Stone upon stone

God is building a home. He’s using us all—irrespective of how we got here—in what he is building. He used the apostles and prophets for the foundation. Now he’s using you, fitting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together. We see it taking shape day after day—a holy temple built by God, all of us built into it, a temple in which God is quite at home. (Ephesians 2:20-22)

Irrespective of how we got here. Some of us got here by searching for something of significance in our lives, while others got here at the end of a long rope, just about to hang themselves out to dry. Regardless of 'how' we come into the family of God, we are a family and a family needs a place to dwell. We dwell in the presence of God - each of us making up 'one stone' in this great building. I used to think I could stand alone, but one stone does not make a building!

Built by God - not by human hands or schemes. This is important for us to recognize because our pride would want to make us think we were the ones doing the building. We think we are the ones doing the changing, coming into conformity to the principles taught by God. The truth is the lessons that lead to change in our lives are taught by him, but the 'practical lab' portion of the teaching is just us finding out he intends to give us the power to live by those same teachings.

All of us built into it - not one of us who calls upon the name of Jesus is left out of the building process. We have a place - we belong specifically where he places us. We may want to be the cornerstone, or even the stone that everyone sees first, but each stone is equally as important. I think this is a good lesson for us to learn - none of us stands out as 'more important' or of greater value than another. We are all equal in God's house - the thing God does in us make us all equal.

God is quite at home in this temple - how about you? Are you comfortable in what God is building? Have you settled into the place he has made for you? Are you secure in your placement? If you are, you find all the other stones around you are wondrous stones - each fulfilling their role in this great building. There is no more competition or need for 'one-upmanship' in this family. No middle child syndrome here! He is the firstborn - no one usurps that position. We are one of many - too numerous to count. Each perfectly joins with the other. We don't 'fit' because a few chips get knocked off here and there - we fit as we are. Just sayin!

Leaving the Shack

Temples of God - what does that phrase mean to you? To me it means there is a special dwelling place where the presence of God dwells. As we have discussed in the past, that 'temple' is actually human beings, filled with the presence of the Most Holy God through the gift of grace provided by the sacrificial offering of His One and Only Son, dying for the sins of the world. As a young girl, I remember going through some areas as my parents would set out on a long weekend away from it all. I recall seeing both very new, modern looking homes standing right next to a very old buildings fashioned out of adobe brick, tree branches, and even a few sod roofs. I asked my dad why the new homes were built, but not lived in and do you know what he told me? Those 'new homes' weren't what the people dwelling in the land were familiar with - it was foreign to them. They chose to live where they were most comfortable. I wonder if we sometimes are like those people I observed all those years ago - too comfortable in our old 'dwelling' to move into anything new prepared for us in God's grace?

We know that the earthly tent we live in will be destroyed. But we have a building made by God. It is a house in heaven that lasts forever. Human hands did not build it. During our time on earth we groan. We long to put on our house in heaven as if it were clothing. Then we will not be naked. (2 Corinthians 5:1-3)

What a tragedy to have something so magnificent prepared for us only to find that we don't aren't 'comfortable' in it, so we opt for the old. God makes our hearts new, our minds freshly renewed each day, and even fills our spirit over and over again with the joy of his presence. Even when we don't feel it, he is still working on this 'new dwelling' we abide in now. To now enjoy this new 'habitation' is to choose a life absent from the infilling presence of God. Indeed, this is a tragedy of astronomical proportions! Why do we choose what is 'most comfortable' over what is actually 'most beneficial' for us? I think it is because we want to hold onto the 'inferior' because we are familiar with it. Truly 'familiar' is the enemy of God's blessing in our lives many times. God's blessings oftentimes come no so much in the 'familiar', but in the place where God stretches us to move out of that comfort zone in life.

Human hands didn't build this temple - God's hands built it. Human hands may have corrupted it, abused it, run it down, and left if pretty much in shambles, but it was built by God's hands. We don't just want rebuilt lives, patched together here and there - we want God to have the access to make his best temple out of each of us. This may mean he tears down a few walls, but likely it could mean he tears us down to the place of the foundation and creates a brand new foundation in our lives. He takes the bits and pieces of our lives and puts them back together, but better than ever before, because the foundation is right, strong, and with perfect integrity. Our lives become the dwelling place of God and he begins the work of creating within us a healthy environment. 

This is an earthly 'tent' we dwell within today, but to stay in some run-down 'old life' because we are too scared to let go of the past is to really restrict the expansiveness of God's grace within us. The 'new home' he has for each of us is of 'TEMPLE MAGNITUDE', not a tiny run-down shack or a leaking tent! God isn't finished with any of us yet, but as his 'temples' we are being continually built. God doesn't want us to 'settle' in life - he wants to give us expansive lives that are filled with his very presence. Let's not just live 'shack lives' - let's begin to live 'temple magnitude' lives! Okay?

