From Temple to Temple

November 16, 2025November 15, 2025Leave a comment

1 Kings 5; 2 Chronicles 5-6

So much work was poured therein. It’s beauty – unsurpassed. Its fame – spread like wildfire. Its design – intricate and lavish. Gold, along with untold amounts of precious metals, materials, and gems, adorned its inside and outside. Precise planning and devoted hearts worked in building what would become known as Solomon’s Temple. That sacred place where people would centralize their worship. That holy place that would house the Ark of the Covenant.

After the ark was placed in its new home, praise among the people erupted in joyful adoration. Instruments sounded their melodious tunes. Voices raised with glorious praise and humble thanksgiving to the Lord, saying, “For he is good; for his mercy endureth forever!” (2 Chronicles 5:13).

Then, the extraordinary happened! God filled the house with the cloud symbolizing His mighty presence, and the priest could not minister there “for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God” (2 Chronicles 5:14).

Through the years, this Temple would go through many changes due to leadership, the waning of people’s hearts, and the destruction it endured due to enemies (twice).

And yet, for all the catastrophe that building went through, God still had a place designed to rest His presence, His Holy Spirit: “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:19).

God promised Jeremiah that a new covenant was coming, which was going to be heart-focused (Jeremiah 31:33) due to being Spirit-filled (Ezekiel 36:26, 27; Joel 2:28, 29).

At the birth of the church in Acts 2, on the day of Pentecost, God fulfilled those prophecies when the manifestation of the Holy Spirit took over the upper room and the one hundred and twenty persons therein. This experience fulfills the very words of Jesus Christ Himself: “Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem worship the Father… But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him” (John 4:21, 23).

The Father wants to fill the temple of our hearts!

While we gather in our local churches and assemblies of worship, may we remember that our worship is not predicated on the building, no matter how grand or humble. Our true worship is all about honoring Him who resides in our hearts. For that’s the temple God wants His glory to fill the most. In His sight, you are the lavishly beautiful one.

We are instructed in the Holy Scriptures not to forsake “the assembling of ourselves” (that’s a command found in Hebrews 10:25), but always remember that real worship is not about the music or experience. Real worship is seated in our hearts.

Blessings~

For more inspiration, I have included these articles for your reading pleasure:

“Beautifying the Temple”

There is a place for drawing near the presence of God, within and without. Solomon did everything in his power to beautify the sacred space of the ancient temple. Are we doing the same for the temple within?

“Handle the Body of Jesus With Care”

Joseph of Arimathea made sure Jesus’ body was wrapped in “clean linen.” Through the brokenness of His body, we have been healed. Through His shed blood, we have been washed. We carry the Savior and His new covenant on the inside of us. Have we wrapped Him in “clean” vessels?

“Your Heart, God’s Temple”

A lot of people are living for a showy outside life, but it’s the treasury of your heart that God values the most because it is in this place He wants to reign, rule, and abide through His Spirit. The lavish, ornamental details of a physical building cannot compare to a heart that has been made a ready place for God to dwell.

Text Free Image by Tep Ro from Pixabay

Copyright © Word For Life Says.com (Sharing any posts or lessons can only be done through the share buttons provided on this site from the original posts, lessons, and articles only. You can reblog from the original posts only using the reblog button provided, or share using the share buttons provided from these social media platforms: Facebook, X, or Pinterest, etc., and they must be shared from the original posts only. All other repostings are prohibited. Posts and other items of interest found on this site MAY NOT BE COPIED AND PASTED, downloaded, uploaded, etc, to another website or entity not listed (physical or electronic). See COPYRIGHT PAGE for more details.

Temples Won: Flipping Tables for Hearts

April 14, 2025October 3, 2025Leave a comment

Victories look different depending on the battles or contentions fought and won. The victory our Lord Jesus Christ gained on Calvary was nothing short of a miracle that could never be replicated again. But the fight to win the world, the battle to cleanse temples and hearts, didn’t start on the day the nails were driven into His hands. Holy Week is remembering the significance of each day that led to the cross and the sacrifice of our Lord.

Therefore, being Monday, we look back to the cleansing of the temple. Jesus could not bear the unholy manner in which the Father’s house was being treated. All respect, all honor for the sacredness of His place had been replaced by merchandising and swindling of those who sought to truly honor and worship before our Heavenly Father. Jesus, coming into the Temple, was appalled by what He witnessed.

In Jesus’ day, the temple of God, specifically the outer courts where the Gentiles worshiped (supposedly), was turned into a kind of marketplace. A meeting place of money and merchandise rather than humble hearts looking for a graceful God.

Can we imagine trying to worship and pray to God, sincerely lifting hearts up to Him, listening to the ding of a cash register going off and people asking for price checks while others barter over cost and quality of product? Well, there may not have been the ding of a cash register in Jesus’ day, but this disturbance in the meeting place of God was just as real. People who were seeking the Lord, in the place where they are told He may be found, were not able to connect with God as they should have been able to because of all the business going on.

