Today’s 333 Devotional: “By Grace God Dwells Within”

Over all of our human frailty and failures God’s grace triumphs. This is the lesson God reveals in the completion of Solomon’s Temple.

The temple, however, was never God’s idea in the first place. God had commanded the construction of the tabernacle in the wilderness. The temple was actually King David’s idea.

Solomon said, “Now it was in the heart of my father David to build a temple for the name of the Lord God of Israel.” (1 Kings 8:17)

But God accommodated his request through his son, Solomon. And when the temple was completed, and the Ark of the Covenant was brought in, which was the one permanent and unchangeable link between the tabernacle and the temple. And the glory of the Lord filled the place revealing that God’s grace is what covers all of our human endeavors to honor Him.

Solomon knew that no place could be built that could contain the fullness of God’s glory.

He said, “Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built!” (1 Kings 8:27)

But God grace permitted sinful man to build Him a temple in which He chose to dwell.

What a lesson for us in how God’s grace permits His tabernacle to be built inside these frail and sinful bodies when we left our old life behind to come into this wonderfully new life in Christ.

It was by God’s grace through our faith in Jesus Christ that God chose to dwell within us.

“Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

And so, may the fullness of God’s glory and grace fill your heart as you glorify Him in all that you do.