people go through a cleaning up of their place. Springtime is the common time to go through a house and clean everything up. It is a process of removing what is no longer needed and cleaning out the dirt and filth built up over time. It can be a time of restoring things back to good.

When Hezekiah became king, he called on the Levites to go into the temple can clean out all the garbage and consecrate the temple back to God.

For most people, it is easy to see the physical dirt and clutter in a house that needs to be cleaned. While most people see it, many do not take the time to clean it up. Being lazy or content with living in filth, people leave the dirt and clutter and learn to live around it.

In the same way many believers have allowed dirt and filth to build up in their lives. Sinful practices have been allowed to infiltrate their lives, corrupting and defiling the temple of God. They have pushed God out and allowed the world in.

Instead of ignoring the filth in their lives, believers need to take time to repent and flee those sinful practices in the hearts and minds. They need to allow the Holy Spirit to come into their lives and change them, cleansing them to be a holy and purified temple unto God. This is a cleansing that is needed on a regular basis.

Believers are now the temple of God and must be holy as God is holy, separate from the world and its ways, and consecrated unto God.

As a believer you are now the temple of God and are the Levitical priest of that temple. Your temple needs to be holy unto God. Examine your life and do a cleaning that will remove anything that is sinful and against God and His commands. Repent of any sins removing those sins from your life and be transformed by the renewing of your mind and heart into a new creation–the temple of God.

Just as you clean your house on regular basis, clean God’s temple daily.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will allow the Holy Spirit to change your life; that you will dedicated to God; that your life will be a holy temple for God to dwell in; that you will allow the Holy Spirit to cleanse your life of any sin; and you will be holy as God is holy.