Closet Christian?

The Temple of God in the Old Testament became the place where God could meet personally with his people. Today, the 'temple' is not a building - it is his people. Instead of one locale for his presence to inhabit, there are millions and millions of temples - his people. His presence inhabits his people and in turn, his presence is free to explore the world through us! God's temple needs to be seen - to be an impact on the world. Light isn't meant to be hidden, my friends - it is meant to illuminate - to expose and show the beauty around it.

No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. (Luke 11:33)

Prayer is one means of us bringing light to the world, but it isn't enough. God isn't asking for his church to be 'shy' about their faith - we are to be bold in our prayers. The presence of God inhabits his temples - when we become visible, his hope is presented to the world. Before long, people will begin to be impressed upon your heart - people you are supposed to be praying for. When those times come, begin to pray and believe for God's power to shine forth from his 'temple' in order for the needs of that individual to begin to be met.

One of the greatest things the 'temples' of God can do is to begin to love a very unlovely world. Sometimes we would rather just 'pull in' and not be 'in the world'. God never asks for us to be 'of the world', but he does encourage us to be 'in the world'. Why? We are the living, breathing temples of his presence - we bring his presence into those places where we have a sphere of influence. Believe it or not, we might just be bringing his light into places where we don't even know we have that sphere of influence. You never really know the power of living as a light in this world, but God knows!

A changed heart - a new life - is the result of people being able to experience the presence of God. Why did Jesus ask his disciples to take the gospel message to the furthermost parts of the earth - to all people everywhere? He knew the way people connect with him is by being able to experience his presence. We are inhabited by that very presence - we are the means by which the world begins to experience the truth and reality of God. To hide our light under a bowl is silly. To be 'closet Christians' is really selfish - because God has changed our lives so that we may begin to bring that light to others. Just sayin!

Just a little niggling

Do you not know that your body is a house of God where the Holy Spirit lives? God gave you His Holy Spirit. Now you belong to God. You do not belong to yourselves. God bought you with a great price. So honor God with your body. You belong to Him. (I Corinthians 6:19-20)

Is there anybody out there other than me that struggles to treat their body right? You know what I mean - eating healthy, making wise choices with your physical activities so as to not stress out your body too much, and getting enough rest. If you struggle with any of these, then just know you are not alone. I constantly go back and forth between desiring to eat healthy, but also craving a luscious brownie! The two are incongruous, aren't they? I haven't met a 'healthy' brownie yet! We crave a whole lot of things in this lifetime that are incongruous with what God desires for our lives. If you don't really understand what that word means, then let me explain. Anything that is 'incongruous' is inappropriate, unbecoming, and not in harmony with the character we are to be exemplifying in our lives.

There are times I almost do the Eve thing and blame God for putting the brownies on this earth. After all, if God had not created brownies, I wouldn't have the desire to eat them, right? I don't think God created brownies. Actually, the first known 'creator' of brownies was Fanny Farmer - placing the first recipe for this delightful treat into her 1896 cookbook. It is also believed that a socialite by the name of Bertha Palmer commissioned her chef to create a luscious treat for the ladies who would be attending the Chicago World's Columbian Exposition in 1893, so not sure who 'created' the brownie, but I am certain the creation came some time after God created the heavens and earth! Regardless, the treat isn't God's fault and the appeal it has is not his, either. I 'own' my response to the delightful craving.

All that aside, let me assure you of this one thing - God gave us his Holy Spirit to help us rise above all things that are inappropriate for us in this lifetime. He is there to help us spot the things that will not add goodness into our character. He is right alongside us when we are about to choose a response or action that would be unbecoming in some fashion. If that is the case, then how come we still act so 'wrong' at times? God doesn't send his Holy Spirit to negate our choice - he just sends him to help us make the right ones. We still do the choosing - he just helps remind us which ones will be the best for us. I know it would be a whole lot easier if God just gave us no choice in the matter, but then we'd be puppets.

Remembering that we don't belong to ourselves any longer, we need to be cognizant of every choice we make - the little ones and the bigger ones. Certainly we can be trusted to make a wise choice from time to time, but let me assure you, we don't do it consistently. This is where the Holy Spirit comes into action in our lives - reminding us which choice is the best - niggling our subconscious as well as our conscious minds. We need to heed the 'niggling', though. Just sayin!

