Temple of God, April 8
Temple of God, April 8 ... you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone,
in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,
in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. Ephesians 2:19-22 www.solascriptura.com Father, it is sometimes difficult to admit it, but we were all once strangers and foreigners to You. That was our condition before we learned of Your grace to us and of salvation from Jesus. But now we are citizens of heaven with all of the other saints, we are members of Your household. We are family! As we learn from the apostles, prophets and Jesus, we build a foundation for our inner temple, where we are able to know You better every day and trust You more every day. Your word says we are the dwelling place of God in the Spirit. Help us Father to be an effective witness of Your love. Let our Joy in You be evident to all, all of the time. We pray in Jesus' name, amen. Bruce Caldwell
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Temple of God, March 14
Temple of God, March 14 ...God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. 1Thessalonians 5:9-10, www.solascriptura.com Father, indeed, we who love You with all our heart, mind and soul and love our neighbor as ourselves, are not appointed to Your wrath. We know that does not mean that we are protected from the wrath of mankind, where people are capable of heinous crime. We are protected from Your wrath and most theologians take that to mean we will not endure Armageddon, because we will have been caught up in the clouds, either before the 7 years of tribulation, in the middle of the 7 years or at the end of the 7 years. You have chosen to not make it perfectly clear whether we should hold a pre-trib, mid-trib or post-trib view but You have made it clear we should be "ready." If we are ready we will be taken to Your side and we will not endure the final trials that will occur. You have appointed us to salvation. Your grace called us and Your Son took away our sin. Help us, today, to respond to Your love and mercy. Being protected by You, for eternity, is Your promise. When we do experience the wrath of man, help us know that the suffering of this present time is not worthy to be compared to what You have prepared for us. We are Yours, forever, not just for this extremely brief moment of time (a finite number is incomparable to an infinite number) but for eternity. If we live less than three score and ten, we graduate early (to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord) and if we live longer we get to serve longer. Bless us this day, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Bruce Caldwell
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Temple of God, February 14
Temple of God, February 14 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.
But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. I Peter 5:8-10 www.solascriptura.com Dear God, sometimes we forget that we who love You have a big target on our back and that Satan is indeed looking for ways to bring us down, to break our faith and to make us doubt that You are there for us. It seems apparent, Father, that Satan does not waste his time bringing down those who he thinks belong to him (You have taught us that he has limitations of time and space). We pray that no one will choose evil over good, Satan over You. You say to resist the devil. How do we do that, given the range of his power that You have granted to him? Your word says we, in and of our own strength, can not resist him. It is only by the power of the Holy Spirit that we can withstand the temptations that Satan places before us. Nothing is as insightful as your word..."may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you." Thank You for sharing Your wisdom and truth with us. We pray in Jesus' name, amen. Bruce Caldwell
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Temple of God, January 18
Temple of God, January 18 ...gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;
but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,
because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy." 1 Peter 1:13-16 www.solascriptura.com Father, what did Peter imply when he said, "be sober"? Does that mean do not be drunk? We know you would never have us out of control intoxicated. You leave the "to eat or not to eat (meat, for instance) or to drink or to not drink (wine for instance)" up to us. You make it clear that if we do anything that seems wrong to us, it is wrong. You teach us that we must have a clear conscience before You. Being "sober-minded" is another admonition and we know that is different than intoxication from drink. You teach us that we should be orderly in our conduct, to not speak coarsely and to therefore have Your Spirit in us. You also tell us to be full of joy, so to be sober minded must not mean to be long faced and stern in our demeanor. Father, what a wonderful verse it is when you tell us "rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ"; Your grace is brought to us, it is made active, by the revelation of Jesus. In effect, grace lies dormant within us until Jesus sanctifies us through His cleansing of our souls. How else, O'God, could we be holy? In our natural, unregenerate state we are not holy and absent the redemptive power of Jesus, our sins, which separate us from You, are still with us. We yearn to be released from the power of sin forever but when we stumble, thank You Jesus for lifting us up. We pray, on every occasion, in Your Holy name, amen. Bruce Caldwell
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Temple of God, November 4, 2008
Temple of God, November 4, 2008 ...you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people."
Therefore "Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you."
"I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty." 2 Corinthians 6:16-18 www.solascriptura.com Father, You say we are the temple, the temple in which You reside. It is a humbling thought indeed to believe that we are the building, the body in which You reside.
How Father, should we treat the temple? If we see ourselves, as we move through the day, as a temple in which You reside, how will that effect our interactions? How Father shall we adorn the temple? Does it matter if we take care to have the body that houses the temple be clean and presentable? What expectations do You have of us for taking care of the temple? Is body piercing and are tattoos alright? Are we too immodest at times? In what ways might we disappoint You as we present ourselves to the world?
