agrogers1 Corinthians 3:16 Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?
The Israelites were given the task to build the tabernacle when they came out of Egypt. One might think that they could take pride in both the idea and the beauty it held. But that is a mistake.
- The idea was God’s
- The precious stones they gave to build it came from the Egyptians. Israel were slaves and so I imagine they had very little. But when they left Egypt they were given gifts by their captors. So the materials were God’s
- The opportunity was God’s. He liberated them, then protected them and so gave them the opportunity.
- The design details were God’s
- The energy needed to build was from God. He fed them daily with manna.
- The wisdom and skill needed came from God.
This parallels what is also true in the Christian’s experience. We are his temple. Our salvation is his doing. Our good deeds are by His empowering. There is nothing that we do that cannot be attributed to Him.
So it is foolish for us to boast about our own spiritual successes. Or for the more mature Christian who is less likely to boast, it is foolish to take secret satisfaction in our own spiritual accomplishments.
