Day 4 - Sept 17
Daily Reading: 1 Corinthians 6
Theme: Hearing His Voice
Special Verse: John 10:27 — “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”
Personal: Pray for clarity, discernment, and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit.
External: Pray for missionaries serving in spiritually resistant regions.
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You Are God’s Beautiful Temple
We love our football, don’t we? Sports are so glamorized and such big business that the newer arenas and stadiums are something of a wonder to behold. When the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium was built in 2009 it cost over $1.2 billion to build (that’s billion with a “b”). The new Rams stadium built in 2020 is reported to expense out at over $5 billion. The temple that Solomon built for the worship of the Lord God is said by historians to have cost at least $5 billion in today’s money…and it was about 1 tenth the size of one of our stadiums. The temple was replete with gold inlays, jewels, silver treatments, rich wood paneling, and solid gold artifacts. God was very specific about every detail; and, when it was finished, His glory did come and fill the temple. We share all of this for a reason. Since Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, God has come to dwell inside believers through His precious Holy Spirit. He no longer dwells in buildings. He lives inside of you and me! Our physical body— our mind, emotions, and flesh—is the home of God. We are His residence, each and every one of us. You are the temple of God. And God sees His new “temple” as beautiful. Maybe you’re inclined to question His judgment because you are aware of all of your brokenness…the not so pretty parts of you. But friend, God does not see you as you are, but as you are through Christ! This is all the difference in the world. God sees you as complete and whole. He sees you in all your healthy potentialities. You are beautiful to Him, more beautiful than any structure or stadium that could ever be conceived.
