A PLACE FOR GOD TO LIVE FOREVER

 

King David, king Solomon, and the Israelites put a lot of preparation, effort, and supplies into building Israel's first Temple. After the Temple was completed, Solomon brought the dedicated items into the Temple for storage. Then the Ark of the Lord's Covenant was transported from its original place, the City of David, and placed in the inner Sanctuary of the Temple, also known as the Most Holy Place.

King Solomon's opening prayer during the Temple dedication was: "I have built a glorious Temple for you, a place where you can live forever!" (1 Kings 8:13). It was a glorious Temple indeed! 

Wow, it's overwhelming to know our hearts are the Temple of God! (See 1 Corinthians 6:19). We've been cleansed with the blood of Christ to make our hearts just as magnificent as the Temple, a place suitable for God to dwell. Note that the Ark contained only the two tablets of commandments placed there by Moses many years prior. And also, note that the Ark was placed in the inner Sanctuary—the Most Holy Place (see 1 Kings 8:6).

And so, where do we think the Word of God should be? It should definitely be in the inner Sanctuary of our hearts to continuously remind us of His love for us and direct us to walk in obedience.

How should we treat our heart if it is the Temple of God's Holy Spirit? When Jesus saw the people buying and selling in the Temple, He got very indignant and reacted very strongly by overturning their tables and driving them out, and saying to the sellers: "Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father's house into a market place" (John 2:16). God must have felt very disrespected.

Learning from that incident, we must respect God's Temple, which is our body, by keeping it clean and against the influx of filth we look at, speak with our mouth, or listen to with our ears. (Mat 15:19; 12:34). The apostle Paul prayed for the Ephesian church that their hearts would be flooded with light, for light drives away the darkness. This should be our prayer for ourselves and for each other.

Also, following Paul's admonition to the Philippians seriously will help us keep the Temple clean; He told them: "Whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things" (Philippians 4:8). It is by thinking, focusing, and meditating on the Word of God that we can make our heart a place for God to dwell forever. And should we find ourselves failing in any way, let's do what king David did; he admitted guilt (Psalm 51) and asked for forgiveness: "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me" (verse 10). May God help us to keep our hearts and minds focused on Him and His Word.