O' God, help us today to focus on the fact that we are temples of Your presence. Teach us how You would have us care for our bodies and to know what is acceptable and unacceptable in Your sight. You ask us to "Come out from among them and be separate." In what ways are we to be separate, to be different and yet distinctly Yours? We pray with questions and look to Your Holy word for answers. Given the fact that You have written the truth upon our hearts, perhaps introspection is all the inspection we need. We know that we must be in the world to be effective but help us not to become "of the world." We pray these things in Jesus' name, amen. Bruce Caldwell
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Temple of God, October 20
Temple of God, October 20 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?
... he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. 1 Corinthians 6:15, 17, 19-20 www.solascriptura.com Father, elsewhere You have taught us that when we invite You into our heart, that we become one with You, just as when a man and woman come together, their union makes them "as one". Here we learn that when we decide to acknowledge and accept Your grace in our lives, we become as one with Jesus. Father, it is clear that fidelity to You, the Holy Spirit in us, is of utmost importance. We were bought at a great price and if we say we love You, and in fact do love You, at least for a while, and then decide to kick You out of our lives, then we have committed the unpardonable sin which You defined in Hebrews 6:4-6.
So it is Father, with a man and a woman. Fidelity is not an option because if it was, we would be going against Your stated will, for a man and a woman. O'God, teach us, right now, how much fidelity to You and fidelity to those we make vows to here, matters.
Bruce Caldwell
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Temple of God, October 12
Temple of God, October 12 Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things.
For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables.
Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him.
He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks.
For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.
For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's.
For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. Romans 14:1-3, 6-9 www.solascriptura.com Father, our bodies are the place where the Spirit abides and therefore we are the Temple of God. If we decide to be vegetarians, or not, Your word teaches us not to let that become an issue. We are told that we need not worry about the other person's eating habits. You teach us elsewhere that it is not what enters into the stomach that defiles a man, it is that which proceeds from the heart. What we eat and what we drink may or may not be healthy (we get to make choices) but what we say and the way we behave must be consistent with Your expectations. Your word says that if we eat, we eat as unto the Lord, if we speak, we speak as unto the Lord. Father, may we "Do all things as unto the Lord". What a perfect yardstick in measuring our thoughts and actions. Help us, today, to take care of the body you have given us and to be an effective witness, one that presents ourselves as a Temple of God. Give us, we pray, the self-discipline, buoyed by the power of the Holy Spirit to be as You Jesus, full of joy, humility and love. In Your name we pray, amen. Bruce Caldwell
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Temple of God, September 21
Temple of God, September 21 ...let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.
Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense.
It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak.
Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves.
But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.
Romans 14:19-23 www.solascripura.com Dear God, You have taught us that we have freedom in our choices of food and drink. Here You teach us that when we make decisions about eating or drinking that we should feel we are acting in a manner consistent with Your will.
You teach us that our conscience must be clear when we make choices about eating and drinking and that if our heart convicts us concerning such things, we should refrain. You also tell us that if we do not feel right about what we are doing and we go on doing it, we are sinning. Father, there is another issue that You bring up. When a person is upset by our choices of eating and drinking and if we insist on moving forward with that choice, we err. If our brother in Christ does not feel drinking wine or eating pork or any other prohibition, is proper, we need not make an issue of it and You say we should never cause that person to stumble. Give us discernment in such matters, we pray. Father, it all seems to come down to our love for You and our neighbor. If we have a clear conscience before You we are free to eat and drink whatever we choose, knowing that doing either to excess, leads to problems. If we truly love our neighbor we will not do anything that offends what you describe as a "weaker brother" simply because we love them and do not want an issue of that sort to divide us.
You sum it all up by saying "...let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another." Let that be our goal we pray. Amen. Bruce Caldwell
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Temple of God, September 3
Temple of God, September 3 We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification.
For even Christ did not please Himself... Romans 15:1-3 www.solascriptura.com Jesus, we see from Paul's words that You lived among us and did not focus on pleasing Yourself. You eventually made the ultimate sacrifice for us and You made it clear it was a very painful act. The suffering was one thing but absorbing all of the sin of mankind meant at least a temporary separation from the Father. Jesus, we sometimes feel that we must "have our way". We too often focus on our rights and our needs. Help us today to see that You set the perfect example for us. In loving You with all of our hearts, mind and soul, we serve You. In loving our neighbor as ourselves, we serve them. We humbly pray for more patience as we place our hopes and needs before You and as we extend Your love to others. It is much easier for us to "wait upon the Lord" knowing that Your will for us is what is best for us, even when we beg You to intervene in difficult circumstances, than to be patient with our neighbor. Help us to show the same consideration to our neighbors and friends as we do to You. Keep us from rejecting people simply because they are irritatingly persistent at times. What a wonderful thing it is when You honor our persistence instead of getting impatient with us. Give us a servant's heart towards our neighbor, we pray, in Jesus' name, amen. Bruce Caldwell
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Temple of God, August 15
Temple of God, August 15 Now Moses called all Israel and said to them: "You have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land
"the great trials which your eyes have seen, the signs, and those great wonders.
