Readings 021026
There is a truth running quietly through Scripture today—
a truth as old as Solomon’s temple
and as new as the breath you’re taking right now.
God does not seek a building.
God seeks a heart.
Solomon knew it.
He stood before the altar, hands lifted to heaven,
and dared to ask the question every believer eventually asks:
“Can it be that God dwells on earth?”
The heavens cannot contain Him—
yet He chooses to draw near.
Not because the temple is impressive,
but because the people are beloved.
And as the story unfolds,
Jesus steps into the scene
and makes the truth unmistakable:
God’s dwelling is not in the ritual,
but in the heart turned toward Him.
The Pharisees had clean hands but cluttered hearts.
They honored God with their lips
but kept Him at a distance inside.
Jesus wasn’t rejecting tradition—
He was rescuing it.
He was reminding them, and us,
that God is not moved by the shine of our actions
if our hearts remain untouched.
And this is where the message lands in our lives.
We abandon prayer when life gets hard.
We pull away from church
when the results aren’t quick or clear.
We drift toward whatever is easier, louder, faster—
whatever promises comfort without conversion.
But God does not dwell in the quick fix.
God dwells in the heart that stays.
The heart that listens.
The heart that bends.
The heart that keeps showing up
even when the feelings fade
and the answers are slow.
Holiness isn’t about performing perfectly.
It’s about returning faithfully.
God is not waiting for a flawless temple.
He is waiting for an honest heart—
a heart that says,
“Lord, I am here.
I am listening.
I am yours.”
Because the most beautiful dwelling place God desires
is not made of stone or gold—
it is made of you.
Prayer
Lord, make my heart Your home.
Clear what keeps me distant from You.
Teach me to stay when life grows heavy
and to listen when Your voice is soft.
Turn my wandering back to Your mercy
and steady me when I drift toward easier paths.
I offer not perfection, but a willing heart.
Be in me, dwell in me, and make me Yours.
Amen
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