God's Starter House
by Pastor Ricky Kurth
"Jacob...lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night... and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows...And he dreamed, and...awaked out of his sleep, and...said...this is none other than the house of God" (Genesis 28:10-17).
And
you thought your starter house was humble! At least you had a roof over
your head and pleasant amenities like walls, doors and windows. As you
can see, the first house that God called home here on earth had none of
those luxuries! As a result, His first houseguest slept outdoors on the
ground with rocks for pillows.
God's
next house was a little more substantial, but fairly small. The
tabernacle that God called home among the people of Israel was nothing
more than a tent, and could easily have been featured on the TV show Tiny House Nation. Especially when you consider that "the most holy place" (Ex.26:34), a place within the "holy place" of the tabernacle (v. 33), was God's actual dwelling place. We know that the tabernacle was small enough to be a mobile home, for God's people carried it through the wilderness for forty years.
When God finally decided to settle down, He chose to put down roots in Israel, where "Solomon...built the house of the Lord in Jerusalem" (I
Chron. 6:32). And just like the tabernacle, Solomon's house of God had
an "inner house, the most holy place" (I Kings 7:50). Thus it was true
of both the tabernacle and the temple that God's house in Israel was
actually a house-within-a-house.
But
this house-within-a-house is nothing compared to the living
arrangements God has today. The physical body of every believer "is the
temple of the Holy Ghost" (I Cor. 6:19). But "the house of God" today
is also the local church (I Tim. 3:15), the gathering of God's
people together in a local assembly. And the people of the local
assembly are housed within the larger house of "the church, which is His Body" (Ephesians 1:22,23), a church made up of all believers! Thus today God dwells in a house-within-a-house--within-
"But
in a great house there are...vessels...to honour, and some to
dishonour" (II Tim. 2:20). Which are you? If your house is not in
order, maybe it's time to do a little housecleaning. Our apostle Paul
says, "Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness" (II Cor.
7:1). God's starter house was pretty humble, but with a little spiritual
elbow grease you can make your body a house that brings Him great
glory.
Les Feldick Ministries
30706 W. Lona Valley Rd.
Kinta, OK 74552
Posted By Cecil and Connie Spivey
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