"Yet the LORD has not given you a heart to perceive and eyes to see and ears to hear, to this very day.
"And I have led you forty years in the wilderness. Your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandals have not worn out on your feet;
"you have not eaten bread, nor have you drunk wine or similar drink; that you may know that I am the LORD your God. Deuteronomy 29:2-6 www.solascriptura.com Father, Your chosen people have experienced firsthand what it is to be the temple of the living God. You did miracles in their midst, giving them manna every day, giving them water where none should have existed and leading them in the paths You wanted them to go. They saw how they were redeemed from captivity as Moses confronted Pharaoh with miracle after miracle showing him that You Father, were in total control. These people were walking examples of Your glory. Yet, disobedience persisted. They had eyes that did not see and ears that did not hear and their hearts were not full of discernment. Father, we, and everyone in the world, have been chosen by You to receive Your grace. Jesus, when He went to the cross and was raised again told us that His death and resurrection established a New Covenant, one in which the truth is written on the heart of every man, whereby no one is without at least some Light. We are Your temples and You are our Lord. The evidence of Your love has been verified. Help us and every person in every nation to respond to Your grace. We pray in Jesus' name, amen. Bruce Caldwell
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Temple of God, July 26
Temple of God, July 26 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are. 1 Corinthians 3:16, 17 www.solascriptura.com Father, Paul reminds us that we are the temple of God. He teaches that if we defile the temple that You will destroy us. What is it that we might do Father to defile the temple? That is a question that each of us needs to answer as individuals. If we were to make a list of things that we think “defile the temple”, what would our list include? God, help us know what it is that You would have us stop doing. We pray for the Holy Spirit in us to give us the resolve to make any changes in our lifestyle and habits that are necessary. Help each of us to be Holy in Your sight; we pray in Jesus’ name, amen. Bruce Caldwell Labels: Temple of God
The Temple of God, July 8
The Temple of God, July 8 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. Food is for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power. 1 Corinthians 6:9-14 www.solascriptura.com Father, You have taught us that we are Your Temple and that you reside in our hearts. It does not surprise us that this temple should not be dragged into sinful situations. If we claim we are Yours, help us to not desecrate the temple, to not embarrass You, and eventually ourselves, by our bad choices. We know that You hate sin and will not let it into Your midst. Is there any way Father that we can willfully sin and still expect Your presence? There may be a way but it seems like a childish expectation. Father, the sins listed are more or less "sins against our bodies" but are sins of anger, pride and envy any less irritating to You? You have taught us the answer many times; we are to be as Jesus and that was the embodiment of perfection. Since we are in a state of "becoming" in terms of our sanctification, we realize that sin will pursue us, relentlessly. Strengthen our resolve to look to You for the solution. You did resurrect Jesus and the last verse of this quotation says You will lift us up. We are, at times, very burdened here and can't wait for the perfection You promise. In the meantime, help us to use the days You have allotted to us wisely that we may bring glory to You. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Bruce Caldwell
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Temple of God, July 3
Temple of God, July 3 ...the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.
"And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.
"For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.
"And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. Luke 1:13-16 www.solascriptura.com Father, if we were to ever wonder about Your level of control in the affairs of man, here You allow us to listen in to one of Your angels as John the Baptist's parents were being told of his miraculous birth and pivotal mission. You ordained John before he was born. You set him apart and Father, when he proclaimed the coming of Jesus, You had already seen the entire scene. It is Your omniscience, Your knowledge of the beginning, the process and the end that we are witnessing. Father, we realize You have already seen who we are and how we are going to live our lives. Nothing we do surprises You. Yet, everything we do seems new and unrehearsed to us. We do not know how tomorrow will turn out and we sometimes have anxiety and fear about what will happen. Help us O'God to trust You and to have faith in the fact of Jesus' redemptive power. We know that if we seek You, if we hunger and thirst for Your word and Your Holy presence, You are there for us. No one, ever, could be to us what You are. Help us, today, to know that we are enveloped by Your love. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Bruce Caldwell
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Temple of God, June 11
Temple of God, June 11 ...be imitators of God as dear children.
And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints;
neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.
