“Temple Pillars”
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We recently renovated our home. Early in the project, we had an idea to tear down one of the walls separating our kitchen and family room, but there was a problem. It turns out that particular wall was “load-bearing,” which meant it supported the weight of the roof above it. That wall was essential to the structural integrity of the house, so we ended up leaving it alone.
In his closing words to the church at Philadelphia, Jesus promises that anyone who conquers in this life will become an essential part of God’s temple.
“The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name” (Rev. 3:12).
Load Bearing
Like that wall in our kitchen, someday we’ll become integral to the eternal temple of God — permanent and immovable. So why would God trust us with such an important role in his building project? We’ve been training for this since coming to Christ! We’re continually developing a life that’s “… steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord …” (1 Cor. 15:58).
Not only are we rock-solid in our faith, but we’re support structures for others as well. “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal. 6:2). If we’ve proven ourselves trustworthy in upholding God’s will in this world, he considers us worthy building material for his temple.
City-Owned Property
Remember what was on the bottom of Woody and Buzz Lightyear’s feet from the Toy Story movies? It was their owner Andy’s name. Anytime we want to mark something as “ours,” we pull out a Sharpie and stick our name on it. Similarly, Jesus promises to put a few notable names on us.
First, he’ll write God’s name. What a fantastic thought to be God’s exclusive possession! He’ll also write the name of God’s city on us. Ezekiel says, “… the name of the city from that time on shall be, The LORD Is There” (Ezek. 48:35). Our God will be present and close to us. And finally, Jesus promises to write his name on us. We wear his name on this earth, and we’ll wear his name in heaven too.
So are you living a life that’s grounded on the bedrock of Jesus and his words? As he said, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock” (Matt. 7:24-25).
