Bible In One Year-Day 124 (Sunday, May 4, 2014)

Commentary: 1Kings7-9. You may wonder why the detail of the building of the temple is so emphasized in chapter7. The lesson in it is that the whole part of our body must be consecrated to the Lord; no part should be left out from the cross. Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, therefore no member of our body should be left out of holiness; Romans 6:13 “Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin: but yield yourselves to God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.”

Solomon did not use ordinary materials to build God’s temple, so we must not allow any defiling thing on our body. The appearance of that temple was pleasing to God and that was why He came down in His glory to fill it. Anyone who saw that temple knew that it was not built for anybody to reside in but for God Himself. Is your heart good enough for the Holy Spirit to reside or your appearance shows worldliness? Many say that it is the heart the Lord looks at. There is no dispute about that for as long as it is in the right context without any defense for the flesh. However, it is good for us to know that Solomon beautified the temple from the inner sanctuary to the Most Holy place, 1Kings8:6, before bringing in the Ark of the Covenant. The presence of God only filled it afterwards, 1 Kings 8:10 “And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD,”

You must be holy from inside out. You are what the bundle of your thoughts reads; Matthew 12:34 “O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh.”

If you see a nakedly dressed person on the street, such was naked in the heart before doing it in appearance. Godly appearance is simple, modest and full of humility, while worldly adornment is materialistic. Whether in the church or outside of the church; whichever, it starts from the heart. Your appearance is an expression of what your heart is saying. Once your dressing is drawing unnecessary lustful attention to you, it is going out of order; 1 Timothy 2:9 “In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.”

You must be known by your good works and not by worldly adornment. When SEDUCTION dresses up, LUST is attracted and a marriage that will never lasts is in place. As soon as the lust satisfies itself, the marriage becomes Ichabod, i.e. glory departed.

If you do good to others, God is glorified, but when the attention is on you by reason of jewelries and expensive and seductive clothing, God is despised. The beauty of the temple was inside; your beauty must be inside of you. God was so pleased with the temple that He visited Solomon the second time in chapter9 and consecrated the temple. Jesus did not die for the jewelries, gold and expensive clothes, He died for your SOUL which is inside of you. Precious natural materials such as gold, pearl, etc are concealed deep in the ground. Your body is precious and should not be exposed anyhow in the name of fashion. Spiritually speaking, beloved, demons are attracted also by seductive dressing. Don’t be surprised for the disgusting, nasty and oppressive dreams you have; it could be as a result of what you have attracted through your ungodly dressing. Consider what the scripture says about our Christian and modest dressing;

1 Peter 3:3-5 “Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection to their own husbands:”

Our reading for today is 1Kings10-12. Keep the fire burning and alive.