For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Ephesians 5:1-6, www.solascriptura.com O' God, You ask us to be imitators of You, and we know that Jesus was You, incarnate and that if we have seen the Son we have seen the Father. Jesus was the only person who ever lived who never sinned. Your Scriptures say "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Every person, aside from Jesus, has sinned. Father, we confess we are sinners, saved by grace and that when we reach for a relationship with Jesus, He willingly accepts us, forgives us and cleanses us. Jesus said, I no longer call you servants, but I call you friends because I will reveal to you all that the Father has revealed to Me. How Father, can we know all things concerning You? Jesus told us the answer. He said I will, by the grace of the New Covenant, write the truth upon the heart of every person and all we must do to learn the truth is to come to the Light within. That, Father, is why You call us saints and tell us we are the temple of the Holy Father. We feel so distant, at times, from realizing that truth. We sometimes move towards darkness, we move away from You and away from Your Holy word. Forgive us for those occasions and help us to grow up, to become sanctified and to be as much like You, Jesus, as possible. We pray in Your Holy name, amen. Bruce Caldwell
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Temple of God, May 23
Temple of God, May 23 ... you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light
(for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth),
finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.
For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.
But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.
Therefore He says: "Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light."
See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,
redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:8-16 www.solascriptura.com Father, it is a lot more fun to read the comforting words of the Psalms than to have to be confronted with the words of Paul. We know, Father, that Paul spent 3 years in Arabia learning from You and that he was shown things that he was not even permitted to share with us. Thus, when Paul speaks, though his words are direct, the message is from You. We are children of light, Your Light, within us, and as such we look to You for direction in all things. Here, again, Paul warns us of the unfruitful works of darkness. We do live in "evil days". Yet, You have told us not to retreat but to love, not to hate but to help. Father, every sinner is as we have been and if it was not for the Light of Jesus within and the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, we would all be in darkness, stumbling about in a sinful world. You have told us to "arise from the dead" and "redeem the time". Father, help us, today, to be reminded that Your Light in us is life, life eternal. We pray that each day of life You give us is a day in which our love for You and our neighbor is made manifest. Show us how You would have us serve. We pray in Jesus' name, amen.
Bruce Caldwell
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Temple of God, May 1
Temple of God, May 1 ...do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,
speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,
giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Ephesians 5:17-20 www.solascriptura.com O' God, we do pray for wisdom and discernment, we do pray for Your word to penetrate our hearts and minds. We do seek to fulfill your will for our lives. Here we are taught that being out of control, whether it is from alcohol or drugs, leads to dissipation. Most of us have seen the ugly effects being drunk or spaced out. What we need Father, is to learn from what we see and then to rely on Your Spirit within us to overcome temptation and to present our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit. Your admonition is completely positive when You tell us to speak to each other in psalms and spiritual songs, making melody in our heart, to You and to the world. When that happens, we simply give thanks to You, in the name of Jesus. What a perfectly natural response to joy, sent to us as a gift. When disappointments come, and they will not cease to come until we are with You, we do not have joy for the pain, but we are able to have joy as we endure the pain by accessing Your peace and comfort. We are Your temple, You will deliver us; of that we are certain. We pray for Your counsel in our lives in Jesus' name, amen.
Bruce Caldwell
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Temple of God, April 8
Temple of God, April 8 ... you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone,
in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,
in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. Ephesians 2:19-22 www.solascriptura.com Father, it is sometimes difficult to admit it, but we were all once strangers and foreigners to You. That was our condition before we learned of Your grace to us and of salvation from Jesus. But now we are citizens of heaven with all of the other saints, we are members of Your household. We are family! As we learn from the apostles, prophets and Jesus, we build a foundation for our inner temple, where we know You better every day and trust You more every day. Your word says we are the dwelling place of God in the Spirit. Help us Father to be an effective witness of Your love. Let our Joy in You be evident to all, all of the time. We pray in Jesus' name, amen. Bruce Caldwell
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Temple of God, March 14
Temple of God, March 14 ...God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. 1Thessalonians 5:9-10, www.solascriptura.com Father, indeed, we who love You with all our heart, mind and soul and love our neighbor as ourselves, are not appointed to Your wrath. We know that does not mean that we are protected from the wrath of mankind, where people are capable of heinous crime. We are protected from Your wrath and most theologians take that to mean we will not endure Armageddon, because we will have been caught up in the clouds, either before the 7 years of tribulation, in the middle of the 7 years or at the end of the 7 years. You have chosen to not make it perfectly clear whether we should hold a pre-trib, mid-trib or post-trib view but You have made it clear we should be "ready." If we are ready we will be taken to Your side and we will not endure the final trials that will occur. You have appointed us to salvation. Your grace called us and Your Son took away our sin. Help us, today, to respond to Your love and mercy. Being protected by You, for eternity, is Your promise. When we do experience the wrath of man, help us to know that the suffering of this present time is not worthy to be compared to what You have prepared for us. We are Yours, forever, not just for this extremely brief moment of time (a finite number is incomparable to an infinite number) but for eternity. If we live less than three score and ten, we graduate early (to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord) and if we live longer we get to serve longer. Bless us this day, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Bruce Caldwell
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Temple of God, February 14
Temple of God, February 14 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.
