A Beautiful Dwelling

"We heard Him [Jesus] say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands, (Mark 14:58)." "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? (1 Corinthians 3:16)."

As Christians saved by grace, our bodies become the dwelling place of God. By living in the "beauty of holiness" (Psalm 29:2), our hearts will grow in faith, humility, justice, mercy, and love. Even as the Temple, God's dwelling place in the Old Testament, was physically beautiful, so should our hearts be beautiful spiritually in our devotion to Him. (To read of the Temple's structure, see Exodus 36:8-39:43.)

"He hath made every thing beautiful in his time... (Ecclesiastes 3:11). God loves beauty. He created the world, people, and life to be enjoyably beautiful. Once sin entered the world, earth began to darken and become corrupt. Yet even under the curse, beauty and design can still be seen in God's creation. We are created in God's image and we can reflect God's glory by living for Him. Our motives are most important. God wants our hearts foremost, and if our hearts are devoted, orderly, and lovely, our physical lives will demonstrate the same.

Ecclesiastes 9:10 commands,"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest." Every thing God has for us to do can be done to its best. We can dress decently. We can show compassion towards coworkers. We can take the time to help an elderly couple mow their lawn on the way home from work. We can take interest in our family members' struggles and joys. We can walk the extra mile. Why? Because if we truly love the Lord, we will love others more than ourselves and our own interests. As the verse above says, we will never have the chance to live these things again. In reality, genuine happiness comes not from attaining our own pleasures, but these of others. Our second highest calling in life should be to point others to a better way: Jesus Christ. The very best way to do this is to make our love relationship with God as top priority. God may not have given you many material things, but your heart and all that surrounds it can be beautiful by adorning it with God's grace and holiness.

How inviting does your life look to others? Would they trust you with their burdens? Are you trusting the Lord with yours? Is your heart a pleasant dwelling place for the Lord?

  

Life Unfolded

In the past month my family has moved from Pennsylvania to the Black Hills of South Dakota. After having lived in PA all my life, this was quite a change. But in leaving friends and the familiar, I have learned some very important lessons in trusting the Lord. I thought that high school graduation was going to be the main highlight of this year, but God had more in store. I can only pray for grace to live it to the fullest. What do you do when your life is a hotel of feelings? Read the Bible. This post contains some of my reflections from His Word.

Life Unfolded

Matthew 2

"Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, (verse 1)


And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. (v. 12)


And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. (v. 13)


Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men... (v. 16)


And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, 'He shall be called a Nazarene'. (v. 23)"



Life is made up of days. It happened that Jesus was born "in the days of Herod the king". This was not a historic matter of chance, but a purposed unfolding of God's plan. Herod was determined to snuff out the life of Jesus. He was a political terror. (We have those today too, don't we?) But there is no chance with God, only will and grace. Jesus' parents were warned of God to change routes. God never expects us to do that which He has not commanded. God's will is not something we must uncover; it is a sure thing we must have our eyes opened to. Take and digest that life will have unplanned situations. Our expectations must always be answerable to God. Accept the "unknown way" before you must plan to take it. Joseph and Mary went another way home and Jesus' family stayed in Egypt until Herod died. W a i t i n g. Great lengths of life are lived in waiting, many times in an undesirable position. These days are not pointless, but fraught with meaning to learn and grow. Changes continued to arise, but God's plan for Jesus' youth was perfectly fulfilled by the obstacles that appeared to be blocking the way. As Christians we are called to be someone, and we become that one not by where we finish --but by how we got there.

Human Desire & Heavenly Compassion

Matthew chapter twenty details three different parties that desired something of the Lord. Unlike the rich young ruler of the previous chapter, these people did not ask, "What good thing shall I do...". Jesus asked of them. "And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, 'What will ye that I shall do unto you?" (Matt. 20:32). Life is not about what we can do for Him. It is about what He has done and will do for us and His Father.

The first party was hired to labor a full day for a days wage. Overjoyed to have work, they set out to the vineyard. When seeing the other workers' pay they expected much more; for they had labored longer. Their joy was lost. The master paid them what they all had earlier agreed on. We should not compare our circumstances with others, expect more than God wills, or think that our work deserves more than He rewards. The vineyard master was just in paying them what they had agreed to work for.

The second party was the family of James and John, two of Jesus' disciples. They desired to sit on either side of the Almighty's Throne in eternity. Did they fully know what they were requesting? They were bold in asking, but prideful in their motives. It was for their own glory, not the furtherance of God's Kingdom. Not even the Son of God could grant them this position in God's authority.

The final party knew exactly what they desired. They had the faith to ask and the grace to receive. They were physically blind and wanted to see. Their desire was natural. In being blind they humbly realized God's authority over them and their lives' purposes. Although perhaps difficult to understand, these blind men did not deserve their sight --it was of Jesus' compassion alone that they received what they desired.

