Temple builder

I write to you...because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one. - 1 John 2:14

You are probably familiar with the teaching in 1 Corinthians 3 that every Christian is a living temple of God. But did you know you're also a temple builder?

The apostle Paul saw himself as a wise master builder who had laid the foundation of Jesus Christ in the lives of the believers in Corinth. He knew that others would continue the spiritual building process in the lives of these new converts, and he had a word of warning and exhortation for them in 1 Corinthians 3:10: "Each one should be careful how he builds." Why the warning?

When the Old Testament people of God set about to build the temple, did they hurriedly throw something together overnight? Did they put up a building that resembled a little tool shed? A Quonset hut? A pup tent? No, they constructed a building according to God's blueprint and design. The Bible describes it as exceedingly magnificent because it was a place that would be worthy of the name of God. Paul applies this same divine standard of excellence to what we build in the lives of others.

When I was a very young Christian, a man named Don Rosenberger taught me how to study the Bible, encouraged me in the discipline of Scripture memory, and showed me how to share the gospel of Christ with others. He prayed with me and helped me learn how to obey the Lord in everyday life. This didn't happen overnight, and it didn't happen in Don's free time. He poured the best that he had into helping me become a disciple of Christ who would, in turn, build into the lives of others. That's what the Lord wants you and me to be doing, too.

Prayer

Lord, I want to faithfully pour my life into helping others become Your disciples. Amen.

Battle against lust

Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. - 2 Timothy 2:22

The mistake I made was trying to read in bed by lamplight. We were in the jungles of Colombia, South America, and I should have known better. Within minutes, thousands of tiny bugs were flying in circles around the lamp.

I jumped up, turned on the ceiling light, and turned off the light by the bed. Immediately, these pesky insects flew to the top of the room and began to circle that light. Next, I opened the door to the hallway and turned on the hall light, then turned off the ceiling light in the bedroom. Off they flew into the hallway and began to fly circles around the light in the hall.

I quickly shut the door, kept all lights off in the bedroom, and had a good night's sleep. The next morning when I stepped into the hallway, there they were--thousands of insects dead on the floor directly under the light. They had circled hundreds of times, then got too close and were killed.

Friend, I have seen a similar thing happen to people who play around with sexual lust. Like these insects, they flit around and finally go too far. I watched this happen to a friend of mine who seemed to be a dedicated Christian. He was a handsome guy who easily attracted women. When we ate together in a restaurant, he'd often kid around with the waitress, making some witty remark, and the two of them would laugh and wink and flirt with each other. Then it happened. He got caught up in a sexual sin and today he is not serving God.

Beware! Lust is a powerful enemy.

Prayer

Lord, Your Word says that my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Help me to honor You with my body. Amen.

Priorities

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. - Colossians 3:2

The Bible clearly teaches that God and His kingdom must have top priority in our lives. Listen to these words from the book of Haggai:

Then the Word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: "Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?" Now this is what the Lord almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it." (1:3-6)

The people of Haggai's day were so wrapped up in their own concerns that they had completely neglected God, His worship, and His house. Self had marched to the front and commanded their complete attention.

When we neglect God, the very things we seek begin to elude us. Why? Because the things of this world cannot satisfy the hunger of our souls. Both Old and New Testaments testify to this truth. To neglect God and turn our minds and hearts inward and not upward is self-defeating. So Haggai challenged the people to give careful thought to the set of their hearts and the direction of their lives.

Christian, where are your priorities today? Only God can give meaning and ultimate satisfaction in life. And it comes as a by-product as we obey the words of Jesus: "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you"(KJV).

The Destroyer

Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. - 1 Peter 5:8

I'll never forget the day my dad took me to my first circus in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The whole city was decorated with banners and posters! We found a place to park and walked over to the empty lot with the big top. Three rings, a high wire, clowns, horses, jugglers...and right in the middle was a giant cage filled with fierce animals. All of a sudden, one of those big tigers looked directly at me and gave a huge roar that lifted me right off the bleachers.

Then a man wearing a sparkly suit, black boots, and carrying a chair and a whip walked into that cage! He had those animals jumping through fiery hoops, sitting down in rows, rolling over--amazing stuff. Then it happened. One of the cats broke rank and leapt at the guy. The trainer stepped back, lifted his chair and snapped his whip, and for a second, it was a standoff as he and the tiger stared at each other. Finally the big cat went back to his place. Even though I was a young kid, it was clear to me the tiger's goal had not been merely to sniff the trainer's boots.

Christian, never underestimate the goal of your enemy, the Devil. He is out to devour you. Does that mean you must live in fear, wondering if he's lurking behind every bush? No, the apostle Peter said, "Resist him, standing firm in the faith..." You can overcome the Devil by relying on God's Word, just as Jesus did when He faced Satan in the wilderness. Remember, He repeated those powerful words "It is written" as he stood firm against Satan!

Lets return back to our first love!

Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks." - John 4:23

There is an old story about two families in the mountains of Kentucky who had been feuding for years. When a young man was asked why he was fighting the other family, he had no idea. It's what his family had always done.

That was exactly the situation in Isaiah's time. When the Lord spoke to His people through the prophet Isaiah, it wasn't good news, because judgment was on the way. The reason? They were going through various rituals and religious activities, but they had forsaken the Lord, spurned the Holy One of Israel, and turned their backs on Him.

Oh, they were bringing offerings, but they were meaningless. They celebrated various convocations--feasts of the new moon and special Sabbaths--but God said, "They have become a burden to me." Isaiah 1:15 records these words of the Lord: "When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen."

They had kept the form but lost the meaning. And the problem is still with us today.

A close pastor friend of mine spent twenty years in Christian work, but all the time he was drifting away from the Lord. He doubled the membership, tripled the budget, and built a 100,000-square-foot building. But today he weeps and says that not one person came to faith in Jesus Christ during that time. He had kept the form but lost the meaning.

Christian, do you read the Bible merely to satisfy a habit? How do you approach your time of worship at church? Take a moment and reflect on Isaiah's words. God longs to restore the meaning to your walk of daily discipleship