In the beginning
But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. Revelation 21:22
For as long as I can remember, I have always gone to church. I know I started going from the time I was born because my parents took me every single time the church doors were open. As I began to understand a little while growing up, I knew that the church was the place we came together regularly to praise God and hear from His Word. I was never taught that church was the only place you could be with Him or be in His presence. I realized very early in life that once I received Jesus as my Savior, He was always with me.
When I became an adult, I still didn’t fully understand the importance of coming together with other believers as often as possible and as a result, I slowly slipped away. My perception was that church was there if I needed something, but if not, I could just be with God wherever I was.
Now I have come to understand just how important it is to regularly come together with other believers. The first and most important thing that I recognized through not going to church was that I didn’t place myself around other Christians to be accountable. As a result, I began to make some very bad decisions that lead me down a road very far from God’s goodness in my life. Oh, I did call out to Him often. Pretty much every time I got in over my head I would yell “Help! I’m in a mess again.” Of course, He rescued me time and time again, but for some reason, I thought I had to figure things out on my own. I never even considered that He wanted to lead me on His perfect path of blessing and righteousness, leaving behind the sorrows and consequences of one foolish choice after another.
Now Sunday is my favorite day of the week and I love going to worship and meeting with Him each week as we gather together in corporate praise. The power of God shows up mightily and it is clear to me now why He said to keep coming together with other believers and even more often as the day of His return is approaching. (See Hebrews 10:25) We need each other to encourage one another and be there for one another when life hits hard.
In the time we have lived in the world, this is all we have known. However, there was a time, at the beginning when God first created man and woman that people did not have to go to a building to be with God and they didn’t have to become the temple of God’s Spirit to have Him with them. God just came and walked with them through the garden each day and showed them His ways and wisdom so that they could live a successful life. That would have continued too if they had followed His direction instead of listening to the voice of a stranger in the garden.
As we come to the end of Revelation Chapter 21, verse 22 tells us that once again, there will be no temple for God to live in. The reason is because God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are the temple. We will always be right there with the trinity for all of eternity and lift our praise and worship to His holiness wherever we are in that holy City.
This reality is very exciting to think about. As much as I love having the Holy Spirit living on the inside of me and showing me something new or leading me in the direction of God’s goodness, it still takes a very concentrated effort to position myself to know where He is leading. But when we are with Him in the holy Jerusalem, He will be right there, and we will have no question about knowing His will or where He is pointing us. He will be the light that illuminates the city, and He will keep it spotless from any stain or blemish.
So today I want to encourage you to read this passage and be filled with hope and anticipation. The new Jerusalem is not just a distant dream, it is the reality that waits for all who trust in the Lord Jesus. The picture of our eternal home encourages us to live with purpose and passion, sharing the light of Jesus with the world around us in need of His salvation. Embrace the promise of God’s eternal presence and live each day in the light of His glory and grace by being filled with awe and inspiration at the thought of living with the three in one with open gates in the pure city in God’s eternal Kingdom. Remember that our destiny is to live in the glorious presence of our Lord Jesus forever and let this promise be the inspiration that keeps the light of God’s love shining in your daily life by bringing hope and encouragement to everyone you meet.
Today’s scripture reading: Revelation 21:22-27
22But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
23The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.
24And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it.
25Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there).
26And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it.
27But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
The Daily Dose 