Your body is a temple
"Don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and who was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourselves but to God; he bought you for a price. So use your bodies for God's glory." 1 Corinthians 6 : 19 - 20 (GNB) |
You might expect the phrase "my body is a temple" to be spoken by a fitness enthusiast, someone keeping to a diet, or maybe someone turning down a big slice of cake. When saying this these people are usually referring to their efforts to keep their body as healthy as possible and looking in the best shape that they can make it.
Our passage this week adds a new dimension to this phrase. It suggests that our bodies are a temple, not because of how they look, or how healthy or flabby they are but instead because of how they are being used. We are told that as followers of Jesus we are temples for the Holy Spirit because it lives within us.
Just think about that, you are home to the God of all creation. The same God that we read in the Bible who's very appearance could kill a man with a single glance. The same God that has brought corpses back to life, parted the oceans, healed the sick, wiped out entire cities and raised up nations lives inside you and every other follower of Jesus.
A temple is meant to be a place which is entirely dedicated to the worship of God, a holy place which is pleasing to him. So is your temple up to the job? Is your body a comfortable home for the Holy Spirit, or is it being cluttered by other things that don't really belong there?
Take some time this week making sure your body and your life is the best possible temple for the Holy Spirit that it can be. Have a great week.
This week's song is Heartbeat by Gateway worship |
Header image by: Gary Ullah via Flickr