Temples

Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honour God with your body.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20, NLT*

Think about the care that went into building the Israelites’ temples in the Old Testament. God has put that same care into us (see Psalm 139:14).

The temple building was

  • a place to meet with God
  • a place to bring sacrifices and find forgiveness
  • a sign to others of God’s glory
  • a sign of the nation’s unity and identity

Our bodies as temples:

  • let’s intentionally practice His presence – be with Him
  • we’ve been cleansed and forgiven, based on one completed sacrifice; we keep receiving cleansing and forgiveness as needed
  • our lives become signs to others of God’s glory and goodness
  • corporately as well as individually, we need to find our identity in the Lord, and to show unity (not uniformity!)

Since we represent God in the world, let’s keep our “temple” clean, guarding against decay and defilement.

Majestic and holy God, it’s beyond our understanding that You would choose to show Yourself through us despite our weakness. Even more amazing is that You’d choose to dwell in us. Fill and change us, and lead us in Your ways.

Today’s “temple song” is “Holy Spirit,” by Francesca Battistelli.

*New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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