Mon.’s Devo - The Temple of the Lord in Us

Read: Nehemiah 8:13-10:39
On the second day of Tishri, the spiritual leaders met to dig into the Law and understand more. They realized that that month was the Feast of Tabernacles and they wanted to celebrate it. The people were to bring certain branches from the hills to make temporary dwellings for their families to live in for a week. As they lay under these branches at night with their families they were to look through the branches to heaven and teach their children that their lives on earth were temporary like these booths. Their real home was in heaven with God.
The people did this and on the 24th, they met and stood for 3 hours listening to more of the law being read. For the next 3 hours they cried out to God and repented for their sins. The Levites led them in worship and praise to God. They took them back in history and told the history of their nation and how God had moved in their past. It was a cycle of God doing great miracles of deliverance for them and them turning away to idolatry - over and over again until now they were slaves in the very land God promised them. The people made a new covenant with the Lord to follow him and his laws and to not neglect the Temple of God.
We can look at the things they promised and learn how keep the Temple of God holy in us since we are the Temple of the Lord.
1. They were not to intermarry. We are not to mix the world into our lives. We are to stay holy and untouched by the world. We are to live in it but it is not to live in us.
2. They refused to do business on the Sabbath. We must have a day of the week where we rest to regroup, quiet our minds and spirit and refresh. This has more to do with our prayer life than anything. We have to find time to get away and rest in the Lord.
3. Pay the temple tax. We have to read the Word which is the Bread of his Presence, repent, and build up our Spirit by spending time with Him.
4. They were to give the first fruit of all they had. We are to give God every part of our lives.
Lord, help us not neglect the temple of the Lord in our spirits. May it be strong and holy.