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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 in the Spirit,
but they try to perfect it 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 the word 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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