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Thursday, April
17, 2008
God’s
Storehouse
Malachi 3:8-10 Will a man rob
God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In
tithes and offerings. (9) Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed
me, even this whole nation. (10) Bring ye all the tithes into the
storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now
herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of
heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to
receive it. (KJV)
When you now think of a
storehouse, as well as the term mine house which we see illustrated in
verse 10 you should now be thinking of the Church, the true house of God
which is His people, of which you can include yourself. In the past our
efforts and mindset were things that were not of God thus robbing Him the
opportunity to work in our lives. Now that you are able to understand what
the house of God is, and that His people are a storehouse for His word, you
then set your affection on the things of God which opens the heavenly
windows to pour out a blessing for His Church which is Christ the gift of
God given to mankind for edification.
Hebrews 5:14 But strong meat
belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use
have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. (KJV)
You know when you are really
hungry and in need of a meal solid food in the form of meat not only
satisfies the hunger but provides the nourishment that is needed for the
physical body. The same holds true in the spiritual realm, there is a time
where those that truly wish to mature in the Lord need to wean themselves
off the milk of the word of God and into the meat of it. It is the Lord’s
desire that the people not only get the proper nourishment that is needed
in the form of solid spiritual meat, but that those who are overseers of
the flock, pastors and preachers, provide the meat for the house of God
which is His Church, the people. While so many these days focus on brick
and mortar buildings, the building God is concerned with is His spiritual
one, the people that should be getting built up and established in the
truth and not robbed of the true riches of God’s wisdom and knowledge. It
is time for God’s people to focus more on the inward and less on the
outward in order to be blessed of God and allow His windows to keep open
and rain living waters on His people. It is also up to you the individual
to spend time in the word of God for yourself so that you can keep your
spiritual senses exercised to know the difference between the good and
evil, and not be duped by self serving people who are more interested in
building up a name for themselves rather than the name of Christ.
1 Corinthians 3:9-11 For we
are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's
building. (10) According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a
wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth
thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. (11) For
other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. (KJV)
Thayer’s definition for
husbandry:
1091 georgion-a cultivated field, husbandry,
tillage
You the people of God are
what He considers His building, His storehouse if you would, and that is
where the priority for those that have been called to preach should be. You
can always tell who the good farmer is because he is outstanding in his
field. You are the field, a place where the seed is planted, the storehouse
is built, and are now bringing forth fruit unto God in the form of love,
joy, peace, and longsuffering as well. There is a wise masterbuilder we can
pattern our lives after who can build an eternal building, one that will
withstand the storms of this life and preserve His crops for the Master.
Are you established in the truth, grounded and settled on the foundation of
Jesus Christ and His doctrine, or have you built a foundation on sand that
is not settled and can be blown around with a wind of doctrine?
1 Corinthians 3:12-15 Now if
any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood,
hay, stubble; (13) Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day
shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall
try every man's work of what sort it is. (14) If any man's work abide which
he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. (15) If any man's work
shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet
so as by fire. (KJV)
Once you have begun this
building it is vital that you endure to the end and make sure it stands.
While many may have begun with good intentions somewhere along the line
they got sidetracked, and what began in the Spirit was not perfected by the
flesh. Our God is a consuming fire, a fire that can be used for purifying
as well. Gold and silver and other precious materials can be purified by
fire, getting rid of the slag and impurities, leaving the pureness intact.
Other things like wood, hay, or stubble are not purified but rather burn
and are destroyed and cannot withstand the fire. Many man-made self serving
doctrines are similar to wood, hay, and stubble, highly flammable and not
of much use; not something you want to build a house with especially when
it is dealing with our eternal residence. When I look at verse 15 and see
burned, I think of chastening and how God deals with us concerning
impurities in our walk, and though it hurts the flesh to let go of these
things the spirit is set free and yields to the peaceable fruit of
righteousness.
Philippians 3:7-9 But what
things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. (8) Yea doubtless,
and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of
Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and
do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, (9) And be found in him, not
having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is
through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: (KJV)
Paul had his own take on God’s
consuming fire, and in the end Paul realized just where the world and its
ways ranked as compared to the things of God. Although Paul suffered the
loss of all things in this realm he found it opened a new realm for him to
operate in and allow God to open the windows of heaven to Him so that he
could write a good part of the epistles; which at the time he thought were
just letters to certain churches, ended up to be letters for the Church
today as well. So where do the things of this life rank with you? Do you
consider it a pile of dung also when compared to the things of God, or are
you still putting up with a lot unpleasant things to the spirit man which are
starting to stink to high heaven?
1 Corinthians 3:16-17 Know ye
not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in
you? (17) If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for
the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. (KJV)
You are God’s building, the
temple He wishes to occupy and bless. Are you bringing all your efforts and
priorities His way or are you still trying to do things your old dead end
ways? Don’t be duped by those that claim to be of God but are defiling His
temple with false doctrines and covetous practices, because with what
measure is given out will come back their way in a most unpleasant manner
with eternal consequences.
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