Day 168

2 Chronicles 6–7 | 2 Corinthians 6:14–7

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Eight weeks after my saw accident, I got suckered.

Jason called me one Saturday morning and said, “Hey, I’m listening to the radio, and there’s a deal—20 ribeyes for $40. I’m headed somewhere so I can’t make it, but will you check it out? That’s a steal.”

So I went.

Bandaged hand in a sling. Pouring rain. Seventeen-person line that moved at a snail’s pace.

And after an hour of standing outside like a one-handed, meat-hungry fool, I was committed. No turning back.

And of course… it was a bait-and-switch.

They don’t mention the asterisks on the radio. They don’t say, “Warning: These steaks are roughly the thickness of a postage stamp and the color of sadness.”

They just say $40. And hope you’re dumb enough to show up.

I was.

And despite being a marketer myself—who should know better—I got reeled in harder than a catfish on a credit line.

One hour and $359.47 later, I walked away with two massive cases of the most grisly, discolored, freezer-burned excuses for meat you’ve ever seen. We tried cooking them once. Not even close to being edible.

So I slow-cooked it all. Froze it in giant Ziplocs. It now sits in our garage freezer, labeled For Emergency Use Only. I wish I were kidding.

I went looking to fill my freezer with the real thing.

Instead, I filled it with garbage.

A complete counterfeit.

And it cost me.

What Fills You?

In 2 Chronicles 6–7, Solomon finishes building the temple. But the most important moment isn’t the completion—it’s the filling.

“When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering… and the glory of the Lord filled the temple.” (7:1)

Not marketing hype.

Not emotional energy.

Not a cheap substitute.

The presence of God filled the place.

And the people knew it.

They bowed down in worship. They didn’t just see something—they felt it. The real, holy, consuming presence of Yahweh.

Fast forward to Paul in 2 Corinthians 6–7, and he’s pleading with believers to live holy lives.

Not in legalism.

But in consecration.

Because the temple isn’t made of cedar and stone anymore.

It’s us.

“For we are the temple of the living God.” (6:16)

And God says: “I will make My dwelling among them.”

Which means this:

You will be filled by something.

The only question is what.

His presence—or a counterfeit.

His fire—or frozen meat in Ziplocs.

It sounds absurd. But how often do we settle?

We fill our hearts with noise, our calendars with striving, our minds with scrolling, our days with distraction—and then wonder why we feel dry.

Because what we chase is filling us.

And some things aren’t worth the cost.

Where the Fire Falls

When Solomon’s temple was filled, it wasn’t because it was the biggest.

It wasn’t because it was perfect.

It was because it was offered.

Laid bare. Consecrated. Set apart.

God doesn’t fill what stays sealed.

He fills what’s surrendered.

So today, whether you feel holy or hollow…

Invite Him to fill you again.

Not with counterfeit.

But with presence.

With power.

With fire.

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Lord, I’ve let a lot of things fill me that weren’t from You. Things that looked promising but left me empty. Thank You for choosing to dwell in fragile temples like me—not because I’m impressive, but because I’m Yours. Burn away what’s fake. Clean out what’s stale. And fill me again with what’s real. With grace. With power. With You. Amen.