I Stand At The Door And Knock

"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me" (Revelation 3:20 NIV). 

Place yourself in the midst of the Jewish people standing with pride and joy, the job completed.  You have worked hard, making cloth out of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, fine linen, dying goat hair and ram skins, collecting Acacia wood to build an Ark and tables.  Melting gold, making anointing oil, priest garments, and the making of and assembling the tabernacle.  You might ask about now, "where did they get the wood: were they not in the desert?  And what about all that gold and jewelery, those precious stones; where did all that come from?  The wood was easily gathered for in the Desert of Paran, where they are traveling through, Acacia (shittim) trees are found in abundance and is a hardwwood that is good for making furniture.  The Egyptians gave jewels and gold to the Israelites before they left Egypt.  God provided the essentials even from their enemies (Ex. 12:35-36). The time has come, the tabernacle is complete and suddenly a cloud covers the tabernacle and the glory of the LORD has fills the tabenacle.  From this day forward the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night will lead the Israelites (Ex. 40:34-38).

Paul reminds us, in his first letter to the Corinthian Church.  a harsh rebuke to them, they had forgotten who and what they are.  "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price.  Therefore honor God with your body" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NIV).  Nominal cultural Christianity is not what God wants from us; He wants it all, your body, and spirit, handed over to Him.  He purchased us at a price, the price paid upon the cross.  He owns us.  We have become His temple.  Would we engage in bickering, would we bring prostitutes into the temple? "What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? 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 6:16 NIV).  Jesus even referred to Himself as the temple of God (Matt. 26:61).  This temple is but an earthly tent, not made to last long.  Our tent may be worn and ragged, but we are destined to exchange this tent, this tabernacle for an eternal palace.  "I think it right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, becasue I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me" ( 2 Peter 1:13-14 NIV).  It is temporary and perishable but made for action, to be ready to move whenever called upon to do so.

Keeping this temple, our body, fit for service means not treating it badly, whether by diet, sexuality, exercise, or any other thing, we would be desecrating this temple.  Paul uses the pharses "without ceasing," "always" in regards to praying for others, thanking God, in our prayers.  This Christian life, this temple life, is to be one of unbroken prayer and communion with God.  We are not to think that we can park Jesus or the Holy Spirit outside the temple, or leave Him somewhere until we get back; He goes wherever we go!  along our journey He is right there with us, we have a relationship with Him for He is the "cloud" and "fire" that leads us.  The question is: are we ready to follow, is our tent sanitized.  Our being a temple of God is not for the purpose of some private experience, we are the temple so that we can serve our God.

Solitude. Service. Struggles.  Most of all sacrifice: worship at all times and you will become a temple serving the LORD wherever He takes you and whatever you are going through.  Be prepared, open the door, He is standing there, knocking, and wants to come into the temple and dine with you.

Daily Prayer:

Lord Jesus I am opening the door, come in and take charge, you paid for it by coming as a babe and dying as Son of God on that cross.  Take my life and use it in service for you so that Your light will shine and others will see you in my life.  May that light from You through me shine upon others so that they too will become a temple where You may reside.    Amen