December 16 – Success Is In God’s Work

“The God of heaven will give us success; therefore we His servants will arise and build,” – Nehemiah 2:20 (NASB)

 

In March 445 B.C. Nehemiah follows his contemporary Ezra and together they are the ones who organized the return of the people from Babylon to Jerusalem. Nehemiah’s role was restoration of the city’s walls and defenses. It has been 70 years since the Babylonians sacked Jerusalem and destroyed the temple of God. True to the prophecy through Jeremiah, God brings the people back. But it is not so easy. The people living in the land were a mix of Israelites from the Norther Kingdom and the people the Assyrians has shipped in from other lands. These are the people who become known as Samaritans and are hated by Jews. They give Nehemiah grief and trouble. Lies and false reports are sent to the Persian king as well as threats of attacks. Sanballat and Tobiah were the leaders of the troublemakers. Nehemiah makes it clear who is the power and authority behind their effort. He declares what is God’s promise to them and instructions to build first the walls and establish order to govern. The walls are completed in September 445 B.C. – seven months. Nehemiah then appointed to serve as Governor by the King of Persia.  

 

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June 1 – Unconfinable

 “But will God indeed dwell with mankind on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You; how much less this house which I have built.” 2 Chronicles 6:18 (NASB)

These words in our verse today were spoken by King Solomon in his prayer of dedication for the Temple which he had built in Jerusalem. This was the first temple built in the nation of Israel.  Solomon puts in perspective the omnipresence nature of our God. We know that God has promised to be with us always. So why did Solomon ask if God would really live with men on earth?  Of course he was talking about God living in the temple as a house like we do, and being confined to one dwelling – and he was thinking of the Temple he had built.  God did let His presence be known in Solomon's temple. His glory did fill the temple as it had filled the tabernacle in the wilderness. But God was still everywhere else too. His dwelling is with us and with every true child of His throughout the world. We can be glad that the Lord God has promised this to us and we can know with certainty that He is with us today. As we understand the true meaning, we can answer Solomon's question for God is with us – always and everywhere.   

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November 29 – Being Satisfied

“Blessed is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple!” Psalm 65:4b (ESV) 

When David the psalmist wrote these words of praise to God, he was thinking of the blessings which comes to God's people as they worshiped in the Tabernacle and later the Temple. The psalmist references these places as God’s courts. In the time these places of worship existed, it was the place where God would dwell among His people. It is the Lord God who chose Israel and who choses us and brings us near to him. We can apply these words to our experience of belonging to God's family today. We are members of God's household and we experience many good things because of it. As our verse says we are satisfied with the goodness God provides. We need to remember each day and be thankful that we are blessed because we belong to God's family. He is our heavenly Father and He takes care of us as we live here on earth. If we open our hearts to Him to fill us, he will fill our lives each day with His blessings. Then we can say as the psalmist said, we shall be satisfied and give God the glory for all He has done. 

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August 16 – Living and Walking

“What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. … And I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.” 2 Corinthians 6:16,18 (ESV)

There are times when the concerns of the day press on us and we feel lost or left alone. Let us never forget that our great God of the universe has promised to be our Father and to make us His sons and daughters.  God has a great desire to be with His creation. This promise has been given more than once in the Old Testament including today's verse. We have the record of how God began with Adam and Eve. We remember God kept in close touch with them in the Garden of Eden. The Bible reminds us how greatly God desires to be a part of our lives and our experience.  Verst 17, which Is between our verses today God commands us to be separate from those who follow idolatry by clinging to the attractions of this sinful world.  He wants to live with us day by day and He wants us to open up to Him and to trust his promises. Yes, God Almighty, the Lord of the universe looks for us and instructs us to avoid association with the devil.  God seeks to share himself with us.

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August 16 – Be a Temple

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?  For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 -  (NASB)

Today's verse is a reminder, another lesson in the truth that we do not live our Christian lives by ourselves.  Abiding in us is the Spirit of God who we was given to us when we believed and received Jesus as our Savior.  All of us need to be conscious regarding how God works with us and within us when we accept Jesus.  God knows our needs and He knows we need help constantly if we are going to live a life pleasing to Him.  So we are reminded of the gift of God the Holy Spirit, He lives in us to make us realize what it means to be a child of God.  Our promise is this, we have been purchased, bought with a price that cost Jesus His life and we have been purchased in order to glorify God by the way we live and how we treat our bodies.  This is a tough promise to live up to but God is here with us.  He knows and He will help if we let Him.

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March 23 – Enough For All

“Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them; And I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”   2 Corinthians 6:16 (NASB)

This verse in the New Testament of our Bible refers to statements God had given His people in the Old Testament to assure them of His presence with them.  God has always wanted His people to be aware of His presence with them and we believe He wants each of us today to be aware of this as well.  It is God's will that each of us today, who put our trust in Jesus Christ, recognize His presence in our lives.  God is in heaven and He is ruling over the universe but He wants us each to know with assurance that He is also with us and participating in our lives where we work, in our homes and wherever we travel to.  We are never alone and even if we are with no other person, we are with God because He is with us.  That is His promise.  We have no need to seek out other means, God is enough for each of us who believe in Him.  