But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. I Peter 5:8-10 www.solascriptura.com Dear God, sometimes we forget that we who love You have a big target on our back and that Satan is indeed looking for ways to bring us down, to break our faith and to make us doubt that You are there for us. It seems apparent, Father, that Satan does not waste his time bringing down those who already belong to him (You have taught us that he has limitations of time and space). Those people are down! You say to resist the devil. How do we do that, given the range of his power that You have granted to him? Your word says we, in and of our own strength, can not resist him. It is only by the power of the Holy Spirit that we can withstand the temptations that Satan places before us. Nothing is as insightful as your word..."may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you." We pray in Jesus' name, amen. Bruce Caldwell
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Temple of God, January 18, 2009
Temple of God, January 18, 2009 ...gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;
but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,
because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy." 1 Peter 1:13-16 www.solascriptura.com Father, what did Peter imply when he said, "be sober"? Does that mean do not be drunk? We know you would never have us out of control intoxicated. You leave the "to eat or not to eat (meat, for instance) or to drink or to not drink (wine for instance)" up to us. You make it clear that if we do anything that seems wrong to us, it is wrong. You teach us that we must have a clear conscience before You. Being "sober-minded" is another admonition and we know that is different than intoxication from drink. You teach us that we should be orderly in our conduct, to not speak coarsely and to therefore have Your Spirit in us. You also tell us to be full of joy, so to be sober minded must not mean to be long faced and stern in our demeanor.
Father, what a wonderful verse it is when you tell us "rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ"; Your grace is brought to us, it is made active, by the revelation of Jesus. In effect, grace lies dormant within us until Jesus sanctifies us through His cleansing of our souls. How else, O'God, could we be holy? In our natural, unregenerate state we are not holy and absent the redemptive power of Jesus our sins, which separate us from You, are still with us. We yearn to be released from the power of sin forever but when we stumble, thank You Jesus for lifting us up. We pray, on every occasion, in Your Holy name, amen. Bruce Caldwell
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Temple of God, November 4, 2008
Temple of God, November 4, 2008 ...you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people."
Therefore "Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you."
"I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty." 2 Corinthians 6:16-18 www.solascriptura.com Father, You say we are the temple, the temple in which You reside. It is a humbling thought indeed to believe that we are the building, the body in which You reside.
How Father, should we treat the temple? If we see ourselves, as we move through the day, as a temple in which You reside, how will that effect our interactions? How Father shall we adorn the temple? Does it matter if we take care to have the body that houses the temple be clean and presentable? What expectations do You have of us for taking care of the temple? Is body piercing and are tattoos alright? Are we too immodest at times? In what ways might we disappoint You as we present ourselves to the world?
O' God, help us today to focus on the fact that we are temples of Your presence. Teach us how You would have us care for our bodies and to know what is acceptable and unacceptable in Your sight. You ask us to "Come out from among them and be separate." In what ways are we to be separate, to be different and yet distinctly Yours? We pray with questions and look to Your Holy word for answers. Given the fact that You have written the truth upon our hearts, perhaps introspection is all the inspection we need. We know that we must be in the world to be effective but help us not to become "of the world." We pray these things in Jesus' name, amen. Bruce Caldwell
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Temple of God, October 20, 2008
Temple of God, October 20, 2008 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?
... he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. 1 Corinthians 6:15, 17, 19-20 www.solascriptura.com Father, elsewhere You have taught us that when we invite You into our heart, that we become one with You, just as when a man and woman come together, their union makes them "as one". Here we learn that when we decide to acknowledge and accept Your grace in our lives, we become as one with Jesus. Father, it is clear that fidelity to You, the Holy Spirit in us, is of utmost importance. We were bought at a great price and if we say we love You, and in fact do love You, at least for a while, and then decide to kick You out of our lives, then we have committed the unpardonable sin which You defined in Hebrews 6:4-6.
So it is Father, with a man and a woman. Fidelity is not an option because if it was, we would be going against Your stated will, for a man and a woman. O'God, teach us, right now, how much fidelity to You and fidelity to those we make vows to here, matters.
Bruce Caldwell
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Temple of God, October 12, 2008
Temple of God, October 12, 2008 Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things.
For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables.
Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him.
He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks.
For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.
For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's.
For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. Romans 14:1-3, 6-9 www.solascriptura.com Father, our bodies are the place where the Spirit abides and therefore we are the Temple of God. If we decide to be vegetarians, or not, Your word teaches us not to let that become an issue. We are told that we need not worry about the other person's eating habits. You teach us elsewhere that it is not what enters into the stomach that defiles a man, it is that which proceeds from the heart. What we eat and what we drink may or may not be healthy (we get to make choices) but what we say and the way we behave must be consistent with Your expectations. Your word says that if we eat, we eat as unto the Lord, if we speak, we speak as unto the Lord. Help us, today, to take care of the body you have given us and to be an effective witness, one that presents ourselves as a Temple of God. Give us, we pray, the self-discipline, buoyed by the power of the Holy Spirit to be as You Jesus, full of joy, humility and love. In Your name we pray, amen. Bruce Caldwell
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Temple of God, September 21, 2008
Temple of God, September 21, 2008 ...let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.
Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense.
It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak.
Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves.
But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.
Romans 14:19-23 www.solascripura.com Dear God, You have taught us that we have freedom in our choices of food and drink. Here You teach us that when we make decisions about eating or drinking that we should feel we are acting in a manner consistent with Your will.
You teach us that our conscience must be clear when we make choices about eating and drinking and that if our heart convicts us concerning such things, we should refrain. You also tell us that if we do not feel right about what we are doing and we go on doing it, we are sinning. Father, there is another issue that You bring up. When a person is upset by our choices of eating and drinking and if we insist on moving forward with that choice, we err. If our brother in Christ does not feel drinking wine or eating pork or any other prohibition, is proper, we need not make an issue of it and You say we should never cause that person to stumble. Give us discernment in such matters, we pray. Father, it all seems to come down to our love for You and our neighbor. If we have a clear conscience before You we are free to eat and drink whatever we choose, knowing that doing either to excess, leads to problems. If we truly love our neighbor we will not do anything that offends what you describe as a "weaker brother" simply because we love them and do not want an issue of that sort to divide us.
You sum it all up by saying "...let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another." Let that be our goal we pray. Amen. Bruce Caldwell
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Temple of God, September 3, 2008
Temple of God, September 3, 2008 We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification.
For even Christ did not please Himself... Romans 15:1-3 www.solascriptura.com Jesus, we see from Paul's words that You lived among us and did not focus on pleasing Yourself. You eventually made the ultimate sacrifice for us and You made it clear it was a very painful act. The suffering was one thing but absorbing all of the sin of mankind meant at least a temporary separation from the Father. Jesus, we sometimes feel that we must "have our way". We too often focus on our rights and our needs. Help us today to see that You set the perfect example for us. In loving You with all of our hearts, mind and soul, we serve You. In loving our neighbor as ourselves, we serve them. We humbly pray for more patience as we place our hopes and needs before You and as we extend Your love to others. It is much easier for us to "wait upon the Lord" knowing that Your will for us is what is best for us, even when we beg You to intervene in difficult circumstances, than to be patient with our neighbor. Help us to show the same consideration to our neighbors and friends as we do to You. Keep us from rejecting people simply because they are irritatingly persistent at times. What a wonderful thing it is when You honor our persistence instead of getting impatient with us. Give us a servant's heart towards our neighbor, we pray, in Jesus' name, amen. Bruce Caldwell
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Temple of God, August 15, 2008
Temple of God, August 15, 2008 Now Moses called all Israel and said to them: "You have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land
"the great trials which your eyes have seen, the signs, and those great wonders.
"Yet the LORD has not given you a heart to perceive and eyes to see and ears to hear, to this very day.
"And I have led you forty years in the wilderness. Your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandals have not worn out on your feet;
"you have not eaten bread, nor have you drunk wine or similar drink; that you may know that I am the LORD your God. Deuteronomy 29:2-6 www.solascriptura.com Father, Your chosen people have experienced firsthand what it is to be the temple of the living God. You did miracles in their midst, giving them manna every day, giving them water where none should have existed and leading them in the paths You wanted them to go. They saw how they were redeemed from captivity as Moses confronted Pharaoh with miracle after miracle showing him that You Father, were in total control. These people were walking examples of Your glory. Yet, disobedience persisted. They had eyes that did not see and ears that did not hear and their hearts were not full of discernment. Father, we, and everyone in the world, have been chosen by You to receive Your grace. Jesus, when He went to the cross and was raised again told us that His death and resurrection established a New Covenant, one in which the truth is written on the heart of every man, whereby no one is without at least some Light. We are Your temples and You are our Lord. The evidence of Your love has been verified. Help us and every person in every nation to respond to Your grace. We pray in Jesus' name, amen. Bruce Caldwell
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Temple of God, July 26, 2008
Temple of God, July 26, 2008 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are. 1 Corinthians 3:16, 17 www.solascriptura.com Father, Paul reminds us that we are the temple of God. He teaches that if we defile the temple that You will destroy us. What is it that we might do Father to defile the temple? That is a question that each of us needs to answer as individuals. If we were to make a list of things that we think "defile the temple", what would our list include? God, help us know what it is that You would have us stop doing. We pray for the Holy Spirit in us to give us the resolve to make any changes in our lifestyle and habits that are necessary. Help each of us to be Holy in Your sight; we pray in Jesus' name, amen. Bruce Caldwell
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The Temple of God, July 8, 2008
The Temple of God, July 8, 2008 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. Food is for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power. 1 Corinthians 6:9-14 www.solascriptura.com Father, You have taught us that we are Your Temple and that you reside in our hearts. It does not surprise us that this temple should not be dragged into sinful situations. If we claim we are Yours, help us to not desecrate the temple, to not embarrass You, and eventually ourselves, by our bad choices. We know that You hate sin and will not let it into Your midst. Is there any way Father that we can willfully sin and still expect Your presence? There may be a way but it seems like a childish expectation. Father, the sins listed are more or less "sins against our bodies" but are sins of anger, pride and envy any less irritating to You? You have taught us the answer many times; we are to be as Jesus and that was the embodiment of perfection. Since we are in a state of "becoming" in terms of our sanctification, we realize that sin will pursue us, relentlessly. Strengthen our resolve to look to You for the solution. You did resurrect Jesus and the last verse of this quotation says You will lift us up. We are, at times, very burdened here and can't wait for the perfection You promise. In the meantime, help us to use the days You have allotted to us wisely that we may bring glory to You. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Bruce Caldwell
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Temple of God, July 3, 2008
Temple of God, July 3, 2008 ...the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.
