Day 267: A Building for God

Today’s Scripture: Ephesians 2:1-22

Central Thought: As a church, we are to become a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit.

Have you ever marveled at how a building is put together? The builder starts with raw materials and crafts them into a magnificent structure. Because of their beauty, many buildings are a tribute to both the architect and builder.

Taking people and making them into a church is similar to building a physical building. God uses people to build His Church. He first gathers the raw material. Paul says that we were dead in our sin. But God did not leave us in this condition. He provided redemption through Christ, and we have been made alive in Him.

A building needs a solid foundation. God has provided that in Jesus Christ, the chief cornerstone. Because the foundation is solid, the Church will never fall. God uses all kinds of materials in building His Church. He chooses some people we would not think appropriate for His Church. But God takes all those who have turned their lives to Christ and joins them together in a beautiful structure to honor Him.

Paul lists two purposes for believers in the church. First, we are God’s workmanship and have been created to do good works. No only are we called as individual believers to minister to others, but we also are called as a corporate body to minister to our communities.

Second, God has created the church to be a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit. When all believers work together in unity, God’s presence is manifested in their midst. As each believer uses the gifts that God has given, they build up the church.

If you have accepted Christ as your Savior, you are part of God’s great building called the Church. Allow God to use you to minister to others and build up His Church.

Devotional Prayer: Lord, help me to allow the Holy Spirit to dwell in my life as I fulfill my place in the Church.

Today’s Bible Reading: Isaiah 41:17-43:13; Ephesians 2:1-22; Psalm 67:1-7; Proverbs 29:35