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November 15 – Promises Made Promises Kept

“Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them;  And I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”  2 Corinthians 6:16b (NASB)

God has been making promises to His people since He first created human beings.  Many of the promises we spend our time with each day are from the Old Testament.  We find them from throughout including the time of Moses and the prophets such as Jeremiah and Ezekiel.  Today our promise is found in the New Testament.  It is the last part of our verse.  The Apostle Paul, writing to the believers in the city of Corinth was helping them recognize the importance of giving up the worship of idols of non-existent gods because God has promised that He dwells in those who believe and receive Him.  There is no way to combine the world's system with what God has said.  He promises to be with us and among us.  He is our God and we are His people.  The promise was first given to the People of Israel, and now this verse teaches us that we have received the same promise.  Again, today confirm this truth that the only God is our God and we are His people.  

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October 17 – Only the Very Best

“Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all.”  1 Chronicles 29:11 (ESV)

The words of praise in this verse were spoken by David at the time that his son Solomon was installed as King of Israel.  David had been collecting gifts to be used in the building of the temple of God in Jerusalem. Until that time, the Israel had been worshiping in the Tabernacle* – the tent used in their desert wanderings before entering the Promised Land.  David wanted God to have the best in order to acknowledge the truths we read in our verse.  That should be our desire too because we have the same God that David did.  We should be ready to give Him our very best in everything we do.  Let us remember everyday that all belongs to God.  Everything in heaven and earth.  What we have, has come from our God.  When we give  Him something we have or do something for Him we are expressing the truth of the promises David acknowledged about God.  

* The Tabernacle and Temples of Israel

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June 1 – Always and Everywhere

“But will God indeed dwell with mankind on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You; how much less this house which I have built.” 2 Chronicles 6:18 (NASB)

These words in our verse today were spoken by King Solomon in a prayer of dedication for the Temple which he had built in Jerusalem. This was the first temple built in the nation of Israel.  Solomon puts in perspective the omnipresence nature of our God. We know that God has promised to be with us always. So why did Solomon ask if God wold really live with men on earth?  Of course he was talking about God living in a house like we do, and being confined to one dwelling – and he was thinking of the Temple he had built.  God did let His presence be known in Solomon's temple. His glory did fill the temple. But God was still everywhere else too. His dwelling is with us and with every true child of His throughout the world. We can be glad that the Lord God has promised this to us and we can know with certainty that He is with us today. As we understand the true meaning, we can answer Solomon's question for God is with us – always and everywhere.   

August 16 – Living and Walking With Us

“For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”” 2 Corinthians 6:16b (NIV)

There are times when the concerns of the day press on us and we feel left alone. Let us never forget that the great God of the universe has always had a great desire to be with His creatures. This is our promise and it has been given more than once in the Old Testament and repeated in today's verse. We have the record of how God began with Adam and Eve. We remember how God kept in close touch with them in the Garden of Eden. It is true that the Bible reminds us how greatly God desires to be a part of our lives and our experience. He want to live with us day by day and He wants us to open up to Him and to trust his promises. Yes the God Almighty, the Lord of the universe looks today for opportunities to share with you and me. 

March 23 – Living and Walking With Us

“For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”” 2 Corinthians 6:16b (NIV)

The verse chosen for today comes from the Apostle Paul’s second letter to the believers at Corinth. As Paul wrote these words he quoted some from the Old Testament which may be familiar to some of the believers in Corinth. On several occasions God had sent messages like this to His people, the Children of Israel, through Moses and the prophets. Although the words were first for the Children of Israel, Paul shared them with Christians of his time because they are promises that belong to all who are the people of God. We are the people of God if we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior. Even though God was first speaking to His chosen people, Israel, He was also speaking to those who would become His chosen people through Jesus Christ. God promises to live with us and walk among us and be our God and we will be his people. Each of us are a temple of the living God as we learn from the first letter to the Corinthians chapter 3, verse 16. 

August 18

“How great you are, Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears.” 2 Samuel 7:22 (NIV)

God had just sent a special message to King David through the prophet Nathan. God had told David that it would be his son who would build the temple, not David himself. But God had also given David some very special promises about his descendants and about God’s plans for them. Although David had hoped and planned to build a temple for God, after getting these messages from God, his heart was full of praise to God, and expressed it in this verse. You and I can experience the same joy and same exultation as David did. God has not changed. He is as great today and we can praise Him, too. 

April 15

“Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the Lord, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the Lord Almighty.” Haggai 2:4 (NIV)

This is a word of encouragement through the prophet Haggai to the people working on the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. As your face each day you have things that you need to do. Will it make a difference to you if you know that the Lord is with you? You can be sure that if you are trusting in the Lord, He will be with you. So you can be encouraged by the words of this scripture because they remind us that our Lord is involved in what we are doing each day. He will be with us through each day and will strengthen us.