Surely, this was not His first time there and witnessing the unashamed way people were being hustled, but as He was marching toward Calvary, He would make another attempt to redirect the hearts of those around. For Jesus, this event was about what was going on in the temple of people’s hearts, as well as the brick and mortar building of worship. Previously, I wrote:

“Unashamedly and without regard for roving eyes and the tsk tsk tsk of the people’s lips, He flips tables over and starts throwing people out to get His Father’s house back in order. With holy force, He sought to reclaim what was rightfully God’s.

But can I tell you, His fight didn’t stop there. He wanted more than a building to reclaim for God, He wanted people that rightfully belonged to Him. He wouldn’t gain that by flipping over tables, rather He flipped over the gates of hell. He wouldn’t get there by driving people with wrong intentions away, but with force, He drove the enemy of our soul away and crushed him under His feet. He wanted to win the temple of people’s hearts for His Father and this fight could only be won on the cross.” (©When Jesus Cleansed Our Temple/WordforLifeSays.com)

God has always intended His house to be a special, holy place where He and man can meet. And, from the time of Genesis, God has always had it in His mind that all men, from all over the globe, would be invited to come to Him and to worship: “Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people“ (Isaiah 56:7; emphasis added).

You and I, coming to the Father through Jesus Christ, were worth fighting for. Every leg of His battle, every scar, wound, and contention had Him focusing on a better future for us: “… who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2). Friend, your heart is the temple Jesus fought most to win. “Your heart wants God. Your heart will never be happy with anything or anyone else. You may not completely understand how it all works, what it all means, or what this is all supposed to look like, but your heart wants God.” (©Your Heart Wants God/WordforLifeSays.com)

With that, the beginning of this week can be the start of a brand new life or a recommittment to Jesus Christ. Today, all the noise of this world can be silenced by the call to salvation: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16, and “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6).

Many battles have been fought through the years, but the greatest battle fought and won is the battle for the hearts of people everywhere. Will you let Jesus in your heart today? Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20).

Father God, thank You for every leg of this Christian journey Jesus fought for and accomplished in our lives. Thank You for being so mindful of us that You didn’t mind flipping over tables and hell to win our hearts. Thank You for the holy determination that drove the Savior’s love for us to do the impossible, eventually laying His holy life down on Calvary’s cross to free us from our unholy life. Today, we don’t take for granted this remarkable love shown. You have done the impossible in our lives. May our hearts ever reflect on the sacrifice and love commended toward us during this Holy Week of remembrance.

Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay

Copyright © Word For Life Says.com (Sharing any posts or lessons can only be done through the share buttons provided on this site from the original posts, lessons, and articles only. You can reblog from the original posts only using the reblog button provided, or share using the share buttons provided from these social media platforms: Facebook, X, or Pinterest, etc., and they must be shared from the original posts only. All other repostings are prohibited. Posts and other items of interest found on this site MAY NOT BE COPIED AND PASTED, downloaded, uploaded, etc to another website or entity not listed (physical or electronic). See COPYRIGHT PAGE for more details.

“Resetting Holiness!”

January 9, 2025January 9, 2025Leave a comment

“Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14).

“And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean” (Ezekiel 44:23).

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children” (Hosea 4:6).

“Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16).

Resetting holiness. Has the church lost this all-important standard? Has the desire to become a seeker-friendly church (which I have nothing against) and the like caused us to shift our focus from how God calls us to worship, live, and operate?

Have we become like the temple that Ezekiel witnessed, whose people caused the glory of God to leave that place?

Studying Ezekiel 8, we see while there was “worship” going on in the temple, it was not God’s worship. The people who were to live in a covenant relationship with God were bowing down to false gods and giving themselves over completely to idolatry. The people who were to live pure and holy, a sanctified (set apart) people, their lives and practices now celebrated the things God called abominations. Things that were wrong and out of order of the true reverence of God were now being declared to be right and acceptable.

In that, I wonder how far the modern church has drifted from God’s holy standards and how close we are to being like those people of old. Those who “worshiped” wrongly behind the walls believing it did not matter and that nobody, including God, saw them (ref. Ezekiel 8:12).

While we may not be involved in those exact things, and while I have nothing against the modern uses whereby we usher in worship, I must wonder if in our coming together, we are coming in the right spirit. When David penned the words, “Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength. Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness” (Psalm 29:1-2), I see in those beautiful verses what God deserves, and I must ask myself are we giving Him what He deserves?

Are we magnifying His glory in our building and in our lives, or are we chasing His glory away from the center of what we call worship, as seen in Ezekiel 10?

For God’s glory to be strong with us, we must be strong in God! God doesn’t want us to honor Him with our mouths only, but He wants us to live and worship Him from the heart (Matthew 15:8; Isaiah 29:13).

