December 5 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in your midst? —1 Corinthians 3:16

When Moses finished building the tabernacle, God Almighty moved in. The glory of the Lord filled the tent. What an awesome moment!

You would think that with the presence of God so close and so visible, the people of Israel would have spent their days in reverence and obedience. But we know that during the years of wandering through the desert, the Israelites were often rebellious and disobedient.

The great miracle of the person of Jesus was that he came to us as God in the flesh: "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling (tabernacle) among us. We have seen his glory" (John 1:14).

You would think that since the presence of God has come so close that he meets us in the flesh, people would believe and live. But to this very day, unbelieving people say that Jesus could not have been God, that he was probably an ordinary man with an extraordinary faith.

Since the day of Pentecost, Christians together form the temple of God because the Spirit of God lives in them. Now God lives in his holy temple. God dwells in many lands and speaks in many tongues.

But many people still don't believe the gospel. Many think that if God is living anywhere on earth, it has to be in a multimillion-dollar temple with out-of-this-world furnishings.

Here is the simple truth: God lives today in men, women, and children who believe in Jesus.

God's presence has become visible and tangible in lives that his grace has blessed and his Spirit has possessed.

And someday soon the glory of the Lord is going to cover the earth. Then nobody will say that it cannot be, that it isn't so. On that day we will experience what we have always believed. And others will see what their hearts refused to accept.

REFLECTIONS

You—along with other believers—are God's temple. God lives in you. As you think this through, what are some of the implications for your daily life? For your contact with non-Christians?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.