We all have desires. Before we take them to the Lord we should evaluate them in the light of truth. What is the root of your desire? Dig deep. Are they only self-centered? While we have many carnal desires, God Himself creates desires in people too. The Lord is standing still. He is calling you, asking, what do you desire? Even though reigning above armies of angels, He lovingly continues to serve us. We should not be afraid to ask, only do know why you ask. The Lord understands human desire. "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt," (Matt. 26:39). Lastly, if your desire was fulfilled, would it have drawn to following the Lord more closely than before? "So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him," (Matt. 20:34). We should take our desire to Him, only not if it is apart from His glory.

"Now unto Him that is able to do exceedingly abundant above all that which we ask or think, according to the power which worketh in us, unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen." (Ephesians 3:20;21).

Power-Outage Christian

As a Christian, your relationship with God is comparable to household electricity. The power of God is the electricity, and your life is the house. Without power, your eyes grow strained from trying to see the way through your home. Rooms are gloomy and depressing. The shower does not function. Your body becomes filthy and eventually the food goes bad, making you sick. Stumbling over appliances and being unable to see the growing disorder in your dwelling, you find life frustrating.

Click.

The power has been connected. Light reaches every corner. Hot water surges from the faucet. The clock blinks tirelessly, "12:00, 12:00, 12:00...". A new beginning. Set the time. Clean and reorganize the clutter from misled steps. Now you walk confidently, knowing where the chairs and stairway are. Life is so much more simple with access to electric power. The same is true for spiritual power. How foolish it would be to struggle though an extended power outage only because of one disconnected cord! In reality, many Christians live that way.

"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By Whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God, (Romans 5:1;2)."

"For through Him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father, (Ephesians 2:18)."


"According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of Him, (Ephesians 3:11;12)."


The less you read God's Word, the dimmer the lamps shine. The less you pray, the less water is pumped for drinking and cleaning. Days are joyless. When you do not take access to God's power, the very reasons of living seem to fade; however, if you do access it, life is effective, direct! God's power is unfathomable, and He wants us to be channels of it. Never has living been so purposeful! Are you connected?

Self-Opinion and True Potential

What influences have the greatest impact on your opinion of yourself? Who do you believe you are and what do you think you are worth in the world? What is your view of a successful life? By comparing God's views with our own, we may find harmful errors in what we think of ourselves.

Deep down, most people have an unspoken (or not-so-unspoken) opinion of themselves. They evaluate their worth and potential by other people's qualities. They have a mental scale of who they are. For example:

Appearance: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10            Athletic: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Intelligence: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10            Talent: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Popularity: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10              Job Status: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Wealth: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10                   Family Acceptance: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Reputation: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10            Religious Devotion: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10     RESULT: 73/100

Wow, seventy-three! You are an above average person. Wrong. I realize that my example of a “mental scale” may have been a bit exaggerating, but you get the point, right? People gather all their information based on others they see, read about, or live with. (Isn't amazing how incapable we feel attending the World Olympics or a national music competition?) Even if we do not want to compare our lives with others, it comes so naturally. It is dangerous. Comparing with others with leads down two paths: the looking-good pride or the self pity and ignorance pride that refuses to see glory and purpose in each individual. We cannot lay our score of seven-three before God and expect that He will judge our worth by it. I encourage you to write down on a 1 – 10 scale the opinion you have of yourself. Then, one by one, erase them. Permanently. No Christian that has that list can walk down the street without judging others by it. Human character math goes something like this:

Desirable Appearance + Impressive Performance = Successful

Intelligence – (Wealth + Popularity) = Unsuccessful

INCORRECT. Appearance, performance, and all the other human qualities are changing traits. The only character that adds up is God's character within us, because its factors are unchangeable and true. In the beginning God created the humans in His image. Saved or unsaved, we are all born with the worth and potential to have good success in God's eyes. If we would simply accept God's gift of eternal life and live trusting His Word and purpose, we will have completed our mission on earth. Joshua 1:8-9 says,

“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”

Living the law cannot save anyone, but living by the truth of God's law we are guaranteed good success –in God's eyes. You see, God's view of potential and success are completely different than the world's. When I was younger, I believed that if I achieved the level that was pleasing to me, I would have reached success. Success cannot be measured by any level we set. Truly, success is about recognizing God's level and as an result living a life that humbly loves and magnifies Him.

Despite the fact that we are not to compare with others, it is true that people have different appearances and abilities. How should we address this? We should be in awe of God's variety, enjoy it, and use our own gifts to fulfill His glory! How do people's comments effect you? Whether criticism or compliment, their words should encourage you to embrace God's design of you. Do your comments to others have the motive of thanking God for the gifts He placed in their lives? If we do not believe that unsaved individuals have the potential to be a godly Christian, then why would God have us living on earth today? May He give us a greater faith and vision in the power of His Salvation. We are not only to think humbly of ourselves, but also truthfully according the measure of gifts God has given us.