"And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.
"For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.
"And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. Luke 1:13-16 www.solascriptura.com Father, if we were to ever wonder about Your level of control in the affairs of man, here You allow us to listen in to one of Your angels as John the Baptist's parents were being told of his miraculous birth and pivotal mission. You ordained John before he was born. You set him apart and Father, when he proclaimed the coming of Jesus, You had already seen the entire scene. It is Your omniscience, Your knowledge of the beginning and the end that we are witnessing. Father, we realize You have already seen who we are and how we are going to live our lives. Nothing we do surprises You. Yet, everything we do seems new and unrehearsed to us. We do not know how tomorrow will turn out and we sometimes have anxiety and fear about what will happen. Help us O'God to trust You and to have faith in the fact of Jesus' redemptive power. We know that if we seek You, if we hunger and thirst for Your word and Your Holy presence, You are there for us. No one, ever, could be to us what You are. Help us, today, to know that we are enveloped by Your love. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Bruce Caldwell
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Temple of God, June 11, 2008
Temple of God, June 11, 2008 ...be imitators of God as dear children.
And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints;
neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.
For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Ephesians 5:1-6, www.solascriptura.com O' God, You ask us to be imitators of You, and we know that Jesus was You, incarnate and that if we have seen the Son we have seen the Father. Jesus was the only person who ever lived who never sinned. Your Scriptures say "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Every person, aside from Jesus, has sinned. Father, we confess we are sinners, saved by grace and that when we reach for a relationship with Jesus, He willingly accepts us, forgives us and cleanses us. Jesus said, I no longer call you servants, but I call you friends because I will reveal to you all that the Father has revealed to Me. How Father, can we know all things concerning You? Jesus told us the answer. He said I will, by the grace of the New Covenant, write the truth upon the heart of every person and all we must do to learn the truth is to come to the Light within. That, Father, is why You call us saints and tell us we are the temple of the Holy Father. We feel so distant, at times, from realizing that truth. We sometimes move towards darkness, we move away from You and away from Your Holy word. Forgive us for those occasions and help us to grow up, to become sanctified and to be as much like You, Jesus, as possible. We pray in Your Holy name, amen. Bruce Caldwell
This message was sent by: Bruce Caldwell, 1 Sola Scriptura, Carlsbad, CA 92011 To be removed click here:
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Temple of God, May 23, 2008
Temple of God, May 23, 2008 ... you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light
(for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth),
finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.
For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.
But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.
Therefore He says: "Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light."
See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,
redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:8-16 www.solascriptura.com Father, it is a lot more fun to read the comforting words of the Psalms than to have to be confronted with the words of Paul. We know, Father, that Paul spent 3 years in Arabia learning from You and that he was shown things that he was not even permitted to share with us. Thus, when Paul speaks, though his words are direct, the message is from You. We are children of light, Your Light, within us, and as such we look to You for direction in all things. Here, again, Paul warns us of the unfruitful works of darkness. We do live in "evil days". Yet, You have told us not to retreat but to love, not to hate but to help. Father, every sinner is as we have been and if it was not for the Light of Jesus within and the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, we would all be in darkness, stumbling about in a sinful world. You have told us to "arise from the dead" and "redeem the time". Father, help us, today, to be reminded that Your Light in us is life, life eternal. We pray that each day of life You give us is a day in which our love for You and our neighbor is made manifest. Show us how You would have us serve. We pray in Jesus' name, amen.
