By Pastor Brandon Young
As David sat in his home made of cedars, it seemed he had an excellent idea to bless the Lord. David knew there was no place like his home, and he would build God a lavish palace as a permanent home so he wouldn’t have to be carried about in the portable box called the Ark of the Covenant. When he shared his idea with his prophet, Nathan said, “Good idea, go ahead, I am sure that what your heart is prompting you to do is the right thing!” But that night, when Nathan went to sleep, God spoke to Nathan, “Today you acted more like a politician than a prophet. You went along with the king’s plan, but you did not take the time to ask me what I thought.” God said, “I’ve never lived in a house. I can’t be contained by any house you build. I am everywhere and can be anywhere I want when I want to.” God went on to say that due to David being a man of war and bloodshed, he wanted David’s son Solomon to construct the temple. God was going to bring from David’s lineage a true place to dwell, and it was a plan that far exceeded the temple that Solomon would eventually build. Where did God truly want to dwell? This a unique question with an even more unique answer.
Usually the ark was in a tent, the symbol of nomadic life. Nomads are always on the move, no one controls them, they go where they want when they wanted. God said he would be building David a house, a spiritual and kingly line, that would be built up through the generations that would endure forever. God did not intend on being kept in one place at one time. David could not see into the future, that his house would stand forever because the Messiah would come from his house, his lineage, but God could. The Messiah, Emmanuel — God with Us, would make a way for God to indwell in the hearts of his people. That babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger came to die and resurrect so they Spirit of Almighty God could move into the souls of men throughout all generations, and we could share him with everyone. If you are in Christ, then you are a part of that building. You have been fitted together with me and with the rest of the church of Jesus Christ! We are a building, and not just a building, but a temple. You know what a temple is. It is a place where you go to meet God. It is a place where God abides. We are the place God lives and moves in the world. He doesn’t want us to confine him to one place inside a building, just to worship and serve Him at church inside four walls. He wants us to keep him on the move in the community, serving and meeting needs of those around us!
Ephesians 2:19-22 says, “19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; 21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: 22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.” Jesus, the chief cornerstone, made it possible for humanity to become the habitation of God. Is it not amazing that God felt most at home inside of his children? The God that spoke the world into existence lives inside of me and you! Paul says this to the church at Corinth in 1 Corinthians 6:15-20, 15 Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. 16 What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. 17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. 18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. 19 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? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” We do not belong to ourselves because we have been bought with a price.
God has moved inside of us, and everything that is brought into his space should be approved by him. We can grieve or cause the Spirit of God to mourn over bringing things into our lives that he disapproves. Could you imagine sitting in your living room, inside your own home, when someone walks in and started rearranging things? What if they removed certain items and brought in things that you completely despised? You and I would be completely frustrated if that happened because our homes are our own personal spaces. We get our house the way we want it and then we sit back and say, “There is no place like home.” Can God live inside of you and say, “There is no place like home,” or is God in mourning over what has been brought into his space? God should feel at home and comfortable in our lives, and we should see to it that nothing should be brought into our lives that he disagrees with. When others look into our eyes, which are the window to the soul, they should see nothing but the Lord. I would like to end with a true story I came across online. It was a bitter, cold evening in northern Virginia many years ago. The old man’s beard was glazed by winter’s frost while he waited for a ride across the river. The wait seemed endless. His body became numb and stiff from the frigid north wind.
Then he heard the faint, steady rhythm of approaching hooves galloping along the frozen path. Anxiously, he watched as several horsemen rounded the bend. He let the first one pass by without an effort to get his attention. Then another passed by, and another. Finally, the last rider neared the spot where the old man sat like a snow statue. As this one drew near, the old man caught the rider’s eye and said, “Sir, would you mind giving an old man a ride to the other side? There doesn’t appear to be a passageway by foot.”
Reining his horse, the rider replied, “Sure thing. Hop aboard.” Seeing that the old man was unable to lift his half-frozen body from the ground, the horseman dismounted and helped the old man onto the horse. The horseman took the old man not just across the river, but to his destination, which was just a few miles away.
As they neared the tiny but cozy cottage, the horseman’s curiosity caused him to inquire, “Sir, I notice that you let several other riders pass by without making an effort to secure a ride. Then I came up and you immediately asked me for a ride. I’m curious why, on such a bitter winter night, you would wait and ask the last rider. What if I had refused and left you there?”
The old man lowered himself slowly down from the horse, looked the rider straight in the eyes, and replied, “I’ve been around these here parts for some time. I reckon I know people pretty good.” The old-timer continued, “I looked into the eyes of the other riders and immediately saw there was no concern for my situation. It would have been useless even to ask them for a ride. But when I looked into your eyes, kindness and compassion were evident. I knew, then and there, that your gentle spirit would welcome the opportunity to give me assistance in my time of need.”
Those heartwarming comments touched the horseman deeply. “I’m most grateful for what you have said,” he told the old man. “May I never get too busy in my own affairs that I fail to respond to the needs of others with kindness and compassion.” With that, Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States of America, turned his horse around and made his way back to the White House.
Please remember in the days ahead, that we are the temple of the living God, and may we always move with compassion, care, and concern. May those around us look inside our eyes and see the face of Almighty God staring back at them!
(The Solution Column is provided by Pastor Brandon Young of Harmony Free Will Baptist Church, Hampton, and his associate, Hunter Greene.