“For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith, (Romans 12:3).”

Imagine we are in our nineties, sitting in adjustable recliners and trying paying medical bills. Life on earth is almost over. What will having had good looks, high school popularity, and a healthy college career be worth then? Nothing. What will mean something is seeing grandchildren (or others you have ministered to) loving and serving God –knowing true success. Exchange your idea of success for God's view of success. Make the Bible the blueprint of your identity. Do not be harmed and unusable by believing lies about yourself. You were created in the image of God!

Will You Be My Valentine?

“Happy Valentine’s Day!” That felt rather hollow, didn’t it? What do paper hearts, candies, and undressed angels armed with bows and arrows have to do with February 14^th anyway? Who was Saint Valentine? By looking back in history, we can find a different kind of love displayed by a man named Valentine.

Valentine was one of the hundreds of Christians martyred in Rome for his faith. Demonstrating the utmost love for Christ, Valentine was killed for claiming Jesus as his Savior on the 14^th day of February, A. D. 269. It so happened that Romans celebrated their festival of love on February 15^th. Juno, the goddess of women and marriage, as well as Pan the god of nature, was honored. In Roman mythology, Cupid was supposed to be the son of Venus, the goddess of sensual love. Believe it or not, but our word romance comes from Rome. In 495, many years after Valentine's death, Roman Catholic Pope Gelasius announced February 14^th as Saint Valentine's Day in exchange of the pagan festivals on the 15^th. It was an act to Christianize a sinful tradition of Rome.

Today in America, Valentine's Day is commercialized alongside the rest of our holidays. Should we observe it? Truthfully, love is not something that can be sold. Remembering your sweetheart or loved ones is wise, and buying flowers and candy to show them that is precious. But how much further could we go as to love them with the greatest love and live each day putting their lives' first? Christ's words still echo through the ages in John 15:13, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” Love is a daily sacrifice. Love has faith that sees beyond death to the eternal joy in living for others. Do people know what they are requesting when they sheepishly ask, “Will you be mine Valentine?” They are asking for the love that is willing to die for Christ's Name sake. 

“Love never asks what benefit it will derive from love. Love from its very nature is a disinterested thing. It loves for the creature’s sake, and for nothing else.”

 —Charles Spurgeon

Contentment in Conflict

There are monotonous, busy days in life when we are serving God, but we await another door to open. We have a vision that life could be better and that we could be doing more for God than we are now. Sometimes it is at that point that things worsen.

In the book of Philippians Paul wrote, “...for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” At the time he was in jail for spreading God's Word. Not only life could be better, but could he not do more for God somewhere else also? No. God planned Paul's imprisonment so that Paul could learn what God wanted him to know to fulfill what would be Paul's greatest ministry. Remember that in conflict you can question purpose or you can confirm purpose. While in chains, Paul wrote letters to the churches that he no doubt wanted to be with. His letters were effective in the churches are still are in hearts today. You can be content in any circumstance, whether you caused the conflict or something else did. It may not have been a sinful action. Miscarriages, car accidents, divorced parents, hurricanes, cancer, unemployment, persecution of righteousness –these are of few of the conflicts we face in a sin-cursed world. There are many things that we do not understand, but it is not always God's choice for humans to understand. It is in our loss of understanding that we can finally learn trust Him and discover a deeper need of faith and forgiveness in God.

Contentment is not being comfortable, agreeable, or even understood. Contentment in this text is translated as sufficient. You see, conflicts in the Christian's life are not really conflicts. They are vital in God's plan. They are stepping stones to destiny. They are the circumstances in which God protects us, teaches us, and uses us to the greatest of His glory. We should expect trials in life; for, we have a lot to learn in this earth which is sin-bound without Christ.

Many Christians quote the end of Paul's letter, saying, “I can do all things through Christ which strength strengtheneth me.” We do not have the ability or permission to do anything we want. We have access to Christ's power to respond righteously in circumstances that God allows. This is what we need strength for: to learn contentment. Learn God's sufficiency. God does not want to display human strength (although His design of creation is indescribable). He desires that His power be displayed. We need strength only to accept that. Do not walk through life wishing you could do more for God somewhere else. Be still and know that He is God right where you are. Learn contentment and He will reveal to you His next move. When Paul confirms, “But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus,” he did not say what the needs were. It may be that you need another lesson in trust, joy, self-control, peace, or surrender. God surely has a purpose for His children, but it will not be through our strength or understanding. We may do our best to love and obey God, but we will fail even in that. Painful things will still happen. God's will in everything is for us to know that He is God. Choose to learn, to seek His face, and to accept His sufficiency –and then abound in it.

“Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Philippians 4:11-13