And, my friends, it is from the heart where the resetting needs to begin, a heart that longs for more of God. It is worship that invites His presence to come closer rather than repelling. We want God’s glory permeating the atmosphere as in the days of old when they were overwhelmed in worship by His presence in a good way (1 Kings 8:10-11).

But for that to happen, things must change. Wherever God’s presence is, things cannot go on as before. He is a holy God, and the environment where He resides must be holy. There is a transformation that must take place where the people worship.

God’s desire has always been to be near His people. And in Ezekiel 43, he sees a light of hope. Instead of seeing God’s glory moving away from His people, God’s glory is moving toward His people, toward His temple (43:3-5).

With that also came a message of warning: “And I heard him speaking unto me out of the house; and the man stood by me. And he said unto me, Son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever, and my holy name, shall the house of Israel no more defile . . .” (43:6-7).

God cannot reside in an unsanctified place. The people’s responsibility was to get in line with what God wanted. For Him, there has always been a line between holy and unholy (Leviticus 10:10). There must be a resetting of holiness as the standard then, as well as now: “This is the law of the house; Upon the top of the mountain the whole limit thereof round about shall be most holy . . .” (Ezekiel 43:12).

In all of this, you may be wondering how exactly do we go about the business of resetting holiness?

First, I must say that resetting holiness should always begin with repentance. God’s glory left the temple because of the people’s sin. Sin corrupts. Sin interrupts fellowship with God. Sin will prohibit Him from coming to where you are. They were to “put away” from them those things that defiled the place of worship (Ezekiel 43:7-9).

James 4:8 says, “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded” (see also Isaiah 1:16 and 2 Timothy 2:21).

Then, there must be the restoration of proper worship. They had to do more than take the wrong things out. They had to bring in or adopt the right things, the right ways.

For them, the focus was on the altar and how it was to be consecrated, respected, and used (Ezekiel 43:13-25). They had to fully honor God in His service. They do this by honoring the way He prescribed things to be done.

How this restoration of true worship may look for us today is for us to refocus on why we are here, what we are doing here, and who are we honoring here. Answering those questions will help us to realign our purpose for being here, which all boils down to one complete, overall answer: God.

Why are we here? – God.

What are we doing here? – God.

Who are we honoring here? – God.

When we keep those three things in proper perspective, we reset holiness as the standard in our lives and in our worship, and the glory of God can take over the atmosphere.

Reposted from October 11, 2022

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So, I sit . . .

June 6, 2023June 6, 2023Leave a comment

Like Mary at the feet of Jesus, so I sit (Luke 10:39).

In His presence . . .

Learning from Him . . .

Being filled and renewed by His Spirit . . .

What a glorious position to be in!

Cares of this world all around, but today, I choose to sit . . .

At His feet, I am in a joyous place. Before His throne, I am drawing nigh to His presence. You, oh Lord, have given me this blessed space to be where You are.

I don’t have to wait for the scepter of an earthly king to be stretched out, allowing me access. No, but the King of all kings welcomes me by His grace to enter into His holy courts. In this place, our drawing near is magnetized by His love. As I bow, as my head lifts up in prayer, closer am I drawn to Thee by Your Spirit. Deeper in fellowship I go. Deeper in praise my heart doles out what is due to Your holy Name.

It will never be enough, for You are worthy of so much more, but with a heart full of assurance and faith, I enter the sacred place and sit like Mary sat, at the feet of Jesus. I take in all of who You are. I am filled with Your presence. I am renewed by Your Spirit. I am strengthened and enlivened for the day ahead.

What a joy to sit in this place. What an honor and privilege to offer my Lord praise and prayer from the sacred assembly of my heart. You inhabit the praises of Your people. You hear every prayer that flows from their lips. Just to be where You are is a treasure all its own. How grateful I am to be in this place. Oh, how Your peace washes over me, drowning out everything that is not like You. As the priests stepped their foot in the Jordan bearing the Ark, so I step through the floods all around me, and they have dried up to give me passage to my promise – to lead me to my inheritance where I can just sit and enjoy You face to face forevermore.

Oh, what a blessed place to be . . . So today, in my heart, I sit.

Copyright © Word For Life Says.com (Sharing any posts or lessons can only be done through the share buttons provided on this site from the original posts, lessons, and articles only. You can reblog from the original posts only using the reblog button provided, or share using the share buttons provided from these social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest, etc., and they must be shared from the original posts only. All other repostings are prohibited. Posts and other items of interest found on this site MAY NOT BE COPIED AND PASTED, downloaded, uploaded, etc to another website or entity not listed (physical or electronic). See COPYRIGHT PAGE for more details.

“Don’t Change Your Glory!”

