“And the temple, when it was
being built, was built with stone finished at the quarry, so that no hammer or
chisel or any iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built.”
Consider the physical difficulty of this method of building
the temple. I imagine the stones were
fitted at the quarry and then marked for order of placement at the temple
site. All this was accomplished without
the computers and lasers that we have today. It seems an engineering feat.
From the spiritual side, this method reminds us of a few
scriptures about what God is doing in us here on earth. Charles Stanley stated “God is faithful to
finish what He starts. Once we accept Christ as our Savior, the work of
sanctification begins. And it
continues. There is always more to
walking with God than what we’ve known, seen, learned or experienced.” It is God that must begin the work, and He
must continue the work – according to His Word.
The Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul tells us “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work
in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6)
God is sovereign, and He will accomplish His work in us in a
way He knows will succeed. When we truly
trust that God loves us, we can know that everything we go through, especially
the bad stuff, is part of His work in us – and likely those around us. Sometimes the bad in our lives is simply the
consequence of sin. But other times,
when the bad stuff is unrelated to our actions, it is ever so helpful to know
that God has a purpose. As He chisels us
into the fit and form that He desires, that He knows is best for us, in due
time, if we ask, He will reveal His purpose to us.
It is also helpful to know that we are not alone. As fellow citizens, the work God is doing in
us is fitting us together, such that we can grow into a holy temple, a dwelling
place for Him. “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow
citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built
on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the
chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows
into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a
dwelling place of God in the Spirit.”
(Ephesians 2:19-22)
How I long for the day of Jesus Christ, the only righteous
King and true Prince of Peace. I know I
will not attain perfection on this side of Heaven, but I pray I do not resist
the work God will do in me in preparation for that glorious day.
May you grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ.
No comments:
Post a Comment