DCLM Daily Manna 2025: DCLM Daily Manna 27 February 2025: Reverence For God’s House
Text: 1 Timothy 3:14-16 (KJV)
14 These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly:
15 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
KEY VERSE: 1 Timothy 3:15
“But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.”
Over 2,000 years ago, Jesus Christ entered the temple in Jerusalem and drove out the traders He found there for disrespecting and desecrating the house of God. The solemnity that should characterise the sanctuary had been replaced with haggling and extortion of the marketplace, and the corruption that underpins commercial practices.
In our text, Apostle Paul instructed Timothy, the young bishop of the Church at Ephesus, on proper conduct in the Church. His description of the Church as “the pillar and ground of the truth” emphasises its hallowed nature as distinct from a site for social gatherings or business activities. God expects us to approach His house with reverence and godly fear. When He gave the Ten Commandments to Moses, the thick cloud and blistering thunder on Mount Sinai created fear, silence, and respect in the congregation of Israel (Exodus 19:18-25). Prophet Habakkuk warns, “But the LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him” (Habakkuk 2:20).
Today, disrespect for the house of God is on the increase. Rich men and political officeholders habitually disrupt the flow of holy service as they come late to meetings, attracting attention as they walk up to the front seats. Some parents allow their children to become rowdy during the service, thus robbing people of the opportunity to concentrate on the word of God. The descendants of those who turned the temple into a “den of robbers”, in Christ’s day are still transacting business and making connections to further their economic interests in the assemblies today.
Many people are in the habit of using their electronic gadgets while the service is going on. Those who cannot recognise the difference between the holy and the profane transform the church into an arena of worldly entertainment or secular meetings after services. Some litter the church premises unaware that they are in the presence of God. We must henceforth heed the admonition in Psalm 89:7 that says, “God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.”
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Divine whip still dangles against those who desecrate the house of God.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Leviticus 1-4
Daily Manna 27 February 2025
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