Bruce Caldwell
This message was sent by: Bruce Caldwell, 1 Sola Scriptura, Carlsbad, CA 92011 To be removed click here:
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Temple of God, May 1, 2008
Temple of God, May 1, 2008 ...do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,
speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,
giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Ephesians 5:17-20 www.solascriptura.com O' God, we do pray for wisdom and discernment, we do pray for Your word to penetrate our hearts and minds. We do seek to fulfill your will for our lives. Here we are taught that being out of control, whether it is from alcohol or drugs, leads to dissipation. Most of us have seen the ugly effects being drunk or spaced out. What we need Father, is to learn from what we see and then to rely on Your Spirit within us to overcome temptation and to present our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit. Your admonition is completely positive when You tell us to speak to each other in psalms and spiritual songs, making melody in our heart, to You and to the world. When that happens, we simply give thanks to You, in the name of Jesus. What a perfectly natural response to joy, sent to us as a gift. When disappointments come, and they will not cease to come until we are with You, we do not have joy for the pain, but we are able to have joy as we endure the pain by accessing Your peace and comfort. We are Your temple, You will deliver us; of that we are certain. We pray for Your counsel in our lives in Jesus' name, amen.
Bruce Caldwell
This message was sent by: Bruce Caldwell, 1 Sola Scriptura, Carlsbad, CA 92011 To be removed click here:
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Temple of God, April 8, 2008
Temple of God, April 8, 2008 ... you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone,
in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,
in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. Ephesians 2:19-22 www.solascriptura.com Father, it is sometimes difficult to admit it, but we were all once strangers and foreigners to You. That was our condition before we learned of Your grace to us and of salvation from Jesus. But now we are citizens of heaven with all of the other saints, we are members of Your household. We are family! As we learn from the apostles, prophets and Jesus, we build a foundation for our inner temple, where we know You better every day and trust You more every day. Your word says we are the dwelling place of God in the Spirit. Help us Father to be an effective witness of Your love. Let our Joy in You be evident to all, all of the time. We pray in Jesus' name, amen. Bruce Caldwell
This message was sent by: Bruce Caldwell, 1 Sola Scriptura, Carlsbad, CA 92011 Forward to a friend: http://app.icontact.com/icp/sub/forward?m=161935&s=10466934&c=O8UL&cid=207588 To be removed click here: http://app.icontact.com/icp/mmail-mprofile.pl?r=10466934&l=19402&s=O8UL&m=161935&c=207588 Labels: Temple of God
Temple of God, March 14, 2008
Temple of God, March 14, 2008 ...God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. 1Thessalonians 5:9-10, www.solascriptura.com Father, indeed, we who love You with all our heart, mind and soul and love our neighbor as ourselves, are not appointed to Your wrath. We know that does not mean that we are protected from the wrath of mankind, where people are capable of heinous crime. We are protected from Your wrath and most theologians take that to mean we will not endure Armageddon, because we will have been caught up in the clouds, either before the 7 years of tribulation, in the middle of the 7 years or at the end of the 7 years. You have chosen to not make it perfectly clear whether we should hold a pre-trib, mid-trib or post-trib view but You have made it clear we should be "ready." If we are ready we will be taken to Your side and we will not endure the trials that will occur. You have appointed us to salvation. Your grace called us and Your Son took away our sin. Help us, today, to respond to Your love and mercy. Being protected by You, for eternity, is Your promise. When we do experience the wrath of man, help us to know that the suffering of this present time is not worthy to be compared to what You have prepared for us. We are Yours, forever, not just for this extremely brief moment of time but for eternity. If we live less than three score and ten, we graduate early (to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord) and if we live longer we get to serve longer. Bless us this day, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Bruce Caldwell
This message was sent by: Bruce Caldwell, 1 Sola Scriptura, Carlsbad, CA 92011 Forward to a friend: http://app.icontact.com/icp/sub/forward?m=161538&s=10466934&c=O8UL&cid=207588 To be removed click here: http://app.icontact.com/icp/mmail-mprofile.pl?r=10466934&l=19402&s=O8UL&m=161538&c=207588 Labels: Temple of God
Temple of God #16
...you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” Therefore “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.” “I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” 2 Corinthians 6:16-18 www.solascriptura.comFather, You say we are the temple, the temple in which You reside. It is a humbling thought indeed to believe that we are the building, the body in which You reside. How Father, should we treat the temple? If we see ourselves, as we move through the day, as a temple in which You reside, how will that effect our interactions? How Father shall we adorn the temple? Does it matter if we take care to have the body that houses the temple be clean and presentable? What expectations do You have of us for taking care of the temple? Is body piercing and tatoos alright? Are we too immodest at times? In what ways might we disappoint You as we present ourselves to the world? O’ God, help us today to focus on the fact that we are temples of Your presence. Teach us how You would have us care for our bodies and to know what is acceptable and unacceptable in Your sight. You ask us to “Come out from among them and be separate.” In what ways are we to be separate, to be different and yet distinctly Yours? We pray with questions and look to Your Holy word for answers. Given the fact that You have written the truth upon our hearts, perhaps introspection is all the inspection we need. We know that we must be in the world to be effective but help us not to become “of the world.” We pray these things in Jesus’ name, amen. Bruce Caldwell Labels: Temple of God
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