March 15, 2023March 13, 2023Leave a comment

“Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit,” Jeremiah 2:11, KJV

Changing your glory?! What does that even mean? It means anything that takes precedence over your worship of the one true God. It’s exchanging the life that was once rendered to service and obedience to God, to fulfill one’s own will and desires.

In God, we have love and security. In Him, we find peace, refuge, and salvation. Yet, every day the battle ensues for us to give it all up to follow after that which “does not profit.” It reminds me of the story of the prodigal son. He had a hard time seeing what he really had going for him at home where he was. He thought the grass was greener on the other side and his perception of the other side drew him away from the blessedness he already had. He gave up everything his father secured for him to go off in the wild blue yonder to pursue his own desires.

Such was the calamity that befell the Israelites also. They had exchanged the worship of the one true God to follow after idols. This same God, whom throughout history, has sought to love them, protect them and pour out His promises on them. He has stomped down enemies for them. He has overthrown kingdoms for them. He has multiplied them, blessed them, led them, covered them, fed them and saved them. Yet, they had reached a point when they decided in themselves that they needed more.

I once heard someone teach that grass is still grass, no matter what “side” it’s on. Here, the prodigal son and the Israelites have been deceived into believing more in the imagination of the “other side” than in the reality of the powerful love they already had. It’s a truth thing! We have to be sure that truth is not misinterpreted because it can hinder one’s growth or cause one to step all the way out of the faith to the point of changing their glory.

From the beginning of time truth has been under attack and glory has been fought against. But, Hebrews 10:35 tells us, “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward,” (KJV). In the garden, Adam and Eve cast away their confidence and believed deception. The Israelites cast away their confidence and went after that which does not profit. The prodigal son cast his confidence away and broke the relationship between him and his father. The book of Hebrews was written to the saints – to the church – to them already in a relationship with God through Christ, and the yellow tape of “CAUTION” has been spread out! It is warning those who are thinking about following the footsteps of those I mentioned. Hebrews is encouraging them not to give up on their faith! Don’t break your relationship with God! Don’t exchange your glory!

There are a lot of things and imaginations that seek to draw you away. Hebrews teaches that if we will just hold on to the truth, to the confidence, the reward is coming! 1 Corinthians 15:58 supports this by admonishing us to “. . . be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord, (KJV). If you stay rooted in the Lord, it will all pay off in a little while. It’s not in vain! Don’t change your glory!

Hold on! “For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise,” (Hebrews 10:36, KJV). Wait for it! Do His will! Receive His promises! But, don’t change your glory! “Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back into perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul,” (Hebrews 10:38-39, KJV).

There are many things that appear to profit but end in ruin. Ask Adam and Eve, or the prodigal son, or even the ancient Israelites. They suffered from the choices they made. Today, we can look at their examples and decide to do it differently. We don’t mock them, but we learn from them what we don’t want to do. And, we don’t want to change our glory!

All I Have Is a Thank You

March 5, 2022March 9, 2022Leave a comment

My words may not be many, but with my heart, my thank You says much.

When I look around and see the wondrous things done for me, and the many times You stood for me and helped me – my heart is overwhelmed with praise of thanks.

Thank You for touching my life.

Thank You for saving my soul.

Thank You for this new day I see.

Thank You for another chance given me.

Thank You for hearing my prayers.

Thank You for letting me know You care.

Thank You for being by my side.

Thank You, my Heavenly Guide.

Oh, Father God, I just want to thank You. The greatness of who You are in my life – it just cannot be compared. So, humbly before You, with love and gratefulness in my heart and soul, all I have is a thank You.

“Worship!”

June 8, 2019April 1, 2020Leave a comment

Worship is how we honor God,
taking the mind off of self.
It’s the moving of the soul and spirit,
of His goodness and praises to tell.

Worship is how we lift Him up,
to the place where He belongs.
In worship, we close our eyes to the world
to sing our heavenly song.

Worship gives Him the glory
that is due His holy name.
With all the hosts of heaven enjoined,
in Him our salvation we claim.

Darkness and troubles try to trample it out
but my worship still remains.
Through rain and floods, and storms a gale
my worship is still the same.

Through trials and tests, pain and sorrows,
it causes my worship to grow.
Hard nights and long days,
praise in my life I do sow.

No matter what’s going on around you
God is still worthy to be praised.
With hearts bowed down and eyes closed
with my hands, do I raise.

Stepping into worship I empty my heart
of all my cares and woes.
For He is the One who brings me out.
Of this, I surely know.

Getting rid of all the strife,
in worship do I release.
Putting Him on a pedestal
as my whole, my centerpiece.

God is good and God is great,
in worship, that’s what we do.
By and by, life goes on.
But won’t you worship Him, too!

“Give unto the LORD the glory due His name,” Psalm 29:1

“Worship!”

October 10, 2017April 1, 2020Leave a comment