12/8

Isaiah 66:1-2

¹This is what the LORD says: "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be? ²Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?" declares the LORD. "This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.

We cannot build a house for God. We can build places in which to worship. We can build meeting places, but God is so much greater than our buildings. He cannot be limited to a building. Every ingredient in the building was a creation of God reworked by men gifted from God. Will our buildings impress Him?

He is the one who is making a building for Himself. He is using living stones to build it. Jesus told Peter, "I will build my church." (Matthew 16:18) He reaches into the hearts of men and convicts of sin. He draws them into a relationship with Himself, and molds and shapes them throughout their lives. After He has hewn off all that does not fit in His temple, He places them in the spot prepared for them. What does a hewn living stone look like? It appears humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at God's Word. Your spiritual maturity can be measured by these characteristics.

In this passage God was rebuking Israel for taking His Word so lightly. He says that He called, and they would not listen. He stretched out His hands to them, but they would not come. The temple was in ruins, and so they cried out to God. This passage today was His reply. He is building a temple of people who will listen and come to Him. The stones He chooses are humble and contrite. Those are the kind of stones He esteems. He listens to those who listen to Him.

Consider: Are you listening today? Are you letting Him mold and shape you? Is the process humbling you so that you tremble at His Word?