Getting his "cowboy" on

People can take portions of scripture, hang their hat on them, and take them totally out of context.  Whenever they do this, they are in danger of missing the intent of the passage in which the portion of scripture resides.  The issue is not so much that scripture isn't able to stand on its own, but that we cannot make scripture stand for what we "believe" it should stand for.  An example of this is when Jesus used a whip to drive the money-changers out of the Temple one day toward the beginning of his ministry.  Many find this a fascinating passage simply because it seems to support some type of "flaw" in the character of Jesus - that anger was indeed something he "struggled" with. In reality, they miss the context of the passage.  It is the words which come as a result of his actions which are the issue in the passage - not his actions. His actions merely support prophecy and show the intention of his heart to have God's gathering place cleansed - the place where all of Israel knew they could come to commune with the One True God - now made a mockery of by those who sought to make money off of those who would come to offer sacrifices.  His chasing them out of the Temple was not a show of anger, but an impassioned plea to keep God's Holy Place holy!

Jesus put together a whip out of strips of leather and chased them out of the Temple, stampeding the sheep and cattle, upending the tables of the loan sharks, spilling coins left and right. He told the dove merchants, “Get your things out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a shopping mall!” That’s when his disciples remembered the Scripture, “Zeal for your house consumes me.” But the Jews were upset. They asked, “What credentials can you present to justify this?” Jesus answered, “Tear down this Temple and in three days I’ll put it back together.”  (John 2:15-19 MSG)  

These men had set up shop in the courtyards of the Temple - essentially to line their coin purses with the hard-earned cash of those coming into the Temple to worship.  They counted on those who had come from far off and their inability to actually carry their lambs, turtle doves, and the like all the way from their homes in the region to the Temple.  We have to remember that there is but one Temple and at specific times of the year, the people made their pilgrimage to the city of Jerusalem to visit the Temple.  Their presence on these holy days were money making opportunities for those with a means to buy and sell those items required in the sacrificial offerings.  Jesus knew they weren't there to "make life easier" for the worshipers, but to make life more lucrative for themselves.  In this very action of driving them out, he was showing us the presence of God and the seeking of God is not to "line the pockets" of an individual.  Perhaps today's ministry leaders would do well to remember this when they make their pleas for monies and then expect to line their pockets FIRST.

The actions of Jesus in cleansing the Temple courtyards of these many who had swooped in like opportunistic vultures were not missed by the religious crowd.  The first set of questions began to arise as to the "credentials" of Jesus and why he thought his actions could override what the Temple leaders had allowed for all these years.  I think Jesus was after their challenge to his authority in order to begin to share the "elements" of truth he would establish all along the way in order to fulfill all of what scripture had said about his coming.  Their challenge - who do you think you are and what gives you the right?  His response - you will tear down this temple (my holy body), but in three short days, it will be restored (resurrected).  

His "credentials" were a foretelling of the death, burial, and resurrection of our Savior.  The Jews would crucify him for what they believed were actions challenging the very holiness and authority of God.  His response to them was that his actions support the holiness and authority of God - both today in the Temple courts and three years from now when you will crucify the one you will not call Messiah.  As is often the case, they cannot understand his intentions, see his heart, or connect with God's plan and purpose through his life.  This is what it is like to take only a portion of scripture and forget about the context in which it is written.  In order to connect with God's plan and purpose, we have to connect with him in totality.  Nothing can be left out - otherwise, we just get a glimpse of purpose, but miss out on the totality of what he offers.

He had just turned six huge stone jars of simple water into the finest quality of wine at the wedding in Cana of Galilee.  He goes to the Temple to worship along with the rest of his countrymen only to find the Temple desecrated by all this "salesmanship" of the money-changers and "sacrifice dealers". Imagine it for a moment.  You come into church and find the foyer cram packed full with men hocking their wares.  They each have inflated prices for what you know you could have brought from home at a fraction of the cost you will pay there.  You cannot enter into the congregational area until you have secured your "sacrifice" - no matter how small your means - you need the sacrifice. Bound by the "rules" of worship, you are obligated to buy.

I think Jesus may have been dealing with this sense of "obligation" to approach God in only one manner - through these prescribed sacrifices.  In just three short years, all that would change.  The "obligation" to have a spotless sacrifice would be met - not in what they could purchase, but in what he could provide.  His body would meet every need for atonement - none would need to feel obligated to approach God in the same manner again. Maybe if we focus more on his heart and less on his having made a whip out of leather, we might just see what he was revealing by his actions.  The Temple courtyards were filled with animals.  Do you know how most ranchers get animals moving?  Isn't it with the use of a prod or whip of sorts?  Why would Jesus be any different?  Do you think he should have just come in and shooed them out?  I wouldn't!  I would get my "cowgirl" on and be slapping my hand on my thigh, yelling for them to get up and move, and the like!

