His House

For we are the sanctuary of the living God, as God said, 'I will dwell among them and walk among them,

I will be their God, and they will be my people.

Therefore, come out from among them and be separate, says the lord;

Do not touch any unlearn thing, and I will welcome you,

And you will be sons and daughters to Me, 

Says the Lord Almighty. 2 Cor 6:16-18

Paul pulls these verses from across the Old Testament: Leviticus 26:12; Isaiah 52:11; 2Samuel 7:14. They are spoken to different groups and individuals throughout the Old Testament but the message remains the same: come out, be set apart and I will dwell with you.

Paul uses these verses to highlight the fact that we now are God's temple. Just as in the Old Testament the temple was holy and dedicated to the Lord, so are we. You could take the Holy of Holies out of the Old Testament and say: "this is what you now are."

To fully appreciate what this means we must read the institution of the first tent temple in the wilderness under Moses. We will see how holy the Holy of Holies was. Anyone entering this place with sin was instantly killed. Now we are no subject to such violence anymore because of Christ, but if God wants to dwell in us then we need to be aware of His holiness.

Yes I am a clay jar in which He chooses to dwell, but having said that, I can be made holy by abiding in Him, allowing His nature to permeate my own. I cannot change myself but He can. Amen!

So then my challenge today is to stay in fellowship with Him, stay close to Him and flourish in Him. Amen!