Gladness in God's house

DAILY BIBLE READING:

2 Samuel 22:1–23:23 
Acts 2:1-47 
Psalm 122:1-9 
Proverbs 16:19-20

BIBLE VERSE(S) FOR TODAY:

Psalm 122:1 "I rejoiced with those who said to me, 'Let us go to the house of the Lord.'"

REFLECTIONS ON TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE(S):

In the Old Testament, "the house of the Lord" was the temple. It was a building that was designated for the purpose of worship. If the people wanted to come into God's presence, they went to the temple ("the house of the Lord").

But, after Jesus ascended into Heaven (Acts 1:9-11) and the Holy Spirit came down (John 14:16, 26; 15:26; Acts 2; etc.), the Holy Spirit took up residence within the bodies of believers (Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20). And according to that last Scriptural reference, our bodies are now the "temple of the Holy Spirit" (a.k.a. "the house of the Lord"). Our bodies are now the place where we worship the Lord.

That brings up two very important points:

1). Our worship is no longer limited to a time and location. We are to worship our Lord in each moment of every day in whatever location we find ourselves in (1 Corinthians 10:31).

2). The church building is not the place of worship. The church is actually a called out group of believers. It is the body of believers who gather for corporate worship, mutual encouragement, needed accountability, and so much more. While our worship is not limited to our gathered times, we realize that the Christian life was never intended to be lived alone - we need each other.

So, our Verse for Today should apply in two ways:

1). We should desire to be glad all the time because we ARE the house of the Lord.

2). We should desire to be glad every time we prepare to gather with other believers in our respective churches because in a very special way we get to experience our God with our family of friends.

Psalm 122:1 "I rejoiced with those who said to me, 'Let us go to the house of the Lord.'"