In order to see Jesus as the Messiah, those who had come to trust in the religious "duties" of worship had to begin to see him as upsetting their practices - changing them forever.  This wasn't popular to those who rigidly adhered to them or made a profit off of them.  So, they resist and they ask for his "credentials".  We may resist at times and ask for his "credentials" to require certain things of us, but if we stop long enough to consider his actions, we might just come to the conclusion he is really doing what he is doing for US and not him!  Just sayin!

Treat me with some dignity, please.

Most of the time we treat our bodies pretty well, but there are those times when we just don't consider the impact certain behaviors or actions will have on our bodies.  This may be especially true in the realm of what we respond to emotionally which does much more than just impact our heads or hearts - it impacts the very fibers of our being.  Nothing we think or "feel" is ever without influence in our bodies.  Therefore, learning to treat our bodies with dignity requires us learning to rein in our thoughts and to rule over our emotions.

Learn to appreciate and give dignity to your body, not abusing it, as is so common among those who know nothing of God.  (I Thessalonians 4:4-5 MSG)

Although our writer may have been referring to the dignity with which we are treat our bodies in a "sexual" sense, there is much to be said about maintaining this same vigilance over our bodies in EVERY sense.  When the term "dignity" is used, it generally refers to the sense of "self-respect" with which we treat something.  This definitely applies to how it is we treat our bodies - for many an action on our part betrays how little we actually "respect" our bodies.

Abuse of one's body begins in many ways, but if we begin from the top down, it may look a little like this:

- The mind.  Whenever we take in thoughts which are irrational and then begin to mull them over and over again, we are disrespecting our minds.  God created the mind with many faculties, but one of the most important of these is the ability to reason through issues.  By the power of deduction (coming to the conclusion because we add this to that and come up with the solution), we make many a decision.  Not all decisions are tempered with wisdom, though.  If we are to learn to respect our bodies, we must first learn to respect our minds.  This is territory we need to declare off-limits to irrational thoughts which seek to invade our minds, but also those thoughts which seem rational at first, but which don't hold up to the test of scripture.  An example of this type of thought is the belief we hold of being "unworthy" and therefore undeserving of the love of God.  Truth is - he loved us despite our unworthiness, enough to send his Son when we were still totally unworthy, and through his sacrificial death, we are declared worthy.  What God declares to be one way we cannot declare to be another - this is just irrational.

- The mouth.  Although closely connected to the mind, the mouth often betrays what is much deeper in the heart.  If we are to treat our bodies with dignity, we need to guard what both goes in our mouths, and then rule over what comes out.  Scripture points to the truth of "garbage in, garbage out".  If we think we can have good come forth when all we put in is pretty much junk, we have been deceived.  The mouth works closely with the mind and the emotions (heart).  What is manifest through our mouth often betrays how it is we actually "respect" or "disrespect" what God has and is doing in our lives. We betray our lack of thankfulness, or perhaps our lack of trust, by the words we speak.  The mouth is a portal of entry - so guarding what "goes in" by this portal is also important to the health and welfare of our bodies.  Easier said than done - I totally admit that!  

- The heart.  As I indicated, the emotions are often what plays havoc on the rest of the parts of our bodies.  Emotions stir things up, getting the "juices" flowing, so to speak.  The volume of hormones released when the emotions get involved would probably blow our minds if we fully understood the response of our bodies to what we allow to affect us through our emotions.  If you have ever watched a scary movie and experienced that "edge of your seat" kind of reaction, complete with heart racing a little, then jumped when something scary happened on the screen, you have experienced the influence of emotions.  As irrational as it is for us to react to what is on the TV screen, we do - because our emotions have "interacted" with the plot played out in the show we are taking in.  Guarding our heart is how we show respect for it. The emotions are not to be feared, but they are to be guarded and not to be allowed to rule over us.  They are to be ruled over by the Spirit.  

- The hands, the feet, and all in between.  After some time ruminating on the same thoughts (rational or irrational), the body will begin to respond to those thoughts.  It is natural to begin to "do" what we think.  Engage the senses and you will soon find the other "body parts" responding.  What gets thought gets acted out.  Learning to respect our bodies involves learning what the right response of ALL our body parts should be - internally and externally. We are given the Holy Spirit to help us with this task.  As a matter of fact, scripture reminds us that our bodies are the "temple of the Holy Spirit".  In other words, our bodies are a dwelling place for God's Spirit - as such, their actions ought to reflect both the respect for his presences and the gratitude for his grace.  We won't get this "right" every time, but as we grow in Christ, we will see our bodies responding more and more in alignment with what the Spirit desires.  We have to keep moving TOWARD respect of our bodies and in time, we will begin treating them with the dignity they deserve.  Just sayin!